In this section, we are pleased to present questions regarding science-based intervention or treatment delivery, with responses from renowned experts in the field of autism. Please scroll down to find our existing Clinical Corner responses listed by category. We hope you will enjoy reading through the various responses and will return to Clinical Corner often as we continually update with newly published responses.
If you have a question you would like us to feature in Clinical Corner, please submit it to newsletter@asatonline.org. Although ASAT cannot answer specific questions about a particular individual and his/her treatment, we attempt to help by giving examples of intervention strategies that have proven helpful for other children and adults with autism who may have faced similar issues.
Questions about Diagnosis:
- Why is early detection & treatment of important and how can it be accomplished?
- What is the relationship between an autism spectrum disorder and an intellectual disability?
Questions about Early Intervention Services:
Questions about Teaching Skills:
- How do I teach game playing skills to children with autism?
- How do I improve food selectivity of children with autism?
- How do you increase speech intelligibility and variability in a child with autism?
- How can the principles of applied behavior analysis be used to toilet train a child with an autism spectrum disorder?
- What are some strategies to begin bowel training?
- What are some methods for measuring social skills goals?
- What are some good strategies for maintaining acquired skills?
- What are some strategies for increasing cooperation with dental exams?
- What are some strategies for assessing and treating food selectivity?
- What are some suggested safety skills to teach and strategies to target them?
- How do you expand interests and create new reinforcers?
- How do I set up the classroom to optimize learning opportunities and effective instruction?
Questions about Decreasing Challenging Behavior:
- What is catatonia in autism and how can it be treated?
- Why do children mouth objects and what can I do about it?
- What is meant by a functional analysis and when should it be done?
- What are some tips for protecting a child who bolts?
- What are some strategies for getting my child to go to bed and sleep through the night?
- What are some strategies for helping my child who responds negatively to some trigger words?
Questions about Community Inclusion and Transition:
- How can I protect my child with ASD from bullying at school?
- How can you teach children with autism to attend religious services?
Questions about Family Matters:
- How can I encourage parent participation in home-based intervention?
- How should you approach your concerns that a family member may have autism?
- How likely is it that I could have another child with autism?
- How do I explain my decision to use science-based treatments for autism when friends and relatives often insist I try something new?
- How to manage the impact of child with a disability on siblings?
Questions about Adolescents and Adults with Autism:
- How can I promote success for individuals with autism in the community?
- How can we best develop goals for the future?
- What are some adaptive skills for a young adult to gain independence?
- How should IEP goals prepare an adolescent for adulthood and is ABA still useful?
- How can you prepare an individual for employment?
- How and what do we teach about sexuality to individuals with autism?
- How and what do we teach about leisure skills to individuals with autism?
Questions about Specific Treatments and Providers:
- Is a BCBA the right professional to help with my child’s sensory issues?
- How can I best explain some of the basics of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to others?
- I just received my BCBA. Now what?
- How can Occupational Therapy benefit my child’s ABA program?
- What is VB (Verbal behavior)? Is it different from ABA, and does my child need it to learn language?
- How can you obtain health insurance coverage for ASD therapies under New Jersey law?
- How to choose a behavioral service provider?
- What do the BACB guidelines for responsible conduct suggest regarding evidence-based treatment?
- How can I prepare to speak to a doctor about prescribing medication for aggression?
- What does an SLP need to know about ABA in order to support the school program?
- What are the pros and cons of a school-based ABA program versus a center-based ABA program?
Other Things to Consider:
- What are the pros and cons of a school-based vs. a center-based ABA program?
- How do you figure out what motivates your students?
- How can I choose among behavioral service providers?
- How can I help my child learn to play with a friend during play dates?
- How can you have productive meetings in home ABA programs?
- What are tips to manage a home based ABA Program?