Talent
Monday, July 30, 2007
Visual Schedules
Another interesting site that I recently visited is titled:
Special Education Services
Autism: Interventions andStrategies for Success
http://www.specialed.us/autism/index2.htm
This site is very informative and can really be used as a tool in developing educational programs for a child with autism. In this site, if you click on the crayon labeled Structured Teaching: Strategeies for Supporting Students with Autism, it describes a very important tool for the development of a child with autism. The tool is a visual schedule. A visual schedule will tell the child what events will occur and in what order which will help the child in a number of ways. It will help them with sequential memory and organization of time, expectations of them, anxiety, and transitioning. The example uses a "first-then" approach.
It also shows how to develop a visual schedule.
The specific page for the visual schedule is http://www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str11.htm
Special Education Services
Autism: Interventions andStrategies for Success
http://www.specialed.us/autism/index2.htm
This site is very informative and can really be used as a tool in developing educational programs for a child with autism. In this site, if you click on the crayon labeled Structured Teaching: Strategeies for Supporting Students with Autism, it describes a very important tool for the development of a child with autism. The tool is a visual schedule. A visual schedule will tell the child what events will occur and in what order which will help the child in a number of ways. It will help them with sequential memory and organization of time, expectations of them, anxiety, and transitioning. The example uses a "first-then" approach.
It also shows how to develop a visual schedule.
The specific page for the visual schedule is http://www.specialed.us/autism/structure/str11.htm
Communication Book
If you have an autistic child that attends school, make sure to have a communication book. A communication book is a way that the parent and teacher can provide information to eachother while the child is not with that individual. The parent can help the teacher by providing information about any unusual events that occured while the child was out of school. This information could be vital to the teacher and might provide some explanation why the child is acting in certain ways. Ex: The child could not sleep well the night before. The teacher then knows why the child is acting differently on a particular day. this communication is helpful to the parent as well. Since the child may have limited communiaction skills, the child may or may not communicate what they did during the school day. The teacher can then provide information to the parent and can help the parent understand what the child has gone through during the course of the school day. Ex: Teacher can explain what social skills they are working on in class, as well as, any positive/negative events that occured. The parents can then praise the child for any positive instances and reinforce the incident at home to encourage growth.
Austism Teaching Tools
I recently came across a website that had many useful lists of different teaching material for autistic children. The site recommendations list of reading books, art project books, and educationals manuals. It also has a list of TV shows that are considered educational, such as, Blues Clues (a favorite show of my cousin with autism), Pokemon, Transformers, and Dora The Explorer. The most useful link I clicked on was a discussion link which brought me to a page for people to interact with eachother about the subject of Autism. Through these discussions, information and ideas are easily exchanged from parents, professionals, and people interested in the subject. Yahoo also has many valuable message boards with a large group of members. View the Yahoo groups at http://health.dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Health___Wellness/Support/Diseases_and_Conditions/Autism
The Autism Teaching Tools website can be viewed at http://www.autismteachingtools.com/
The Autism Teaching Tools website can be viewed at http://www.autismteachingtools.com/
Autism Research
There are no certainties on the causes of autism. Some scientists believe that it is environmental and some scientists think it is from genetics. Studies have shown that people with autism have irregularities in certain areas of the brain. Scientists have also found that there are abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. These abnormalities suggest that autism could result from the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and that regulate how neurons communicate with each other. Recent studies strongly suggest that some people have a genetic predisposition to autism.
Much research is being done to discover the causes of autism and help prevent it. Some of these sites might be useful:
National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), at: www.naar.org/naar.asp
Cure Autism Now (CAN), at: www.cureautismnow.org/
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)'s Autism page, at: www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm
Organization for Autism Research (OAR), at: http://www.researchautism.org/
Much research is being done to discover the causes of autism and help prevent it. Some of these sites might be useful:
National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), at: www.naar.org/naar.asp
Cure Autism Now (CAN), at: www.cureautismnow.org/
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)'s Autism page, at: www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm
Organization for Autism Research (OAR), at: http://www.researchautism.org/
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Doug Flutie Jr Foundation for Autism
Many people know Doug Flutie because of his performance on Sundays on the football field. He played for the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and San Diego Chargers. His most memorable moment came on November 23, 1984 when he wore a Boston College jersey and threw a Hail Mary to Gerard Phelan as time expired to beat Miami. If you have never seen the play or if you want to view this miracle throw click the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ykWbu2Gl0
When he is not playing football, Doug and Laurie Flutie commit their time to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.
