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It’s easy to drill academic information over and over again and “show” that a person is making “progress.” However, if a person can add and even balance a checkbook, but they can’t go shopping, how does this help in real life?

The truth is it’s much harder to teach individuals with autism how to access the community. It’s much harder to help them gain independence and make meaningful connections in society. As of yet there is no textbook that clearly teaches us how to do this.

It can be easy to get caught up in simple tasks and memorization. For example, when teaching an individual how to make their bed, why practice over and over again until they make a perfect hospital style bed? In real life do any of us really do that? Yes these skills are important, but they can’t be our only focus.

Autonomy, access to the community, the ability to follow one’s interests, these are things that enhance the quality of a person’s life. We need to look for ways to encourage these opportunities for people with autism.  Many people on the spectrum are capable of far more than they are allowed to experience.  Let’s help them find ways to make meaningful connections in their communities.  Let’s help them reach their full potential.

On August 2, 2010 Dr. O. Ivar Lovaas a distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA and a world-renowned autism expert passed away. Dr. Lovaas devoted his career to improving the lives of children with autism.  During the 1960’s Dr. Lovaas began using principals of Applied Behavioral Analysis to teach children with autism.  Eventually he developed the Lovaas Model of Applied Behavior Analysis, a one-on-one intensive behavioral treatment program that is customized to meet the needs of each child and family served. 

His career is not without some controversy. He is widely criticized for his initial use of punishment or negative reinforcement. This practice did not last long since it soon became clear that positive reinforcement was more effective in treatment.  Initially in order to receive treatment children were removed from their homes and placed in institutions because at the time researchers believed poor parenting caused autism. However, with time it became apparent that treatment was much more effective in natural environments with parent participation.

Among the many methods available for treatment and education of people with autism, applied behavior analysis (ABA) has become widely accepted as one of the most effective treatments. According to a 2006 report by the Surgeon General, “Thirty years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behaviors.”  The treatment of children with autism would not be nearly as effective today without Dr. Lovaas’ contributions. We will miss him.

With four kids, who three are on the spectrum, you would think Kathleen from Autism Herd wouldn’t have the time of day to blog, but we are so happy she fits this into her hectic schedule and had the time to recently connect with us at National Autism Resources. We stumbled across her blog to spread awareness of the vast amount of Mom blogs who are blogging about their children and how autism and other special needs affects their lives days in and days out.  We love the humor and good love Kathleen sheds throughout each of her posts.  You can easily continue to read through her various posts about the everyday happenings with her and her children, the adventures and troubles that arise as well as other ramblings about the days.  Stop on over to Autism Herd and say hello to Kathleen and enjoy following her updates on how life keeps her busy.

An important aspect of the educational experience for a child with autism is the social interactions he or she will have with other students.  Creating, maintaining, and reinforcing relationships with other students is important for an autistic child.  Being able to interact with others in the classroom will help increase an autistic individual’s ability to function in society.

Here are a few techniques that educators can use to help foster relationships in the classroom:

1)    Find students who have similar interests as the autistic student and arrange the seating order so that they are near one another.  If each student has a similar interest, it may promote interaction.

2)    Identify students who are more receptive to the autistic child and encourage the receptive student to offer assistance.  Examples could include in-class assignment help, tutoring, pairing for projects, etc.  A student naturally inclined to be helpful can help foster classroom relationships.

3)    Be sure to incorporate lessons and activities into your weekly lesson plans that promote social interactions.  Each autistic child may respond differently to other students, instructions, or activities.  Having a regular session of social interaction, and monitoring how the autistic child responds, can help you refine techniques that can help the autistic student cultivate relationships.

These are just some of the techniques that can help foster friendships in the classroom.  Of course each child is different, so these techniques may need to be adjusted to match the personality of the child.

Individual Educational Plans, (IEPs) are extremely important tools for autistic children who require a different approach to education.  It’s vital for all people involved with a child’s education to adhere to the goals set forth in the IEP.

But it’s also important that the IEP is actually designed to benefit the child.  Below are three ways that you can help ensure that the child’s educational needs are being met.

1)    Tracking Progress—You must be able to measure IEP goals.  A popular method being used by educators today is called the “plotting method.”  The educator uses a chart, to track time and the results of tests, homework, projects, classroom participation, etc. After each assignment, the educator plots on the chart the result with the date.  As time goes on, there will be a series of dots.  If the dots move in a positive pattern, then it is a good indication that the IEP is working.  If the dots are moving in a negative pattern, then the IEP may need to be reevaluated.

2)    Working with other educators—If you find that the IEP is not producing desired results, or it is difficult to track results, it is important to keep in contact with all of the people involved with the IEP committee.  This includes the classroom teacher, principal, and a special education teacher.  These individuals must work together to analyze the IEP and revise it if necessary. Never be afraid to speak with the committee if you feel that there is an issue with the IEP.

3)    Managing the IEP—It is vital that you ensure that the IEP is being followed.  The student may interact with a number of educators throughout a school day.  If most of them disregard the IEP, then progress will be difficult to achieve.  You must make sure that all teachers understand, accept, and implement the IEP.

Hopefully, with these tips, you’ll be able to see positive results for your student’s IEP.  If there are any educators who would like to offer their own tips or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment to this post.

Welcome to the official National Autism Resources blog, where you’ll find great tips on working with special needs children, as well as educational and awareness resources on Autism.  Stay tuned for our posts!