Reflection On The Son Rise Program

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)

The PEAK (Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge) Assessment and Direct Training Module was developed by Dr. Mark Dixon for use with autistic children or those with related developmental disabilities. It is based an ABA based therapy, (Applied Behavior Analysis), and assesses skills in manding, tacting, labeling, social and emotional descriptions, the usage of metaphors, and developing effective social exchanges (Daar, et al., 2015). PEAK is composed of four consecutive modules each with individual assessments consisting of 184 questions. The questions are directed at determining specific weaknesses in an individual’s skills. The scores are then collected and recorded on the Performance Matrix Triangle where the results are visually organized and easily interpreted. Corresponding with the assessments is a relational training system that addresses any skill deficits of the individual. The PEAK assessment is an extremely precise tool for earmarking developmental disabilities and has been tested for both validity and reliability.

A lot of people don’t realize the challenges of living with a child who has been diagnose with Autism can be. It is a twenty-four-hour seven day a week job no vacation, no sick time and no pay. From the time the child is diagnosed it is a constant worry especially if the parents don’t know much about the condition. It starts with continuous Doctor visits, social services, and therapy sessions, just to figure out how serious the condition may be and what level of the disability the child has and this is only this beginning. Next, to find the tools the child needs to overcome the disability, like learning development and cognitive process, social skills, comprehension capabilities, and many more depending on the severity of autism.

Originally, I was drawn to speech pathology after my sister’s diagnosis of Autism at the age of three. Watching Diane struggle with language development and acquisition while other children seemed to grasp these skills naturally is what initially sparked my interest in helping families like my own. At the start of my junior year, I set out to obtain experiences working with different populations. Toward the latter half of junior year, I became involved as a clerical volunteer at the Sacramento Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center. By senior year, I was balancing a full course load alongside three volunteer experiences. In addition to Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center, I divided my time between tutoring at a neighboring elementary school in the Twin Rivers School District and serving as an intern at the Autism Center for Excellence (ACE). During my undergraduate experience, I welcomed the opportunity to work with students that struggled with literacy, language, and pragmatic skills. After graduation, it was my goal to obtain additional experience in the field as a speech-language pathology assistant.

Marc and Susan will have to work together to meets James's needs along with creating a parenting style that works for the entire family. The Growing Minds program will help Marc and Susan transition into a parenting style that is suitable for James and is doable in a military family. This program will help alleviate the tension between Marc and James and Marc and Susan because they will learn how to handle the gaming situation better and will think of new activities for James to do. Autism Speaks will connect the family with others and create a support system in times of need. This is a great program to use as a resource when Marc and Susan are unsure of what Autism fully entails or when they need a moral boost from the walks. Lastly, the summer camp will help James break out of his comfort zone of gaming and into a facility that is full of physical activity. The camp will help him feel more confident and he will be able to interact with others in a social environment. Our hopes from the camp is that he will be able to find an activity he enjoys but is also good for him such as

The No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act entail that students with disabilities or special needs to be open to the overall education and determine the progress of the child. Three unsurpassed practice strategies for supporting young children on the autism spectrum (including Asperger's Syndrome) in an early learning environment. The first strategy is reinforcement. Reinforcement is a critical strategy of evolving and maintaining the enthusiasm of this type of student. A teacher must use objective or actions that the students would like or enjoy that can be obtainable behavior. In my field experience observed I have seen the Pre-K teacher use the computer and smartboard to interact with the class as well

Because members of Autism in Motion are low on the autism spectrum, they don’t qualify for state funding; therefore, they are supported through donations and fundraisers. Programs are offered for those who are out of school but not yet employed. It helps them stay active in our community and it allows for them to learn, make friends, and get out of their comfort zone. Services they provide involve a variety of classes which includes cooking, creative expression, and theater. They also host social events and provide them with assisted job hunting. The goal of this program is to help adults with autism learn, make friends, and develop social skills that will help them succeed independently. As of right now, classes are at an affordable price but without the proper funding, they would have to increase the cost of each class, reducing the amount of people who are able to benefit from

144). Some other techniques for improving the learning experience of students with autism are structured teaching, speech and language therapy, social skills therapy, and occupational therapy. Keeping a structured and predictable schedule is imperative when instructing a child with autism. The child will also, most likely, need some specialized classes in speech as well as instruction in appropriate social interaction, as one symptom of autism is a lack of comprehension of social norms. Educators need to keep in close contact with the team responsible for the student’s educational plan and diagnostic write-up to ensure that there are no large gaps in the educational programs suggested and the ones being applied.