The Foundation's mission is to aid financially disadvantaged families who need assistance in caring for their children with autism; to fund education and research into the causes and consequences of childhood autism; and to serve as a clearinghouse and communications center for new programs and services developed for individuals with autism.
You can visit the foundation's website at http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ykWbu2Gl0
When he is not playing football, Doug and Laurie Flutie commit their time to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism.
The Foundation's mission is to aid financially disadvantaged families who need assistance in caring for their children with autism; to fund education and research into the causes and consequences of childhood autism; and to serve as a clearinghouse and communications center for new programs and services developed for individuals with autism.
You can visit the foundation's website at http://www.dougflutiejrfoundation.org/
Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children(TEACCH)
TEACCH started in 1996 as part of the Department of Psychiatry of the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina in the USA. It began as a Child Research Project to provide services to children with autism and their families. In 1972 the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation which enabled Division TEACCH to become the first comprehensive state-wide community-based program of services for children and adults with autism and other similar developmental disorders.
Today TEACCH provides a wide range of services to a broad spectrum of toddlers, children, adolescents, adults, and their families including diagnosis and assessment, individualized treatment programs, special education, social skills training, vocational training, school consultations, parent training and counseling and the facilitation of parent group activities. TEACCH also maintains an active research program and provides multidisciplinary training for professionals dealing with children/adolescents/adults with autism and their families.
The primary aim of the TEACCH program is to help to prepare people with autism to live or work more effectively at home, at school, and in the community. Special emphasis is placed on helping people with autism and their families live together more effectively by reducing or removing 'autistic behaviors'.
The TEACCH concept
The principles and concepts guiding the TEACCH system have been summarized as:
* Improved adaptation: through the two strategies of improving skills means of education and of modifying the environment to accommodate deficits.
* Parent collaboration: parents work with professionals as co-therapists for their children so that techniques can be continued at home.
*Assessment for individualized treatment: unique educational programs are designed for all individuals on the basis of regular assessments of abilities.
* Structured teaching: it has been found that children with autism benefit more from a structured environment than from free approaches.
* Skill enhancement: assessment identifies emerging skills and work then focuses upon these.
* Cognitive and behavior therapy: educational procedures are guided by theories of cognition and behavior suggesting that difficult behavior may result from underlying problems in perception and understanding.
* Generalist training: professionals in the TEACCH system are trained as generalists who understand the whole child, and do not specialize as psychologists, speech therapists, etc.
(Extract from Approaches to autism: an annotated list published by The National Autistic Society, 1993 revised 2003)
Today TEACCH provides a wide range of services to a broad spectrum of toddlers, children, adolescents, adults, and their families including diagnosis and assessment, individualized treatment programs, special education, social skills training, vocational training, school consultations, parent training and counseling and the facilitation of parent group activities. TEACCH also maintains an active research program and provides multidisciplinary training for professionals dealing with children/adolescents/adults with autism and their families.
The primary aim of the TEACCH program is to help to prepare people with autism to live or work more effectively at home, at school, and in the community. Special emphasis is placed on helping people with autism and their families live together more effectively by reducing or removing 'autistic behaviors'.
The TEACCH concept
The principles and concepts guiding the TEACCH system have been summarized as:
* Improved adaptation: through the two strategies of improving skills means of education and of modifying the environment to accommodate deficits.
* Parent collaboration: parents work with professionals as co-therapists for their children so that techniques can be continued at home.
*Assessment for individualized treatment: unique educational programs are designed for all individuals on the basis of regular assessments of abilities.
* Structured teaching: it has been found that children with autism benefit more from a structured environment than from free approaches.
* Skill enhancement: assessment identifies emerging skills and work then focuses upon these.
* Cognitive and behavior therapy: educational procedures are guided by theories of cognition and behavior suggesting that difficult behavior may result from underlying problems in perception and understanding.
* Generalist training: professionals in the TEACCH system are trained as generalists who understand the whole child, and do not specialize as psychologists, speech therapists, etc.
