Strategies for Transitioning Preschool with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Kindergarten

In my personal story, I reviewed my own experience of being a parent to a child with an ASD diagnosis. As it was demonstrated both from the literature review and though my personal story, it is clear that facing an ASD diagnosis is a big crisis. Part of the crisis relates to the stigma of ASD. Parents face judgment and resentments toward their children from the general public as well as judgment on their parenting style. This judgment comes as a result of the typical appearance of most children with

The first three years of a child’s life is the most important and central time for the brain’s development. Autism is a disorder that can be diagnosed during the infant or toddler stage. Children can be diagnosed with autism by having different impairments such as social interaction, pattern of behavior, eye contact and speech impairment. Having the child being diagnosed with ASD can change a parent’s life view. Parents can learn different things in order to help their child. Parents will be provided by health providers different treatment, different placement in education and knowing about the different risk factor to make a difference for their autistic child now and in the future.

There is little research to examine experiences and needs of individuals with ASD, or proper and effective support systems such as educational and family support needed for young adults making this transition. Most information that is provided on this topic is based on professional’s experience and knowledge. It is essential more research is provided to develop programs to help individuals transition from secondary education to higher

The article entitled “Smooth Transitions: Helping Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Navigate the School Day” written by Kara Hume, Melissa Sreckovic, Kate Snyder, and Christina R. Carnahan discusses an intervention plan for a fifth grader named Sara, who has autism spectrum disorder, in a general education classroom. In this classroom, there are two teachers that use the co-teaching model in order to reach the needs of the students with and without disabilities. Sara, who is on grade level academically, was showing several behavioral issues. She was not actively involving herself in the lessons, or talking to other students in the classroom. It was also noted that she would end up crying very frequently at different times throughout the day. Other behaviors included putting her head down on her desk and not responding what being asked a question or addressed in general. They observed the times of day that she displayed these behaviors and noticed that it was during the times of the day when transitions occurred. Her behaviors began to disrupt her learning due to time that it took to redirect her and get her back on task.

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

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.

The interviewee's child was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was just 2 years old. The child had been enrolled in the public school system since he was able to attend school. The types of classroom settings have been majority of self-contained classrooms, however, in kindergarten he attended a regular education classroom. Currently, his placement is in a self-contained Autism classroom. The family comes from a middle socioeconomic background. Furthermore, the behavior analyst has worked with all types of families and children from many different socioeconomic

To be an effective special educator, one must possess knowledge of several, various disabilities and also knows how they can affect children so differently. For instance, there is an increasing rate of children being diagnosed with Autism; as a result educators need to be familiar with the characteristics associated with the disease. Symptoms and how severe they may be can vary from child to child, but all autism disorders affect a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. According to Gina Kemp, Jeanne Segal, and Deborah Cutter, specialists in learning disorders and disabilites, most children with Autism will not be able to communicate with the world around them. They have poor social skills, avoid eye contact, and tend to choose self play over group interaction (Cutter, Kemp, & Segal). A special educator needs to know how to interact with these children to have any hope of abiding by the standards of the NCLB. There is no known cause for Autism, therefore, it is important for any special educator to continue in their research in order to successfully educate these children.

This hardships and struggles were focused on their child’s tantrums that are present in the condition ASD and how they cope up with it. Participants also described having to make lifestyle transitions in their life. One lifestyle transitions affected their careers for them to focus more in taking care of their child. Family activities and relationships with their non-affected children was also affected being involved in a child with autism. It was shown in the study how autism spectrum disorder give an impact in the primary caregivers’ life and his/her family. The findings suggest that professionals need to engage more with families when conveying a diagnosis of autism, particularly with families that is financially unstable. Thus, the findings suggest that there is a need to inform the future families who may experience the involved responsibilities of having an autistic child.This study gave several recommendations to three particular subjects the Families /Primary Caregivers, Government and the Community. All these subjects are selected for the enlightenment of this topic which is autism spectrum disorder(ASD). The findings from this study therefore provide hope and encouragement for parents of children with autism in particular, but also for parents raising children with intellectual disabilities

The number of pupils with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC) being educated in mainstream settings is increasing (Humphrey 2008). Inclusion in main stream education can be extremely beneficial for pupils on the autism spectrum (Great Britain. Department for Children, Schools and families, 2009), however there is growing concern about the educational experiences of pupils with ASC. Only 12% of parents with children in an unsupported mainstream primary school are very satisfied (Barnard et al 2000).

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) http://www.naeyc.org/content/about-naeyc states that its mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children. As an accrediting organization, the NAEYC states that it focuses primarily on the delivery of educational and developmental services, and resources. Teachers employed by centers accredited by the NAEYC are required to follow the organization’s guidelines. These guidelines stipulate regular assessment of each child: The teacher’s experience coupled with regular assessments can be beneficial in identifying children who have developmental delays and disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). http://sophia.stkate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1439&context=msw_papers

Often children with autistic spectrum disorder are omitted from mainstream classrooms or have limited interactions with their typical learning school mates possibly due to the extra time and energy it takes teachers to manage the anti-social behaviors often associated with the disorder. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often identified by the impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by the impairment of the capability to communicate with others, and by repetitive behavior patterns. People with ASD are prone to resist or easily anger at changes in their daily routine. Since they often lack or avoid eye contact, prefer to be alone and don 't often recognize social cues, ASD

Teachers can support students with autism in the classroom in a number of ways. In NZ, resource teachers: learning and behaviour (RTLB) are funded to support teachers and schools to best meet the needs of students within an inclusive education system (Ministry of Education, n.d.). Together, RTLB and teachers divise Individual Education Plans (IEP) which are written plans that set out goals for students and factors in the people who will be working alongside them. However, teachers do not need to create a separate plan for students with ASD instead they can plan for all students, taking in to account the learning needs in the classroom, as

As the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or (ASD) increases and the number of students in public schools with autism increases, it becomes increasingly more important to examine transitions services for this population. This is particularly true for

For example, a child’s behavior is reinforced with a reward. This therapy has been of help in training victims of ASD as they can learn new skills as well as develop relationships as well as how to succeed at work and in other community activities irrespective of their age. So far, this therapy has remained to be the most known and well-researched types of therapy for autism. Also, other upcoming treatments include Son-Rise Program which however takes a different approach in that it focuses on the social aspect of ASD. During treatment, the children are encouraged to be imaginative