New Diagnosis? How to Help a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

How To Help a Child With Autism on Howcast

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.

3 Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Models: Discrete Trial Training (DTT), Verbal Behavior Model (VB), and the Competent Learner Model (CLM)

Here's a great article, A Comparison of 3 ABA Different Models, that talks about the differences between 3 flavors of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

1) Discrete Trial Training (DTT)
2) Verbal Behavior Model (VB)
3) Competent Learner Model (CLM)




Related:

• Treatments4Autism : Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
  

Early Intervention Models: ABA / Applied Behavioral Analysis

ABCNews has some great information on Autism treatments.

• What Is ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)?
Dr. McGee answers the question: 'What Is ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)?'
• What Is Discrete-Trial ABA?
• What If My Child Doesn't Enjoy Rewards?
• ABA vs. Developmental Approach?
• What Is 'Floor-Time Therapy'?
• What Is The Denver Model?
• What Is The TEAACH Model?

Shaping and Chaining

Shaping and Chaining

Shaping and Chaining is a method of discrete trial training where the teacher does not wait for the child to actually complete the whole desired behavior. If the child partially completes the behavior or makes a move or effort towards the desired behavior, the child is rewarded. Chaining is putting the small subparts together to obtain the desired behavior. Shaping and chaining is often used with severely autistic children.

While DTT is based upon principles of learning theory and has been demonstrated to be an effective intervention methodology, it represents only one of dozens of teaching strategies within the field of ABA. ABA methods of teaching can be used with PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), photo activity schedules, naturalistic learning, pivotal response, chaining and shaping, graduated guidance, and functional communication training.

Excerpted from Dave Sherman's book, Autism: Asserting Your Child's Rights to a Special Education

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

Discrete Trial Training (DTT)

Discrete Trial Training is a form of ABA. It is a short, instructional training that breaks down an activity into three distinct components: (1) an instruction by the teacher or therapist (2) a response or behavior of the child and a (3) a consequence. (The consequence is what happens to the child following a behavior.)

Many discrete trial programs rely heavily on directions or commands as the signal to begin the discrete trial. In the beginning, an edible treat, affection, praise or another reward is often given the child as the consequence. DTT programs sometimes used aversives (punishment) in the past. In general, if an aversive is used today, it will be very minor such as saying "No!"

In Discrete Trial Training (DTT), the beginning lessons center around basic functions. Children learn to attend, to control tantrums and other maladaptive behaviors. At the same time, they are taught positive behaviors, such as "Look at my eyes."

After an instruction, if the child responds appropriately, he may be given an favorite edible. As the program progresses, the rewards can be changed to social reinforcers such as hugs or praise. DTT is a methodology that is teacher directed, with the child following the lead of the instructor. Often DTT programs can be up to forty hours a week of one-on-one training. As the program progresses, simple lessons are combined to teach more complex tasks and social behavior.

Excerpted from Dave Sherman's book, Autism: Asserting Your Child's Rights to a Special Education