When a child with autism begins school each fall, it is important to prepare him or her as early as possible. As you must already know, a child with autism may have difficulty with change, especially new places or environments. Preparing the child in advance for the first day of school can make a BIG difference.
First, a few weeks in advance of the first day of school, get a calendar and begin predicting for your child when school begins by marking off the days until school starts. If at all possible, visit the school building, classroom and meet the teacher prior to school beginning. Take pictures of the room, teacher and perhaps other people in the building your child will see on a daily basis. Also, if your child can meet other students prior to school starting and maybe even have play dates with them as a means of developing relationships before school begins. We all know it is difficult to walk into a new environment when we don’t know anyone in the group or what to expect. Magnify that times a million and maybe you will begin to feel what someone with autism feels in that new place.
Ask your child’s teacher for a daily class schedule. Review this with your child. If your child will be traveling from one classroom to another, map the route out with your son or daughter before school begins. Show your child where to find the restrooms, cafeteria, library, art, music, and principal’s office. If your son or daughter is in high school and has a locker, go over instructions on what goes in the locker, when to go to the locker and how to use a lock to open and lock their locker. Remember, be very literal as most children with autism think in black and white. Never assume a child with autism ‘gets it’ because he or she has language or appears ‘typical’. It is best to explain every step and consider writing it down for them so he or she has a visual.
If your child is in elementary school, use a visual schedule indicating the daily routine. (Sometimes even high schoolers’ benefit from a visual schedule using pictures. It really depends on the individual child.) Use pictures if your child is a non reader. People with autism are typically very visual learners. So anything you can provide for him or her using visual aids is a plus!
The basic idea is this: PREDICT for your child as much as possible. Some children need more time than others to get used to a new idea or place. In other words, some children will be fine with one visit, while others may need several. You know your child best. Do what you feel will work best for your son or daughter.
If you feel you need more than a visit or more than prediction, pair something fun your child likes with the visit. For example, tell your child verbally or using a social story that you will be visiting school tomorrow. After the visit, you will go swimming! (use what is reinforcing for your child). This pairing will then create positive feelings about the new school because your son or daughter will remember ‘swimming’ when he or she thinks of school therefore making school a pleasant place.
8/14/2012
Let’s get your child with autism ready for school
Top Eight Autism Questions Parents Should Ask
When a parent gets a diagnosis of autism or ASD (i.e. Autism Spectrum Disorder), they typically have a million questions. Here are the top 5 questions parents typically ask a professional and then 5 questions parents need to be asking right away. Remember, the earlier the diagnoses and intervention, the better the outcome for prognosis. It is never too early to begin therapy. Get as much and as often as you can for your child. Do NOT wait for your child to begin school if you suspect a problem. Ask. If you don’t get results, ask someone else. Parents are typically correct in their suspicions’. It is best to be safe than sorry later.
EIGHT QUESTIONS PARENTS SHOULD ASK:
I think my child is showing signs of autism. Where do I go to get an evaluation?
Most parents receive a diagnosis from a developmental pediatrician, neurologist, neuropsychologist or psychiatrist. It’s important to find someone you can trust, someone who knows about autism, and has experience with autism. Schools can also provide testing at no charge to parents to evaluate for autism however my experience has been a medical diagnosis is more common and typically a more accurate evaluation. Furthermore, check with your state to see if insurance will cover the cost of therapies needed if your child does in fact get a diagnosis of autism. If this is the case then a medical diagnosis is mandatory.
My mother-in law thinks my son is showing signs of autism, but he is so affectionate.
I thought kids with autism were never affectionate but very aloof or stand-offish? Well, one common characteristic of autism is aloofness. However all kids with autism are different. Some children doe not like to be touched as they are hyper-sensitive to touch and it can sometimes be painful. Other children crave touch and pressure thus are very cuddly. Remember; there are many observable traits associated with autism, however not all children exhibit every trait. Furthermore, it is common to see children have extremes in these traits and they look different with each child.
I am worried about my two and a half year old child as he is not talking yet.
He also has unusual patterns of behavior. My pediatrician says not to worry that he will talk in time. I am still concerned, what should I do? This is a very common response I hear from many moms. My typical response is: Listen to your gut, as most moms are right and know their child better than anyone. Look for another expert in the field of autism. Tell him or her that you want to rule out autism. Delayed speech can mean many different things and doesn’t necessarily mean your son has autism but it’s always good to rule it out. Remember autism has many characteristics associated with the diagnosis and language is just one component. I have found pediatric neuro-psychologists are the best at evaluating children with autism and typically provide families with excellent recommendations for treatment. Check with your local Regional Center for assistance through the state department of mental health too. Some states have autism projects that can also be of assistance to you and your child.
My child was just diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. What do I do now?
Once you have a diagnosis, it’s important to begin educating yourself as to the therapies your child needs. Early, intense intervention is key to the success for your child. You will find many different kinds of therapies to choose from. Find the ones with scientific evidence to support its effectiveness. This means, programs that are evidence based and have data to support its efficacy. Applied Behavior Analysis is the most common type of evidenced based practices. Other programs include TEEACH, and Floor Time. In additional to those behavior therapies, your child will most likely benefit from speech and language therapy and occupational therapy as well for sensory issues. Intense behavior therapy is needed 20-30 hours a week. Other therapies can be a few hours per week. Behavior therapies such as ABA are set up to look at the function of a child’s behavior and then a program is developed to increase the behaviors you want (ie responding to name) while decreasing the behaviors you do not want (ie tantruming when he or she wants something). Remember every time a behavior occurs, a message of “I want something or I do not want to do something” is being communicated by your child.