(Extract from Approaches to autism: an annotated list published by The National Autistic Society, 1993 revised 2003)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
The basis of an ABA program is the premise that responses that are reinforced are more likely to occur again than responses that are ignored, so learning can be shaped by reinforcement. Every skill that is taught to a child is broken down into small steps that the child can master. Each step is taught by giving the child an instruction, and rewarding the child's correct response. Eventually, the child will give the correct response even without the reward.
Example:
The student is given a stimulus--a question, a set of blocks and a pattern, a request to go ask Mom for a glass of water--along with the correct response, or a strong 'hint' at what the response should be. He is rewarded (an M&M, a piggy-back ride, a happy "good job!") for repeating the right answer; anything else is ignored or corrected very neutrally. As his response becomes more reliable, the 'clues' are withdrawn until he can respond independently. This is usually done one-on-one at a table (thus the term table-top work), with detailed planning of the requests, timing, wording, and the therapist's reaction to the student's responses.)
This method of instruction- response- consequence is called discrete trial. Discrete trial training is possibly the most structured and invasive behavioral intervention. It generally focuses on repetitive practice presented in blocks of time for 5-6 hours each day. Discrete trial teaching is also referred to as the Lovaas Method, after Dr. O.I. Lovaas who completed the most widely sited research in using this tactic with children with autism, or Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) as that was the name of the project Dr. Lovaas developed.
Example:
The student is given a stimulus--a question, a set of blocks and a pattern, a request to go ask Mom for a glass of water--along with the correct response, or a strong 'hint' at what the response should be. He is rewarded (an M&M, a piggy-back ride, a happy "good job!") for repeating the right answer; anything else is ignored or corrected very neutrally. As his response becomes more reliable, the 'clues' are withdrawn until he can respond independently. This is usually done one-on-one at a table (thus the term table-top work), with detailed planning of the requests, timing, wording, and the therapist's reaction to the student's responses.)
This method of instruction- response- consequence is called discrete trial. Discrete trial training is possibly the most structured and invasive behavioral intervention. It generally focuses on repetitive practice presented in blocks of time for 5-6 hours each day. Discrete trial teaching is also referred to as the Lovaas Method, after Dr. O.I. Lovaas who completed the most widely sited research in using this tactic with children with autism, or Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) as that was the name of the project Dr. Lovaas developed.
SPELL FRAMEWORK
The Spell framework is used throughout all National Autistic Society schools and adult units. The framework addresses the individual needs of a person with autism so that they have a strong element of continuity and order in his or her life.
Structure helps to remove or reduce the threat of unexpected or unpredictable events, to make the environment less hostile and more conducive to learning. Structure is a powerful means of reducing anxiety, often a most significant disabling feature of autism, and of aiding effective communication. It helps the individual make sense of a confusing world.
Positive attitudes and appropriate expectations ensure that we provide an encouraging, enabling environment, where strengths are identified and built upon to enhance self-confidence and self-esteem. Education programmes are designed to include small changes which avoid rigidity and increase personal autonomy.
Seeing the world from the individual's unique viewpoint, and aiming to understand their perceptions demands Empathy. It involves an understanding of individual interest, preferences, motivators, phobias and idiosyncrasies, and is about attempting to share in the autistic experience. It is a crucial skill for supporters to develop.
Low arousal approaches seek to ensure that the living and learning environment is free of aversive, distracting or other undesired stimuli, allowing opportunities for relaxation and relief in tension. A calm, focussed approach maximises learning opportunities and helps to reduce anxiety. While our style is essentially non-confrontational, through supported rehearsal, individuals are encouraged to try new potentially aversive experiences in order to improve flexibility and aid development or independence.
It is vital that we build effective Links with families, schools and other service providers. In order to maximize the opportunities for inclusion in mainstream society we ensure high levels of consistency of approach
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=136&a=2261
Structure helps to remove or reduce the threat of unexpected or unpredictable events, to make the environment less hostile and more conducive to learning. Structure is a powerful means of reducing anxiety, often a most significant disabling feature of autism, and of aiding effective communication. It helps the individual make sense of a confusing world.
Positive attitudes and appropriate expectations ensure that we provide an encouraging, enabling environment, where strengths are identified and built upon to enhance self-confidence and self-esteem. Education programmes are designed to include small changes which avoid rigidity and increase personal autonomy.
