Problem Based Evaluation Paper

Many treatment approaches have developed different ways of dealing with the challenges of autism. First, there is the theory of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which consists of giving a child a specific task, which teaches skills from basic ones to more complex ones, such as social interaction. Children taking this approach, work 30-40 hours a week with a trained professional. (West 66) It may be emotionally difficult for the child, and his/her parents to dedicate so much time, yet it is worth it. However, it has been proven that ABA methods have shown consistent results in teaching new skills and behaviors to children with autism. (West 68)

Autism spectrum disorders are a set of similar disorders that each have their own challenges that educators must address. Although K-12 educators are not directly responsible for the types of interventions that individuals receive before they begin school, it is beneficial for educators to be aware of how those interventions work so they may incorporate useful elements in future teaching. Additionally, educators should have a stockpile of knowledge that they can draw from. This should include current research in the field because so much of education is research- and evidence-based. Therefore, it is the educator’s responsibility to ensure that they are aware of early intervention programs and are keeping up to date with the trends and best practices in the field.

Some children with autism have a sharp mind while others have marked deficits in intellectual, social, and cognitive functioning. Restated, it is a spectrum disorder, which means that every child formally diagnosed has abnormalities which can be charted within a broad spectrum of measures and labels. Many times it can be argued that labels are designed and assigned to help us gain knowledge with respect to a specific person or group of people to whom the label has been applied. Within this context, labels can sometimes be viewed as a positive, if not helpful device when classifying. However, when it comes to autism, this does not appear to be the case. There is a wide range of presenting characteristics, some people with autism are severely affected, while others are less affected. Within this general review of the data and literature, the authors have found that those who are diagnosed with severe autism, and who are also described as being mentally retarded on measurable scales, make the least amount of improvement in IQ, adaptive/social functioning, and overall language ability. Therefore, the primary contention made by the authors is that, the main predictors of outcome when it comes to Intensive Behavioural Intervention for people with autism, are the severity of the disorder and overall IQ prior to the commencement of

In addition, this case allows for readers to see how psychosocial treatment programs can be modified to account for social and behavioral deficits associated with autism. The downside to this case study, like all case studies, is the lack of generalization. As a single case study, it is important to note that Jerry’s initial presentation and subsequent treatment response cannot be generalized to all youth with ASD and comorbid anxiety. It is possible that Jerry and his family presented factors contributing to successful treatment that other families do not

A new study by Glen O. Sallows and Tamlynn D. Graupner with the Wisconsin Early Autism Project provides further evidence that earlier intervention for autism increases the likelihood that a child will make significant gains in educational, social and communication skills. The report appears in the American Journal on Mental Retardation. The purpose of Sallows and Graupner’s study is to answer “whether or not the UCLA results can be replicated without the use of aversives. Whether or not the UCLA results can be replicated through a community-based operating program without resources or support from a university center, and if a treatment response can be predicted from pre-treatment variables? (Sallows & Graupner, 2005). The

The study performed by Estes and colleagues (Estes, Rogers, Greenson, Winter & Dawson, 2015) was designed with two purposes in mind. First, the researchers wanted to study the efficacy of intensive early intervention for children with autism versus the usual course of treatment immediately after discontinuing 2 years of early intervention therapy at age 4. Second, the researchers wanted to study the sustained effects on the children who received intensive early intervention compared to the children who receive usual course of treatment in the same experimental and control groups 2 years later at 6 years of age. Estes et al. hypothesized that the children in the experimental group will be more likely to maintain their gains from early

A similar study, which sought to show training parents in behavior management methods as more useful than simply educating them about autism performed by Bearss, K., Johnson, C., Smith, T., Lecavalier, L., Swiezy, N., Aman, M., … Scahill, L. (2015), showed a higher rate of improvement in those whose parents attended the training; however, improvements failed to yield results that could be determined to be statistically significant. Through the inclusion of only children who were enrolled in school, English speaking, and predominantly male, it leaves room for further investigation. At 24 weeks the behaviors decreased, as reported by parents, 47.7%

