Research that Benefits Children and Families
About 1 in 59 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network (CDC, 2018). That is a staggering difference from the CDC's 2000 report of 1 in 150 children identified with ASD.
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| CDC ADDM Network 2000-2014 |
With the prevalence of children being diagnosed with autism increasing, the need for research based strategies to support them in early childhood classrooms, at home, and in society is increasing. At the age of 3, children can begin receiving special education services from their local school districts. These children can receive services at home, in childcare centers, in self-contained special education classrooms, Head Start, and prekindergarten classrooms. The location of the services is agreed upon by the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee, which includes the diagnostician, special education teacher, general education educator, administrator, parent, and other related service providers.
No matter where the child receives services, it is important supports are provided to ensure the student with autism is provided supports and strategies to ensure their success in its educational setting. According to the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder at the University of North Carolina, some interventions that researchers have shown to be effective with children with autism are called evidence-based practices (EBPs). ""One reason for using EBPs is because, by law, teaching practices must be based on evidence of effectiveness" (NPDCASD, n.d.). One such evidence-based practice is visual supports.
"Visual supports can help to provide structure and routine, encourage independence, build confidence, improve understanding, avoid frustration and anxiety, and provide opportunities to interact with others. They can make communication physical and consistent, rather than fleeting and inconsistent like spoken words can be" (R.A.-UK, n.d.). Visual supports include tactile symbols or objects, photographs, short videos, colored pictures, line drawings, symbols, and written words. The supports are developed to meet the individual child's needs and preferences. When used consistently with the child in the early childhood setting, the child can develop independence, increased social and emotional development, increased communication skills, and decreased levels of anxiety and frustration.
As a special education teacher, I saw the difference with the students receiving Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) services in my self-contained special education classroom and the prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. I had my daily schedule posted for all students to reference while some of my students with autism referred to their individual picture schedules that were either posted on the classroom wall or in a portable file folder. Classroom was labeled to help students know where materials belonged and what learning centers were available to explore. Behavioral cue cards were used by myself and my paraprofessionals to help students understand requests and directives, such as sit, line-up, go potty, et. al.. Once the supports were used consistently and the level of support was identified, a parent-teacher conference was held to educate the parent on the visual supports used with their child, identify any support needed at home, make the visual supports for the family, and develop a plan of action for the parent to incorporate the supports at home.
References:
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2018). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Retrieved January 26, 2019 from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html.
National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder (NPDCASD). (n.d.). Evidence-based practices. Retrieved January 26, 2019 from https://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/evidence-based-practices.
Research Autism- United Kingdom (R.A.- UK) (n.d.). Visual Supports. Retrieved January 26, 2019 from http://www.researchautism.net/autism-interventions/types/motor-sensory-interventions/sight-based-interventions/visual-supports.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I did a year of work with preschool children who had autism and it was all new to me. I had experience with teaching preschool children but teaching preschool children with autism was a different ball game for me. What I learned was that whatever visuals I would use in a general preschool classroom I would triple that. I observed as I gradually increased visuals and made the classroom some what stark behavior drastically improved.
Hello Donna,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate you sharing such informative findings regarding research and children on the spectrum. I was first introduced to the Core board to assist my daughter with communication due to developmental delays. My daughter started PreK this year and she is taught within a inclusive setting. I agree with rationale not only does the assistive tools help children with disabilities but children without disabilities as well.
Donna,
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to work with children with autism, as a preschool teacher I learned every day to value these children and I always try to find new methods to visualize with their individual needs.