Seeing the world from the individual's unique viewpoint, and aiming to understand their perceptions demands Empathy. It involves an understanding of individual interest, preferences, motivators, phobias and idiosyncrasies, and is about attempting to share in the autistic experience. It is a crucial skill for supporters to develop.
Low arousal approaches seek to ensure that the living and learning environment is free of aversive, distracting or other undesired stimuli, allowing opportunities for relaxation and relief in tension. A calm, focussed approach maximises learning opportunities and helps to reduce anxiety. While our style is essentially non-confrontational, through supported rehearsal, individuals are encouraged to try new potentially aversive experiences in order to improve flexibility and aid development or independence.
It is vital that we build effective Links with families, schools and other service providers. In order to maximize the opportunities for inclusion in mainstream society we ensure high levels of consistency of approach
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=136&a=2261
WALK NOW
WALK NOW FOR AUTISM unites your community in support of those affected by autism with a noncompetitive 5K walk and community resource fair, raising funds for autism research, awareness and outreach. Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. A cure must be found NOW. Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that is commonly diagnosed by the age of three, and in some cases, as early as one year. Autism is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted, repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behavior. The money raised at WALK NOW FOR AUTISM supports Autism Speaks / Cure Autism Now's mission to find the causes, effective treatments and a cure for autism through funding essential biomedical and scientific research.
To sign up for a walk near you visit
http://www.walknowforautism.org/site/c.grKPI2PCImE/b.2485123/k.BD69/Home.htm
To sign up for a walk near you visit
http://www.walknowforautism.org/site/c.grKPI2PCImE/b.2485123/k.BD69/Home.htm
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was developed in 1985 as a unique augmentative/ alternative training package that teaches children and adults with autism and other communication deficits to initiate communication.
PECS at a glance
Phase I
Teaches students to initiate communication right from the start by exchanging a single picture for a highly desired item.
Phase II
Teaches students to be persistent communicators- to actively seek out their pictures and to travel to someone to make a request.
Phase III
Teaches students to discriminate pictures and to select the picture that represents the item they want.
Phase IV
Teaches students to use sentence structure to make a request in the form of “I want _____.”
Phase V
Teaches students to respond to the question “What do you want?”
Phase VI
Teaches students to comment about things in their environment both spontaneously and in response to a question.
To learn more about PECS, visit the website. There could be a workshop planned for your area.
http://www.pecs.com/
PECS at a glance
Phase I
Teaches students to initiate communication right from the start by exchanging a single picture for a highly desired item.
Phase II
Teaches students to be persistent communicators- to actively seek out their pictures and to travel to someone to make a request.
Phase III
Teaches students to discriminate pictures and to select the picture that represents the item they want.
Phase IV
Teaches students to use sentence structure to make a request in the form of “I want _____.”
Phase V
Teaches students to respond to the question “What do you want?”
Phase VI
Teaches students to comment about things in their environment both spontaneously and in response to a question.
To learn more about PECS, visit the website. There could be a workshop planned for your area.
http://www.pecs.com/
Early Intervention
Early Intervention focuses on providing resources and assistance to maximize a child's development, while respecting the diversity of families and communities/society. After nearly 50 years of research, there is evidence that early intervention increases developmental and educational gains for a child, improves the functioning of the family, and reaps long-term benefits to society. Some results are:
1) the child needs fewer special education and other habilitative services later in life
2) a child is being retained in grade less often
3) a child is sometimes indistinguishable from others without special needs years after intervention
Services can include:
Assistive Technology: Services & Devices
Audiology
Developmental Services
Early Identification, Screening & Assessment
Family Counseling
Family Education
Medical Services (diagnostic or evaluation services used to determine eligibility)
Nursing Services
Nutrition Services
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Psychological Services
Service Coordination
Social Work Services
Speech-Language Therapy
Vision Services
1) the child needs fewer special education and other habilitative services later in life
2) a child is being retained in grade less often
3) a child is sometimes indistinguishable from others without special needs years after intervention
Services can include:
Assistive Technology: Services & Devices
Audiology
Developmental Services
Early Identification, Screening & Assessment
Family Counseling
Family Education
Medical Services (diagnostic or evaluation services used to determine eligibility)
Nursing Services
Nutrition Services
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Psychological Services
Service Coordination
Social Work Services
Speech-Language Therapy
Vision Services
Impairment of Social Relationships and Communication
While skimming through a book about autism spectrum disorders, I came across an interesting list of some types of behaviors someone with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) may exhibit.
