Noting that children with autism may display atypical or even fearful responses to common stimuli such as skin care products (often with a negative impact on adaptive functioning), Ellis and colleagues investigated the use of a treatment package including graduated exposure, modeling, and social attention on the fearful responses of two learners with autism. The…
Read More
Independent toileting is generally considered a core adaptive skill and one which individuals with ASD may find a challenge to master. The inability to independently toilet oneself is associated with a number of negative consequences including the potential for reduced participation in community resources. While other effective methods of toilet training appear in the literature…
Read More
We all know this rule: Don’t go anywhere with a stranger. But let’s say you meet a cute guy at the movies. The two of you chat for a few minutes while you’re waiting to buy popcorn. Then he asks you if you want to walk around before the movie starts. How would you react?…
Read More
Shawn A. Henry is the Executive Director at the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI). He concentrates on developing statewide change efforts in promoting advances in the training of professionals serving students with autism. Brenda Smith Myles is the Chief of Programs and Development at OCALI, an associate professor in the Department of…
Read More
Dr. Malow is an associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University and director of the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center. She is currently conducting research in this area supported in part by an OAR grant awarded in 2006. Prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt, Malow was a tenured associate professor of neurology at the University…
Read More
Despite reports that outcome in individuals with autism spectrum disorders may be improving following early intensive interventions, we still have much to learn about the natural history of the disorders and the effects of intervention. While there may not yet be a known cure for autism, a number of viable (although not always easily accessible…
Read More
Shana Nichols, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and researcher at the North Shore/Long Island Jewish Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism. She has worked in the field of autism spectrum disorders and child development for over 10 years and currently specializes in adolescence and growing up, dual diagnosis and mental health issues, and the…
Read More
The Challenges of Learning and Teaching Social Skills Social skills, which are centrally important to the success of individuals on the autism spectrum, are among the most elusive targets to teach. One impediment to teaching such skills is that there may not be much intrinsic interest on the part of learners with autism spectrum disorders…
Read More
Shayna Guenther is the co-founder and co-director of Learning 2 Play, Inc., a social skills center, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She has nine years of experience implementing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) with children and youth with ASD. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with Masters in ABA and is a Board Certified…
Read More
Last Halloween, I helped to supervise a sleepover party for the children at the Unitarian-Universalist church my family attends. I had been wrapped in toilet paper by the kids during the “make a mummy” contest, guided numerous kids through the dark to the hallway where the bathroom was lit up, and finally watched the movie…
Read More
