What should we and what do we measure in Early Intensive Behavior Intervention programs

The question of measurement and measurability has been key issues since the early childhood of the science of human behavior. In our daily work as practitioners, however, the issue is more often a question of how to measure a concept than whether or not it is measurable. This frequently boils down to the operations of 1) breaking down everyday events, concepts, or hypothetical constructs into measurable units and 2) finding an appropriate way of measuring these elements. In doing so, we risk missing out on some aspect of what we investigate, or we risk measuring irrelevant features. Our main targets are often “improved quality of life”, “higher level of inclusion” and avoiding traditionally immeasurable criteria such as happiness, affection, satisfaction et cetera seems difficult. The issue of measurability will be discussed within the frame of early intensive behavioral intervention, taking into account a variety of possibilities and limitations this frame provides.