A barnful of therapists - The Denver Post
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Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Verbal Behavior Approach (Mary Barbera)
The Big Three Skills for Individuals with Autism
I’ve been consulting with children and a few adults with autism for seven years now and I had a revelation about two years ago soon after I published my book. I now believe that there are three main skills every child and adult with autism needs to be successful. These skills, I believe, are the most important skills regardless of the person’s age or level of functioning.The Big Three are:
1) Problem behaviors at or near 0
2) The ability to request wants and needs
3) Independent toileting
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Related:
Mary Barbera's (author of the Verbal Behavior Approach blog) monthly radio show on the 2nd Friday of every month at 12 noon on Autism One Radio.
Archived Shows as of this posting ...
| Episode | Title | Date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Verbal Behavior Approach | 09/2007 | 32:50 |
| 02 | Adding ABA to your current biomedical treatment | 10/2007 | 29:54 |
| 03 | Reducing Problem Behaviors in Children with Autism | 11/2007 | 31:29 |
| 04 | Reinforcement and the Pairing Process | 12/2007 | 32:43 |
| 05 | Manding: Teaching your Child Requesting Skills | 01/2008 | 29:19 |
| 06 | Increasing Speech in Non-Vocal Children | 02/2008 | 32:37 |
| 07 | Errorless Teaching | 03/2008 | 28:56 |
| 08 | Non-Verbal Behavior | 04/2008 | 39:00 |
| 09 | Teaching the Verbal Operant | 06/2008 | 31:48 |
| 10 | Verbal Behavior: Putting it All Together | 09/2008 | 31:56 |
| 11 | Toilet Training | 10/2008 | 32:44 |
| 12 | Lessons Learned on My Autism Journey | 01/2009 | 31:46 |
| 13 | Getting Started on VB with Early Learners | 02/2009 | 26:47 |
| 14 | VB Programming for Intermediate Learners | 04/2009 | 33:39 |
Using Omega-3 for Individuals with Autism?
Many families choose to use complimentary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies with their children with autism. Most of the treatments are not yet scientifically proven to be effective. In an article recently publishing in the Journal for Autism and Developmental Disorders (Omega-3 Article – JADD August 2009) the authors systematically reviewed all the research around using Omega-3 supplements for people with autism. They found 6 studies which met the criteria for inclusion in the review. None of the studies scientifically proved the efficacy of this treatment option. Some of the studies indicated a benefit, but only one of the studies used a control group (use of a control group strengthens results by showing measures from an untreated group).
More ... FULL ARTICLE: Using Omega-3 for Individuals with Autism?Posted using ShareThis
Detecting Autism: Eye Movements May Help Detect Autism in Babies
Most parents will attest that infants convey their needs and interests in a variety of ways, many times without ever making a sound. For researchers in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, it is what babies communicate with their eyes that could be key to understanding the development of certain disabilities, including autism.
Dr. Noah Sasson, an assistant professor in the school, and his colleagues at the UT Dallas Center for Children and Families, are currently tracking and measuring the eye movements of infants. Eye tracking technology is nothing new to Sasson — he has used it in previous research to investigate how children and adults perceive social and non-social information.
“By tracking eye movements, we can infer information about an infant based on what he or she views and for how long,” said Sasson. “Although this information alone is not diagnostic, certain patterns of eye movements may signify an abnormality that could reflect potential developmental difficulties.”
[FULL]
New Diagnosis? How to Help a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Step 1
Take your child for a complete medical exam. Some behavioral problems associated with autism, like temper tantrums, can sometimes be reduced if physical problems common in children with autism, such as gastrointestinal issues and allergies, are alleviated.
Step 2
Put your child on a gluten-free, casein-free diet, which means no barley, rye, oats, wheat, or dairy. Many families of children with autism have had good results – but only if the diet is followed to the letter, no exceptions.
Step 3
Get your child started on speech therapy as soon as possible. If your child is nonverbal, try PECS, which stands for Picture Exchange Communication System. This technique, which uses picture cards, may encourage them to speak.
Step 4
Get your child sensory-integration therapy, which has been proven effective in helping children with autism become less sensitive to light, sound, and touch.
Step 5
Hire an occupational therapist to help them with skills they’ll need for an independent life. Depending on the child, this can be anything from physical coordination to anger management.
Step 6
Use applied behavioral analysis, or ABA, the only intervention approved by the Surgeon General’s Office. ABA is a one-on-one approach to teaching children how to react appropriately to everyday social situations with the help of rewards. Parents can either hire an ABA-trained therapist or learn the technique themselves.
Step 7
Try other therapies. Most children with autism benefit from a combination of treatments.
Step 8
Consider verbal behavior intervention, which is designed to develop language skills through motivation and reinforcement.
Step 9
Test the TEACCH approach, which customizes an education program to the child’s strengths and weaknesses. Because children with autism tend to be visual learners, the program is structured around visual clues.
Step 10
Consider becoming trained in Relationship Development Intervention, or RDI, which suggests everyday things parents can do at home to help their child adapt to changes and be more open to interacting with others.
Step 11
Enroll your child in school when they turn three. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that states provide special education services to children with disabilities, beginning at this age.
Step 12
Stay up-to-date on autism research; new therapies are being tested and developed all the time.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
**VIDEO** Introduction to TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communicationhandicapped Children )
WEBSITE: http://www.teachertube.com A short video segment introducing the basic concepts behind and application of the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communicationhandicapped Children TEACCHtherapeutic methodology.
Produced in conjunction with New York Public School 177.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Butterfly Stretch: Autistic Boy Finds Comfort in the Calm of Yoga
Related:
Andrew Benisek is proof that the ancient practice of yoga touches all souls.
This 9-year-old autistic boy from DeKalb, Ill., literally stumbled upon yoga one day while rooting through his mother’s collection of yoga VHS tapes.
He pushed play on Patricia Walden’s original bestseller, Yoga for Beginners, and was hooked. Today Andrew, officially diagnosed with pervasive developmental delay on the autism spectrum, owns dozens of yoga and meditation DVDs. Another perennial favorite is Rodney Yee’s AM/PM Yoga.
“The yogis speak very slowly and calmly and he likes that,” says Andrew’s mother, Nuala. “He doesn’t lay down in savasana, but he watches [the DVD] or is doing something else and has it on in the background.”
Andrew does participate more actively when he feels like it. “I do sitting poses and meditation,” he says. His favorite move? Proud warrior pose. Quite remarkably, Andrew even defines the word meditation as “mind, body and spirit.”
Experts suggest that yoga’s soothing nature may appeal to autistic and other developmentally disabled children whose sensory systems are in effect “overloaded.” The practice’s peaceful atmosphere — dim lights, quiet music and slow movements — can provide a welcome respite.
Inverted movements such as child’s pose, downward dog and triangle work the vestibular system, which helps with balance and special orientation — areas that are especially important for autistic children, says Britt Collins, a Salem, Oregon-based occupational therapist. Collins partnered with famed Survivor winner and yoga instructor Aras Baskauskas on the Yoga for Children with Special Needs DVD.
[FULL ARTICLE]Related:
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