Archive for June, 2010

In April, AMC Entertainment and the Autism Society launched a program that would change the way autistic children enjoyed themselves at the movies. The Sensory Friendly Films program, which kicked off on April 10, allows for thousands of children with autism to see one of 93 sensory-friendly screenings across the nation in over 45 cities across 30 states.

One of those films, How to Train Your Dragon, explored cinematic magic in an autism-friendly setting. Lights are dimmed but remain on, volume is lowered, and the movie starts without previews. Families with special dietary needs were allowed to bring in special snacks from home and children were allowed to talk, respond, yell, dance, or even walk around the theater throughout the film.

Thankfully, this program that caters to those with developmental disabilities will be held on Saturday mornings once per month in all of the participating theaters and cities. All of the films are newly released and featured either a G or PG rating.

To learn more about the Sensory Friendly Films program, check out this featured article in TIME Magazine or you can visit the official site.

On June 8^th, best friends around the nation will come together to celebrate a very special day: Best Friends Day. Unfortunately, for many autistic children, celebrating this occasion can be challenging. It can be difficult to foster and encourage friendships between autistic and non-autistic children. However, there are some things that you can do to plant the seeds of a beautiful friendship that can last a lifetime. Here are some ways that you can celebrate Best Friends Day with your child by giving him or her a chance at making a friend.

First off, friendship starts when you’re a parent. You are your child’s role model, so to help your child develop the skills needed to form friendships you have to practice them yourself. Talk to your child about his or her interests, listen, share, and play. Acquaint your child with the behaviors found in a healthy friendship.

Next, introduce your child to other children and work with support staff to have your child socialize in a classroom or even in a group of other autistic children. Expose your child to different social atmospheres while being conscious of your child’s sensitivity to certain stimulation. Be patient and be understanding. It takes time.

Finally, talk to other parents and create opportunities for your child to connect. Take fieldtrips with the classroom. Work in the community to develop a playgroup for developmentally challenged children. Work with others to develop a network that your child can tap into to form friendships.

Once you’ve gathered ABC behavioral data, it’s time to actually put it to work. The next step in using ABC data is to look for patterns in the student’s behavior and form a hypothesis.  Once you form a hypothesis you may need to gather more evidence to to make sure your hypothesis is correct. You can gather more information about the child’s behavior through interviews with members of the child’s IEP team, parents, and other support staff. The cause of a behavior usually becomes more apparent when there are consistencies in both ABC data observations and functional assessment interviews.

ABC data should be used every so often to track the progress of IEP goals, along with classroom observations, and interviews. Essentially, the main goal of ABC data is to help the IEP team learn about patterns and functions of behaviors present in a particular student. ABC data can also help the IEP team to evaluate behaviors, behavioral plans and make modifications as needed to address problems or challenges associated with an autistic student.

When developing an IEP for an autistic student, it’s important to observe the child’s behavior to look for patterns, functions, and preferences. Because autism spectrum disorders have a direct impact on behavior, it’s important to develop a plan using behavioral data so that it’s easier to tackle communications challenges, social interactions, sensory needs, and other important goals in an IEP.

ABC data is a type of behavioral research that utilizes observations to help develop a positive behavior support plan. ABC refers to three separate observations:

• Antecedent – the events, action, or circumstances that occur before a certain behavior. For example, a teacher asks a student to pay attention.
• Behavior – the behavior itself. For example, using the teacher and student interaction, the student ignores the teacher.
• Consequence – the action or response that follows the behavior. For example, the teacher repeats herself sternly.

If you are gathering ABC data on an autistic student, you may want to develop a three column chart that charts each ABC action (antecedent, behavior, consequence). Be sure to note the time and any environmental factors that could have contributed to the behavior.

Remember do not interpret or characterize the behavior. Identify what preceded the behavior, what the behavior looked like and how long it lasted, and what the consequences were. Its important to report the conditions as objectively as possible. It may help to act as if someone else were observing and reporting. Objective data can help the IEP team develop a plan of action for helping an autistic student deal with his or her behavioral and social challenges.