Parents can download for free a research based manual “A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice and Autism.” This manual is co-authored by parents with autistic children and professionals.
If possible I will put a copy up on the Autism page for Monterey Bay Forum. Go to http://www.nationalautismcenter.org to download a copy. (more…)
There are 2 main approaches to treatment of autism: the ABA camp (Applied Behavioral Analysis which is Skinner re-visited) and the developmental approaches (such as FloorTime). Guess what! Probably children will do best if both approaches are used…
See article below form American Medical News:
“Children with autism would likely receive better treatment if supporters of the two major teaching methods stopped bickering over theory and focused on a combined approach, a Michigan State University psychologist argues in a new paper.
For years, the behavioral and developmental camps have argued over which theory is more effective in teaching communication and other skills to preschool-aged children with autism. Basically, behaviorists believe learning occurs through reinforcement or reward while developmental advocates stress learning through important interactions with caregivers.
But while the theories differ, the actual methods the two camps ultimately use to teach children can be strikingly similar, especially when the treatment is naturalistic, or unstructured, said Brooke Ingersoll, MSU assistant professor of psychology.
In the January issue of the Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, Ingersoll contends that advocates of the behavioral and developmental approaches should set aside their differences and use the best practices from each to meet the needs of the student and the strengths of the parent or teacher.
“We need to stop getting so hung up on whether the behavioral approach is better than the developmental approach and vice versa,” Ingersoll said. “What we really need to start looking at is what are the actual intervention techniques being used and how are these effective.”
An estimated one out of every 110 children in the United States has autism and the number of diagnosed cases is growing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms typically surface by a child’s second birthday and the disorder is four to five times more likely to occur in boys than in girls.
Ingersoll said the behavioral and developmental treatment methods both can be effective on their own. But historically, advocates for each have rarely collaborated on treatment development for children with autism, meaning it’s unknown whether a combined approach is more effective.
Ingersoll expects it is. She is trained in both methods and has created a combined curriculum on social communication that she’s teaching to preschool instructors in Michigan’s Ottawa, Livingston and Clinton counties. Through the MSU-funded project, the instructors then teach the method to parents of autistic children.
Ingersoll said the combined method works, but it will probably take a few years of research to determine if it’s more effective than a singular approach.
“I’m not necessarily advocating for a new philosophical approach – the reality is that neither side is likely to change their philosophy,” Ingersoll said. “What I am advocating is more of a pragmatic approach that involves combining the interventions in different ways to meet the needs of the child or the caregiver. I think that will build better interventions.”
Source: Brooke Ingersoll
Michigan State University
written by Cameorn S. Jackson, Ph.D., J.D., Licensed Psychologist
DrCameronJackson@gmail.com
There are two strands of therapy for young autistic children — the prickly rigor of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) and the softer therapies such as FloorTime and P.L.A.Y. which focus on relationship building. ABA does a great job of jump starting language when there is none. However, ABA can be abrasive and often the parent is largely left out of the loop with the focus on the therapist-child relationship. As a psychologist I have always favored relationship building and having spontaneous fun with a child. Spontaneous, creative interactions between parent-child are so vital and important.
Now for interventions for young autistic children, researchers have combined the two approaches. Successfully!
The method — known as the Early Start Denver Model — can be used with children as young as 12 months. This is REAL progress in the therapy world for autistic children.
See the article below.
Study Finds Early Intervention For Toddlers With Autism Highly Effective
30 Nov 2009 “A novel early intervention program for very young children with autism – some as young as 18 months – is effective for improving IQ, language ability, and social interaction, a comprehensive new study has found.
“This is the first controlled study of an intensive early intervention that is appropriate for children with autism who are less than 2½ years of age. Given that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all 18- and 24-month-old children be screened for autism, it is crucial that we can offer parents effective therapies for children in this age range,” said Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., chief science officer of Autism Speaks and the study’s lead author. “By starting as soon as the toddler is diagnosed, we hope to maximize the positive impact of the intervention.”
“The study, published online in the journal Pediatrics, examined an intervention called the Early Start Denver Model, which combines applied behavioral analysis (ABA) teaching methods with developmental ‘relationship-based’ approaches. This approach was novel because it blended the rigor of ABA with play-based routines that focused on building a relationship with the child.
While the youngest children in the study were 18 months old, the intervention is designed to be appropriate for children with autism as young as 12 months of age. Although previous studies have found that early intervention can be helpful for preschool-aged children, interventions for children who are toddlers are just now being tested. Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors and impairment in verbal communication and social interaction. It is reported to affect one in 100 children in the United States.
“Infant brains are quite malleable so with this therapy we’re trying to capitalize on the potential of learning that an infant brain has in order to limit autism’s deleterious effects, to help children lead better lives,” said Sally Rogers, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, a study co-author and a researcher at the UC Davis MIND Institute in Sacramento, Calif. Rogers and Dawson developed the intervention.
“The five-year study took place at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle and was led by Dawson, then a professor of psychology and director of the university’s Autism Center, in partnership with Rogers. It involved therapy for 48 diverse, 18- to 30-month-old children with autism and no other health problems. Milani Smith, who oversees the UW Autism Center’s clinical programs, provided day-to-day oversight.
The children were separated into two groups, one that received 20 hours a week of the intervention – two two-hour sessions five days a week – from UW specialists. They also received five hours a week of parent-delivered therapy. Children in the second group were referred to community-based programs for therapy. Both groups’ progress was monitored by UW researchers. At the beginning of the study there was no substantial difference in functioning between the two groups.
At the conclusion of the study, the IQs of the children in the intervention group had improved by an average of approximately 18 points, compared to a little more than four points in the comparison group. The intervention group also had a nearly 18-point improvement in receptive language (listening and understanding) compared to approximately 10 points in the comparison group. Seven of the children in the intervention group had enough improvement in overall skills to warrant a change in diagnosis from autism to the milder condition known as ‘pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified,’ or PDD-NOS. Only one child in the community-based intervention group had an improved diagnosis.
“We believe that the ESDM group made much more progress because it involved carefully structured teaching and a relationship-based approach to learning with many, many learning opportunities embedded in the play,” Rogers said.
“Parental involvement and use of these strategies at home during routine and daily activities are likely important ingredients of the success of the outcomes and their child’s progress. The study strongly affirms the positive outcomes of early intervention and the need for the earliest possible start,” Dawson said.
In this study, the intervention was provided in a toddler’s natural environment (their home) and delivered by trained therapists and parents who received instruction and training as part of the model.
“Parents and therapists both carried out the intervention toward individualized goals for each child, and worked collaboratively to improve how the children were responding socially, playing with toys, and communicating,” said Milani Smith, associate director of the UW Autism Center and a study co-author. “Parents are taught strategies for capturing their children’s attention and promoting communication. By using these strategies throughout the day, the children were offered many opportunities to learn to interact with others.”
Other study authors include Jeffrey Munson, Jamie Winter, Jessica Greenson, and Jennifer Varley, all of UW Autism Center or the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and Amy Donaldson of the department of speech and hearing science, Portland State University, Portland, Ore.
The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). NIMH has also funded a multi-site trial of the Early Start Denver Model which is currently being conducted at the University of Washington, the UC Davis MIND Institute and the University of Michigan.
Source: Jane E. Rubinstein
Autism Speaks
