Autism early intervention: a special supplement for Good Autism Practice journal
Description
The range of educational options available to a child with Autism and Asperger syndrome is broad, but choosing the right path can often be a complex task for all involved. This book provides information and advice for professionals and parents making crucial decisions about meeting the needs of children with autistic spectrum disorder.
Anyone meeting a young child with autism for the first time will find this book invaluable. In a clear and sensitive style the authors:
outline the characteristics of autism as they present themselves in the early years
consider the nature of autism and the issues surrounding assessment and diagnosis
offer practical strategies for effective and realistic intervention both at home and in a variety of early years settings
explore possibilities for enhancing access to the early years curriculum
The authors provide extensive material that will be equally accessible and relevant to parents following an early diagnosis of autism in their child
This fully revised new edition includes new material that relates to new statutory requirements such as Every Child Matters and Disability Equality Duty as well as updates to different approaches to autism, assessment and behavioural issues. This classic text will provide much needed support and advice to anxious parents, teachers and professionals who are working together in an unfamiliar area.
Could It Be Autism? A Parent's Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps
Description
The number of children affected by autism—an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of disorders that includes “classic” autism, Asperger's syndrome, and Rett syndrome—is growing every year. Most children are not diagnosed until they start school. But developmental problems can be recognized in infants as young as four months old. Early intervention can vastly improve a child’s chances for a successful outcome and recovery. Could It Be Autism? provides vital information so you can recognize the red flags of developmental delays and begin treatment based on those first signs.
Could It Be Autism? A Parent's Guide to the First Signs and Next Steps
Description
The number of children affected by autism—an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of disorders that includes “classic” autism, Asperger's syndrome, and Rett syndrome—is growing every year. Most children are not diagnosed until they start school. But developmental problems can be recognized in infants as young as four months old. Early intervention can vastly improve a child’s chances for a successful outcome and recovery. Could It Be Autism? provides vital information so you can recognize the red flags of developmental delays and begin treatment based on those first signs.
Early Intervention System for Preschool Children with Autism in the Community
Description
The article reports on DISCOVERY, a conceptual model for a clinical system of early detection and early intervention in cases of autism that has been implemented in Yokohama, Japan. The minimal requirements for this system are subsystems dealing with detection, diagnosis and intervention. Specific issues involving early diagnosis that complicate the design of the system are the seemingly contradictory considerations of early versus precise diagnosis, the undifferentiated recognition of a child’s disorder on the part of the parents, and the difficulty of establishing cooperative working relationships among related facilities. To overcome these issues, an ‘interface’ linking consecutive subsystems is emphasized in the DISCOVERY model. A clinical system based on this model has been developed in Yokohama. This system not only benefits clinical performance, but will also add significantly to research on autism.
Engaging Autism Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think
Description
Parents and professionals worldwide have welcomed this essential guide to the highly recommended Floortime approach for treating children with any of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Now available in paperback, Engaging Autism includes new, exciting information on neuroscience research into the effects of this approach, plus guidance for parents navigating the controversies surrounding the treatment of autism. Unlike approaches that focus on changing specific behaviour, Greenspan’s program promotes the building blocks of healthy emotional and behavioural development. He shows that, remarkably, children with ASD do not have a fixed, limited potential, and may often join their peers to lead full, psychologically healthy lives. The Floortime approach can also be applied at any age-including early infancy, when the first signs of risk for ASD may appear-so that preventing the full development of autism becomes a real possibility.
National Autistic Society EarlyBird programme: Partnership with parents
Description
Early intervention bridges the gap between early diagnosis and appropriate educational placement. The National Autistic Society has developed an autism-specific three-month parent package, the NAS EarlyBird Programme, that emphasizes partnership with parents. Six families participate in each three-month programme, which combines weekly group training sessions for parents with individualized home visits. During the programme parents learn to understand autism, to build social communication, and to analyse and use structure, so as to prevent inappropriate behaviours. The use of video and the group dynamic amongst families are important components of the programme. An efficacy study evaluated the pilot programme and further monitoring is in progress. Training courses in the licensed use of the NAS EarlyBird Programme are now available for teams of professionals with prior experience of autism. Strengths and weaknesses of the programme are discussed. This short-term, affordable package, with supporting evidence of efficacy, offers a model of early intervention that is very popular with parents.
Citation
Shields, J. (2001). National Autistic Society EarlyBird programme: Partnership with parents. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice. 5(1), 49-56.
Our Babies and Children (Free booklet from PWSA (UK))
Description
This is a revised and updated collection of stories which will give a positive uplift to those with new babies and small children who have just been given a diagnosis of PWS.
If you live in the UK and have just had a child diagnosed with PWS, you can order your FREE copy by emailing jwaters@pwsa.co.uk The cost to professionals and others is £3.50 per copy, including postage and packing. Please send cheque or postal order for that amount, made payable to "PWSA (UK)" to: PWSA (UK), 125a London Road, Derby DE1 2QQ.
Right from the start: behavioral intervention for young children with autism
Description
Written in an accessible and friendly style, Right from the Start explains how the teaching method known as intensive behavioral intervention (IBI) can benefit young children with autism and related disorders. This includes all children whose diagnosis falls within the broad specturm of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), especially those five and younger.
This guide begins by discussing applied behavioral analysis (ABA), the central component of intensive behavioral intervention. Readers learn how ABA can be used to teach speech and language, social, motor, and adaptive skills through a system of repetition, reward, and goal adjustment. The descriptions of a real-life family going through the process of understanding their young child's diagnosis and choosing an intensive behavioral intervention program bolster the confidence of other parents in making their own evaluations. And "parent statements" included in each chapter offer important empathy.
The authors also discuss what families should consider before choosing any treatment method for their child with autism, and specifically what key elements an IBI program should have. Curriculum, professional roles, parent involvement, inclusion, and the pros and cons of a home-based versus center-based program are all covered. A glossary of terms commonly used in autism research and education helps to demystify what at first seems like an intimidating subject. All in all, this practical and authoritative guide will save parents much time and worry in their search to help their young child with autism.
Signs of Autism in Infants : Recognition and Early Intervention
Description
International researchers and clinicians renowned for their work in the field of early autism come together to resolve queries around the long debate on the development and resolution of autism. In this book contributors outline their views on the possibility of preventing the full development of autistic behaviour. They set down clear guidance for professionals in identifying early signs of alarm and offer a model of psychoanalytically informed interventions to treat the pre-autistic infant.