The NH LEND program partners with the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies to provide the opportunity for trainees and fellows in the State of Maine to train in leadership roles within an interdisciplinary and culturally diverse professional network. Our work strives to improve the health and quality of life for infants, children, and adolescents who have, or are at risk for developing autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities. The program is funded by a grant from the Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It is administered by the Association for University Centers on Disability (AUCD).

Autism Speaks enhances lives today and is accelerating a spectrum of solutions for tomorrow.” Based on research, Autism Speaks does a great job to help those with Autism. They also help others understand what Autism is by providing useful information to uninformed parents and family members. The organization is built to bring people to understand what autism is and how an individual can help and support a child with autism. The mission statement is relevant to their goal as an NPO and no changes should be made to their mission statement.

My visit was done at Summit Autism Center in Roswell, Georgia on Friday, March 25th, 2016. I interviewed co-founder and director of the center, Jennifer. According to the mission statement, Summit Autism Center aims to “provide individualized, effective, and scientifically based treatment for children with autism and related disabilities that are not otherwise available” (Summit Autism, 2015). Jennifer stated that Summit, in addition to teaching independent living skills and basic school academics, they specialize in applied behavior analysis (ABA), which uses the verbal behavior principles written by B.F. Skinner. They focus on a wide range of skill in hopes of maximizing the individual potential of each child in attendance by working on:

In this book, “Helping children with autism learn: Treatment approaches for parents and professionals” Siegel gives parents of autistic children what they need most: hope. Siegel explains that how to take an inventory of a child particular disabilities that break down the various kinds unique to autism. Many other signs and symptoms are also seen in a child suffering from autism are atypical eating, lack of intuition and less attention to social stimuli. This book has been a great help in the research as it explains about the key understanding of each autism case as a discrete set of learning disabilities, each of which must be treated individually. This book is relevant to my research as it has important documentation and papers about the conference. It provides a detailed account of the issues, at the same time, Siegel offer a new understanding and a practical, thoughtful approach that will give parents a new hope.

Curious about the kind of support available to 64 million Americans living with disabilities, I decided to explore this cause and community. I applied and was accepted as an AFK program mentor. Soon, I was working with Michael, a 13-year-old, who was nothing like my preconception of someone with autism. Over the next two years, we met nearly every week, played

The lecture “Life on the Spectrum: Living, Learning and Growing as an Autistic Person” presented by Howie Jordan was given on October 27, 2015 at USC Upstate. This speech was about the struggles one with autism faces on a daily basis and the adversity they must overcome. Jordan tells the audience about autism through his eyes and the lessons he has learned through his struggles. Lessons such as how to overcome bullying, physical and mental obstacles, and educational struggles. Jordan’s purpose is to shine light on the idea that a person with autism is just that, a person. No matter what disabilities one may have they are still human and deserve to be treated like one in every part of life.

I am very passionate about working with kids with autism. They have such amazing personalities and I feel like people don’t see past the disability to the unique person they are. For several years I worked at a residential facility for kids on the spectrum. I was a direct care staff that worked one on one with them to work on their goals their treatment plan was focusing on. My passion to help kids with autism comes from my previous experience working with these kids and watching them grow and learn new skills. This transformation that I watched happen and helped be a part of with these kids made me want to help more kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are a lot of skills that need to be taught to these children. Socialization, communication, and positive behavior are just a few kids with autism need help improving. I believe that the earlier that you teach a child these skills the more successful they will be. Early intervention has had a positive outcome within many research experiments that professionals have done. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) also requires schools to teach kids with disabilities alongside typically developed kids as much as possible.