Vision For Effective Theraputic Programing For Children With Autism
My Vision
People often negate what they do not understand. There is danger in that for these complex individuals. My suggestions revolve around staff education, collaboration between disciplinarians and parents, change of criteria and delivery models, and development of supportive environments. My suggestions are for school districts to ensure a maximum use of resources.
The objectives of my vision would be based on an Autism Bill of Rights.
Each child has a right to a safe and nurturing environment.
Each childs discomfort and pain needs to be alleviated to the best of our ability.
Each child deserves respect.
Each child should be gently coaxed to be all he wishes to be.
Each child deserves to find pleasure in his physical existence.
Each child will be given a helping hand to his next step of accomplishment.
Each child will learn to trust his environment and the people in it.
Each child will recognize open hearts willing to join him on his journey.
Each child will be assisted in adapting to the rhythm and flow of life.
Each child will feel loved!
I would like to see experts in the fields of speech, occupational, physical, and vision therapy work with teachers to create a program specific for autism. Speech is dependent on sensory input and motor planning. Attempts to use augmentative communication devices, signs, or gestures are also complicated by movement, rhythm and sensory issues. These difficulties are often still being confused with cognitive or social dysfunction by staffers who lack appropriate training.
Selected personnel, appropriately licensed and motivated, should be sent to alternative healing training sessions. For example, speech therapists and occupational therapists should train in therapeutic listening, Tomatis, auditory integration training, interactive metronomes, binaural beats or other rhythmic entrainment programs. Occupational therapists should be trained in sensory integration. Alternative therapies should be brought to the schools, such as sacral cranial work, massage, aromatherapy, watsu water therapy, Feldenkrais, yoga, Brain Gym, acupressure, reflexology, reiki and possibly even hypnotherapy.
These therapists could then travel from site to site, training staffers and parents on how to implement these strategies on a regular basis. This would provide low-income children in urban districts with the same level of service provided by knowledgeable parents who have the resources, insurance, and fortitude to open all options for their kids.
Districts should enlist someone from the ASA to serve as an information source for parents concerning diet, enzymes, supplements, chelating procedures, and other myriad other options out there.
Environmental changes need to occur. Programs should be placed at sites that can best meet the childrens sensory and motor needs. Schools ideally should have:
Quiet classrooms with natural light and adequate space for sensory equipment.
Pools and playground equipment that provided for vestibular input
Proximity to a variety of parks and nature walks
Close access to community facilities allowing for cost-effective and flexible
community based programs.
Administrators and supervisors from the different disciplines need to come together and transform failing programs into a dynamic yet viable paragons.
Administrators need to arrange time for teachers and assistants to consult with the team and implement and refine strategies for continued optimum growth of each student. Parents should be encouraged to attend these meetings so they can provide follow-up at home. As teams develop, roles would overlap; sensory problems, movement difficulties, communication, behavioral concerns, and rhythm issues would be addressed in all areas of the curriculum throughout the day.
Teachers, assistants and parents would be more confident in their ability to deal with ongoing complex neurological and central nervous system dysfunction if they continued to consult and collaborate with experts in specific disciplines. Turbulence and stress in students would decrease as they took refuge in the support of a highly trained and confident staff.
A paradigm shift of this magnitude demands that little shifts continue to occur. As information about current practices is disseminated, collaboration increases and team building occurs. Current programs would be modified by innovations that improve overall function. During initial revamping, there will be periods of stress and challenge where teachers and therapists will have to eradicate many of their current beliefs in order to have the confidence, courage and knowledge to keep the agenda moving forward.
Committees made up of representatives from various disciplines should oversee and evaluate what is currently happening and decide what changes need to be made. Responsibilities would include making sure that employees are receiving adequate training and that teams are continuing to collaborate on a regular basis. Teachers and therapists with strengths in methodology, passion and intuitive understanding of how to meet the complex needs of these very complex children would provide support to teachers, therapists, and teaching assistants in increasing effectiveness.
When supporting individuals with autism, it is important to refuse to be certain of anything. All assumptions have to be rigorously examined. What works for one child may have disastrous affects on another, or it may work now and cease to be effective later. The more I have learned, the more I realize I dont know. I would encourage everyone to let go of self-interest, refuse to be complacent, remain flexible, be open to new ideas, take risks, and provide mutual support so that objectives and procedures continue to create a flow of progress. If we are motivated by openness and a willing to transform ourselves, the children will transform with us.
I have served as a teacher of individuals with autism for 18 years. What they have taught me was to be sure of nothing, and open myself to the extraordinary. It has been and continues to be a remarkable ride.
Mary Ann Harrington
http://web.mac.com/maharrington
Autism Research
Autism research has covered many areas but until now has not yet found a complete explanation for all aspects of autism. Several aspects however can be explained by three major theories:1. Theory of Mind (TOM) explains the impairment of social interaction
2. Central Coherence (CC) explains the focus on details
3. Executive Function (EF) explain...
Child Psychology
Psychology is by no means only the study of adult minds and emotions. In an increasingly complex and stress-oriented world, children are just as affected by the abnormalities of daily life as adults are. The sad story of modern society speaks of child abuse, incest, family discord, drug and alcohol abuse, and other major problems.Had child psycholo...
Typical Effective Teaching Strategies for Individuals With Autism
This is a conglomeration of preferred strategies, I have learned in classes and workshops, interspersed with my own preferences for effective programming.Children with autism are individuals, first and foremost. Each one of them comes to us with an array of cognitive abilities, learning styles, sensory irritants and impairments, need for routine, ...
A Special Bond Between Animals and Disabled Humans
Animals can be mysterious and unpredictable, but more and more animal behaviorists and others who work regularly with our nonhuman fellow beings are finding that many seem to have a special rapport with mentally or physically disabled people. Dogs and cats are regularly brought into hospitals and nursing homes to provide a welcome respite from the ...
Tammy - A Girl of Extremes
I met Tammy when I was substitute teaching. Tammy was twelve years old, nonverbal, without any viable communication system; she did not talk, sign, select, or point to desired pictures or objects and appeared unable to discriminate. Tammy refused to participate in activities. She resisted assistance. She was angry, shut down. Tammy had been in ...
Children and Divorce
A recent statistic shows that almost half of all marriages end in divorce. Divorce is difficult for everyone involved, but maybe the hardest on children. Most often they experience many feelings that they do not understand. They go through a range of emotions and need their parents to understand. If you are going through a divorce getting to un...
Divorce Is A Process
Sometimes, divorce is looked upon as if it is a singular event. But, the process of divorce has a beginning, middle and an end. Too often partners get stuck in one of those stages and particularly if children are involved it can be difficult to move through the stages of a divorce successfully. What many couples do not realize is that the issues an...