Educating Children with Autism

The quantity and quality of research into autism and related conditions have increased dramatically in recent years. Consequently we selectively review key accomplishments and highlight directions for future research. More consistent approaches to diagnosis and more rigorous assessment methods have significantly advanced research, although the boundaries of the 'broader phenotype' remain to be defined and the validity of Asperger's disorder as a discrete syndrome remains controversial. Recent epidemiological studies have shown that Autism Spectrum Disorders are common, but there continues to be debate about the causes of the increase in the frequency with which autism is diagnosed. Psychological research has helped to develop new developmental models for the disorder and there have also been significant advances in the molecular genetics of autism and understanding of the underlying neurobiological processes. Areas important for future research include the study of autism as it first develops, i.e., in infants and very young children, and of specific processes (psychological and neurobiological) which underlie the disorder. Significant challenges lie ahead in evaluating the growing number of treatments for autism and in integrating the results of research into treatment and educational settings.

Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders

Early intervention for children with autism is currently a politically and scientifically complex topic. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated positive effects in both short-term and longer term studies. The evidence suggests that early intervention programs are indeed beneficial for children with autism, often improving developmental functioning and decreasing maladaptive behaviors and symptom severity at the level of group analysis. Whether such changes lead to significant improvements in terms of greater independence and vocational and social functioning in adulthood is also unknown. Given the few randomized controlled treatment trials that have been carried out, the few models that have been tested, and the large differences in interventions that are being published, it is clear that the field is still very early in the process of determining (a) what kinds of interventions are most efficacious in early autism, (b) what variables moderate and mediate treatment gains and improved outcomes foll...

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Evidence-Based Comprehensive Treatments for Early Autism

Raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be an overwhelming experience for parents and families. The pervasive and severe deficits often present in children with ASD are associated with a plethora of difficulties in caregivers, including decreased parenting efficacy, increased parenting stress, and an increase in mental and physical health problems compared with parents of both typically developing children and children with other developmental disorders. In addition to significant financial strain and time pressures, high rates of divorce and lower overall family well-being highlight the burden that having a child with an ASD can place on families. These parent and family effects reciprocally and negatively impact the diagnosed child and can even serve to diminish the positive effects of intervention. However, most interventions for ASD are evaluated only in terms of child outcomes, ignoring parent and family factors that may have an influence on both the immediate and long-term effects of therapy. It cannot be assumed that even significant improvements in the diagnosed child will ameliorate the parent and family distress already present, especially as the time and expense of intervention can add further family disruption. Thus, a new model of intervention evaluation is proposed, which incorporates these factors and better captures the transactional nature of these relationships.

Parent and Family Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review and Proposed Model for Intervention Evaluation

The present study focused on behaviors that caregivers of children with autism show during play interactions, particularly the extent to which the caregiver's behavior is synchronized with the child's focus of attention and ongoing activity. The study had two major findings. First, caregivers of children with autism synchronized their behaviors to their children's attention and activities as much as did caregivers of children with developmental delay and caregivers of typically developing children, matched on language capacities. Second, caregivers of children with autism who showed higher levels of synchronization during initial play interactions had children who developed superior joint attention and language over a period of 1, 10, and 16 years than did children of caregivers who showed lower levels of synchronization initially. These findings suggest a developmental link between parental sensitivity and the child's subsequent development of communication skills in children with autism. Implications for parent training interventions are discussed.

The behaviors of parents of children with autism predict the subsequent development of their children's communication.

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of several pivotal response interventions. Our research at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been focused on attempting to identify pivotal areas that, when changed, result in concomitant positive changes in other areas. Pivotal areas that are discussed include responsivity to multiple cues, motivation to initiate and respond appropriately to social and environmental stimuli, and self-regulation of behavior, including self-management and self-initiations. The trend to streamline intervention by targeting behaviors that will have widespread effects on development, rather than targeting individual behaviors one at a time, is discussed.

Pivotal Response Intervention I: Overview of Approach

The literature has suggested that without the implementation of support procedures, placements of children with severe disabilities in full-inclusion classrooms are often unsuccessful. This study a...

Support for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Full Inclusion Classrooms Through Self-Management

The educational inclusion of children with disabilities has long been a topic of controversy. In this article the relevant research literature is reviewed in order to present a rationale for the ed...

Joshua K. Harrower

Papers

Pivotal Response Intervention I: Overview of Approach

Support for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Full Inclusion Classrooms Through Self-Management

Educational Inclusion of Children with Severe Disabilities