Most agree that the variety of assessment measures need to be best used in combination with autism-specific assessment tools. When using different assessment measures, one assumption that often occurs is that every assessment will provide the same results. According to Cunningham (2012), “there have been few systematic efforts to develop specific criteria for the evaluation and selection of assessment measures for early childhood disorders.” When using the rating scales to gather information, researchers observe both verbal and non-verbal students. Approximately 25% of the items are not scored for nonverbal children and therefore summary scores are biased by non-random missing scores (Cunnigham,

All in all, it can be concluded that children and youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have a neurodevelopmental disorder that impedes on their ability to communicate effectively, form relationships with others, as well as have restricted and repetitive behaviors. Typically, an early diagnosis is recommended for these children in order to begin early intervention, which thus will result in the successful outcomes for mastering life skills, along with functionality. It has been suggested that Applied Behavioral Analysis, Intense Behavioral Intervention, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are the most effective and common interventions that help treat targeted skill areas through program plans that adhere to a child’s individual based

One way to benefit the behaviors of autism is by using ABA, this form of intervention has been documented to have positive improvement with individuals with autism (Hillman 2006). ABA requires a team of Psychologists, behavioral specialists, educators, social workers, medical professionals, and most importantly the unlimited cooperation of parents. A positive outcome requires thirty to forty hours a week of intensive treatment. The process of starting new routines and time modifications of the parents’ schedules can be overwhelming, the support of psychologists is crucial for the parent’s support during this process (Erba, 2000). Other team members also have crucial responsibilities, educators are responsible for producing materials to motivate the client to engage during interactions. Behavior specialists personnel (BSCs) then can target skill development through one-on-one therapy (Hillman 2006).

(2007) conducted research on a total of 46 adolescents aged between 13 and 18 with High Functioning Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome and showed effect sizes that ranged between r = .34 and .46 in terms of social competence and effect sizes that ranged between r = .32 and .73 in regards to improvements on problems behaviours. Cook et al. (2008) synthesised the results of 77 studies (a total of five meta-analyses for adolescents with Emotional and Behavioural Disorders) and shoed an effect size of r = .32. Laugeson et al. (2014) conducted SST research on 77 autism spectrum adolescent students between 12 and 14 with an average difference score of 6.54 for increased knowledge of social skills. These results indicate that overall, SST has produced a moderate effect size. However, despite not all students being likely to have positive results from SST programs, the results of these studies indicate that as a whole, SST may be a viable and effective social skills intervention for high school students within inclusive

Given the many social skills training methods that have been evaluated, practitioners have several considerations when formulating intervention. Although many children with autism attend public schools, attempting to improve social skills simply by increasing their proximity to peers who do not have a developmental disability may be insufficient. Instead, skill acquisition often requires adult delivered intervention that prompts and reinforces desirable social interactions. However, most training research has concentrated on the social responses of children with autism and not their social initiations. This makes initiations toward peers critical because it ensures that children with autism have skills in orchestrating interactions, and not

Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) is an evidenced based and effective approach to understanding and changing behavior, and teaching new skills for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. IBI uses Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) techniques to improve behaviour where there are impairments in socialization and communication. IBI can be used to teach academic and life skills, to change behavior, and to improve social functioning and independence. “IBI’s ability to produce a desired result has been documented, and among professionals it is accepted as the most successful therapy for autism (Chaban, Learning and Educations Column 2010)”.

Numerous studies including (Carter et al. 2010; Gifford-Smith and Brownell 2003; Rubin et al. 2009) as cited in (Watkins et al., 2015, p. 1070) show that students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties with developing social skills. They lack the ability to interact with peers, as well as to initiate and maintain reciprocal conversations. Lack of social skills have an effect on student’s social emotional development and the student’s success in school and their overall well-being (Watkins et al., 2015). Social skills develop early and continue to develop throughout life. That is why it is crucial to develop these skills as early as possible.

Bradshaw, A. C., Bishop, J. L., Gens, S. L., Miller, S. L., and Rogers, M. A. (2002). The