- As a baby, does not reach out to be held by mother or seek cuddling
- Does not imitate others
- Uses adult as a means to get wanted object, without interacting with adult as a person
- Does not develop age-appropriate peer relationships
- Lack of spontaneous sharing of interests with others
- Difficulty in mixing with others
- Prefers to be alone
- Has an aloof manner
- Little or no eye contact
- Detached from feelings of others
- Does not develop speech, or develop an alternative method of communication such as pointing and gesturing
- Has speech, then loses it
- Repeats words or phrases instead of using normal language (echolalia)
- Speaks on very narrowly focused topics
- Difficulty in talking about abstract concepts
- Lack or impairment of conversational skills
To obtain the diagnostic checklist provided by the Autism Research Institute (ARI) you can go to http://www.autism.com/index.htm
To receive a free E-newsletter from the ARI click the link below:
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101659254324
Sicile-Kira, Chantal. Autism Spectrum Disorders. Perigee, 2004.
- As a baby, does not reach out to be held by mother or seek cuddling
- Does not imitate others
- Uses adult as a means to get wanted object, without interacting with adult as a person
- Does not develop age-appropriate peer relationships
- Lack of spontaneous sharing of interests with others
- Difficulty in mixing with others
- Prefers to be alone
- Has an aloof manner
- Little or no eye contact
- Detached from feelings of others
- Does not develop speech, or develop an alternative method of communication such as pointing and gesturing
- Has speech, then loses it
- Repeats words or phrases instead of using normal language (echolalia)
- Speaks on very narrowly focused topics
- Difficulty in talking about abstract concepts
- Lack or impairment of conversational skills
To obtain the diagnostic checklist provided by the Autism Research Institute (ARI) you can go to http://www.autism.com/index.htm
To receive a free E-newsletter from the ARI click the link below:
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101659254324
Sicile-Kira, Chantal. Autism Spectrum Disorders. Perigee, 2004.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
E-Speaks
I am just learning about autism. Autism is a brain development disorder that shows symptoms before a child is three years old and has a steady course with no remission. Its characteristic signs are impairments in social interaction and communication, as well as restricted and repetitive behavior. Although there is no cure, early intervention may aid attempts to help children gain self-care and social skills. I have just recently signed up for e-Speaks on the Autism Speaks website (http://www.autismspeaks.org/) which will automatically send me a periodic e-mail alert with the latest news. If you are interested in learning more about news in autism, then I highly recommend that you sign up for e-Speaks.
To register for e-Speaks, click the link below:
http://www.autismwalk.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=14280&JServSessionIda007=7ciq7qhda1.app12d
To register for e-Speaks, click the link below:
http://www.autismwalk.org/site/Survey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=14280&JServSessionIda007=7ciq7qhda1.app12d
Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew
1. I am first and foremost a child. I have autism. I am not primarily "autistic".
2. My sensory perceptions are disordered.
3. Please remember to distinguish between won't (I choose not to) and can't (I am not able to).
4. I am a concrete thinker. This means I interpret language very literally.
5. Please be patient with my limited vocabulary.
6. Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented.
7. Please focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can't do.
8. Help me with social interactions.
9. Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns.
10.If you are a family member, please love me unconditionally.
Notbohm, Ellen. Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew. Future Horizons, 2005.
Publisher's website: http://www.fhautism.com/
2. My sensory perceptions are disordered.
3. Please remember to distinguish between won't (I choose not to) and can't (I am not able to).
4. I am a concrete thinker. This means I interpret language very literally.
5. Please be patient with my limited vocabulary.
6. Because language is so difficult for me, I am very visually oriented.
7. Please focus and build on what I can do rather than what I can't do.
8. Help me with social interactions.
9. Try to identify what triggers my meltdowns.
10.If you are a family member, please love me unconditionally.
Notbohm, Ellen. Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew. Future Horizons, 2005.
Publisher's website: http://www.fhautism.com/
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