While the philosophy of community based employment is to promote community integration and the social skills of persons with disabilities, studies suggest that there is minimal interaction between persons with disabilities in the workplace and their non-disabled co-workers and that when interaction does occur it may be limited and non-social in nature (Belcher & Smith,…
This month’s Perspective columnist is Dr. Temple Grandin. Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and an Associate Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. In North America, almost half of the cattle…
This article describes a pilot program focused on transitions that adolescents with autism spectrum disorders experience conducted by the Families for Effective Treatment of Autism of Washington. OAR’s President, Dr. Peter Gerhardt, served as a consultant to the project. While set in the Seattle area, it illustrates a programmatic and collaborative approach toward successfully teaching…
Transitions can be challenging for everyone because they represent a change from one activity, event, phase, or even different stages of the lifespan cycle. Most people have the benefit of being able to prepare for most changes by thinking them through or having access to resources enabling them to make these transitions. However, sensory distortions…
Everyone must adjust to new environments. Sometimes these adjustments involve adapting to a new school, a new teacher, or other things that are different than what we experienced previously. Transitions can be particularly challenging for individuals with autism spectrum disorders [ASD], as they often experience considerable anxiety when faced with new situations. Moreover, many individuals…
Summary: Nikopoulous and Keenan investigated the use of video modeling to increase the social initiations of young children with autism. Three young (ages 7-9 years) boys with previously established diagnoses of autism participated in this study. The authors describe the individuals as “being in the mild to moderate range” of autism as assessed using the…
Over the past 10 years, much has been written about facilitating social skill development in persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Intensive efforts to teach social skills from very young ages have made the newest generation of young people with ASD more socially aware and skilled than the previous generation. However, the onset of adolescence…
This article is reprinted with permission from the September-October 2005 issue of the Autism Asperger’s Digest, a bimonthly national magazine offering practical, functional information on autism spectrum disorders. More information about the publication is available on their website. John is 3 years old, with very limited language skills. When his parents try to sit and…
Note to readers: In each issue of The OARacle, we provide a helpful resource on a topic of interest within the autism community. This month’s article focuses on Educational Services for Children with Autism. Special thanks to Dr. Anita Breslin, Psy.D., BCBA for her contribution. It is currently estimated that approximately one in 166 children…
It is currently estimated that approximately one in 166 children have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Public schools throughout the country are faced with an increasing number of classified children who present with an ASD diagnosis and there is much debate as to whether our educational system can appropriately meet the educational needs of children…