What should I do if I am in Walmart and my child has a meltdown?
People might think I’m a bad parent! This is a common occurrence unfortunately. The best advice I can give you is to “PREDICT” for your child BEFORE you go somewhere as to what to expect then it is vital that you stick with whatever you told your child. For example, “Today we are going to Walmart to buy groceries. We are only buying food. You may choose one item then mommy will choose the rest. When you listen and we are finished shopping, and you stay calm and listen to mommy, we will go to the park ( or whatever the child likes to do). If your child does not follow the plan, calmly continue shopping or leave your cart and go to your car. Finish your shopping after your child is calm or later. It’s always good to have a back up plan at first as things may not go as planned. Your patience and efforts now will make your life easier later.
It is important to know that autism is NOT caused by bad parenting. As a parent, you can choose to ignore comments, or take the time to educate other on autism.
How do I choose a therapist to work with my child?
There are many decisions to make regarding a therapist and the kind of program your child needs. If you are choosing an ABA program, (applied behavior analysis) you can choose an in home program or center based program. Unfortunaltey most public schools do not offer an intense ABA program and 20-30 hours a week is strongly recommended for maximum results. In home programs sound nice, but you will need to set up a special room and may have many therapists in and out of your house every day which can become overwhelming. If you choose a center program, you will take your child to the center or clinic and leave them just like you would a public school.
When choosing an ABA therapist it is most important to confirm the therapist is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA or BCaBA). Some states even require a license to practice. Also, check with your states insurance department to see if your state has mandated insurance coverage for autism services. Then you will need to check with your individual insurance plan.
Lastly, check with parents who have worked with the BCBA or BCaBA. Ask about dependability, data collection, and how they handled behaviors. A good therapist will use positive behavior support NOT punishment or anything punitive. Ask if the child liked the therapist. A good therapist will develop rapport with a child and work well with them.
7. Where can I find a BCBA therapist? What exactly is a BCBA therapist?
If your state has a licenture procedure for a BCBA, then you check on line with the state department of mental health. If not, you can go to the BCAB website that is the credentialing board for all BCBA’s across the US. If your therapist is NOT listed on this website, I would recommend you find another one. The credentialing process is very difficult and requires a strong educational background with continuing educational credits each year in order to maintain a person’s BCBA.
8. I’ve heard a lot about medication and diet therapy? What does all of this mean?
Some of the children I have worked with who have ASD have been on medication. Common meds are Resperidahl, concerta, Straterra, and Abilify. This is by no means an exhausted list of medication possibilities, but a start. Giving a child medication is strickly up to the parent. You will need to learn about the side effects and the success rate of each me
4/17/2012
Principles of Autism Behavior
PRINCIPLES OF AUTISM BEHAVIOR
Anytime we are discussing ‘behavior’ in people or for the purpose of this article, we are looking at all behaviors. Most of us think of negative behaviors or behaviors that are unwanted. However everything we do albeit sitting, attending to someone, running, reading, etc. is considered a behavior. In other words, anything that is observable is considered a behavior.
Some behaviors are innate and some are learned. Innate behaviors are ones that we need in order to survive (i.e., eating, sleeping,). They are behaviors that no one taught us. Other behaviors are learned (i.e., screaming to get out of doing something, hitting for attention). Learned behaviors typically occur over and over because we get something out of them. In other words, the behavior serves a purpose.
When working with children with autism, we look at behaviors they use to get their needs met and begin looking at the function of their behavior. Many times the behavior of crying for example is used to get out of an unwanted situation, or to gain someone’s attention, or to get something such as a cookie or toy. By looking at the function of the behavior we begin to realize how to address the behavior or set the consequence. By knowing ‘why’ a behavior occurs, we begin to understand how to develop an effective intervention.
To really understand the purpose of a behavior, we first need to look at what happens before and after the behavior occurs. Many professionals refer to this as the Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence or A-B-C model.
Antecedents make a behavior more or less likely to occur. For example, if a child screams every time he is asked to brush his teeth, we begin to associate teeth brushing as something that is unwanted. It could be because it is unpleasant or it could mean it is something that indicates it is time for bed.
It’s important to look at what happens after the child screams when he is told it’s time to brush teeth. Whether a behavior is repeated or discontinued depends on its consequences. If a behavior occurs over and over we can safely say it is working for the child.
So now we look at after the child screams when told to brush teeth. Does the screaming delay the brushing and thus bedtime? (escape and avoidance behavior) Is the child comforted by mom or dad? (attention seeking) or is the act of brushing hurt do to sensory issues? This is where we would begin to examine the consequence of the child’s behavior by changing our way of reacting.
Furthermore, if it seems brushing teeth is simply a disliked activity, we would begin by pairing this activity with something the child likes. For example, using a positive contingency statement one might say, “When we are finished brushing, you can watch your Thomas video.” Then brush very quickly the first time, while gradually increasing the amount of time brushing as your child gets better at letting you brush. Follow up quickly with the video.
It’s important to find out why a child behaves a certain way and then set things up in the environment to increase behaviors we want and get rid of behaviors we do not want. It sounds complicated, but it really does make sense when put into practice.