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My son is 5 years old and was diagnosed with autism when he was two. He has responded well to early intervention services in terms of his communication and daily living activities. But it is still challenging for him to play games with his neurotypical peers. When all the kids at a birthday party are…
Answered by Melissa Taylor, BCaBA Question: I recently accepted my first teaching position. It’s a new classroom for the district serving students with autism. I have lots of materials, but nothing is organized or set up in my classroom. What are some tips to set up and organize the classroom to optimize learning opportunities and…
We have a teenage son with autism, and as he continues into adulthood we are concerned about being prepared to address specific issues related to sexuality and safety. What are the most important issues for us to consider and what skills should we target to maximize his safety and healthy development? Answered by Frank Cicero,…
We have a nine-year old daughter with ASD who started 3rd grade in a new school. She is coming home every day very upset due to other students calling her names and isolating her from social activities. We wanted her to attend the neighborhood school but how can we protect her from bullying? Answered by…
My four-year-old child is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). His evaluator said that my son was “intellectually disabled in addition to having autism.” What is the relationship between autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disability? Is my son also intellectually disabled? Answered by Leanne Tull, M.ADS, BCBA and Bobby Newman, PhD, BCBA-D Room to Grow…
My child is doing well with many of his ABA programs, even the ones that focus on the development of play skills. Unfortunately, he doesn’t play with most of the toys that we give him, and he has worked for the same five things since our program began a year ago (marshmallow peeps, Thomas trains,…
By Eric Larsson, PhD, LP, BCBA-D Association for Science in Autism Treatment A common practice in clinical research is to obtain norm-referenced, standardized assessments for pre- and post-testing. This practice should be employed only very cautiously for a variety of reasons. These reasons include basic experimental design concerns and the theoretical assumptions underlying the construction…
By Diane Adreon, EdD Associate Director University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism & Related Disabilities Contact: dadreon@miami.edu We are older parents and often lay awake at night worrying about our daughter’s ability to function independently when we are no longer able to care for her ourselves. She is 17 years old and is…
Lisa Tereshko, PhD, BCBA-D, Endicott College Description: Everyday all individuals complete a variety of sequences of behaviors that were taught to them at some point in their lives. Some of these sequences include getting dressed, packing a lunch for school or work, and cooking dinner. Independently completing these sequences are essential for one to have…
Flippin, M., Reszka, S., & Watson, L. R. (2010). Effectiveness of the picture exchange communication system (PECS) on communication and speech for children with autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19, 178-195. Reviewed by: Kathleen Moran Caldwell College Why research this topic? The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), based on…
Maximizing motivation is an essential component of effective teaching and behavior reduction; therefore, preference assessments can help identify those items and activities that will be most motivating for individuals with autism. In this issue of Clinical Corner, Niall Toner shares why preference assessments are so important and provides an excellent overview of the various types…