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What Makes an Effective Education/Treatment
Program?
In general, an effective program
will be supported by scientific research and will include:
- Early and intensive treatment and education techniques to help
people with ASDs develop and learn new skills.
- A highly structured, ASD-specialized and consistent education
plan tailored to the individual.
- Clear guidelines and expectations for behaviour.
- Written or graphic supports to help the person understand and
anticipate coming events.
- Designed and delivered by trained professionals.
- Parental and familiy participation in assessment, curriculum
planning, instruction, monitoring and evaluation. These people
know the person best and will have the clearest understanding
of the individual's history and learning style.
- Family support which is vital to effective treatments and interventions
for people with ASDs.
| Autism Society Canada does not endorse
any one single treatment method as being the right choice for
all people with ASDs. We provide a wide variety of information
to help caregivers and people with ASDs choose which treatments
and programs they feel will be the most beneficial. |
The goal of treatment is to help to alleviate
the disabling symptoms of an ASD and to improve the person's skills
and ability to learn and care for his or her needs. The structured
teaching of functional skills (often called behavioural intervention)
presently has the largest body of published research supporting
its effectiveness. Intensive behaviour-based intervention programs
are grounded in a large body of research that generally emphasize
the building of:
- Attention to social stimuli
- Imitation skills
- Language use and comprehension
- Appropriate play
- Social interaction skills
These functional skills are usually developed by using elements
of the following kinds of interventions:
- Behaviour analysis and intervention
- Social and play related interventions
- Speech/language therapy
- Sensory integration and motor skills therapy
- Biomedical approaches
- Life-skills building
- Counselling and other therapies
Treatment may be offered in an agency program, in school, and/or
in the home. Children with severe autism usually require highly
structured education and behavioural programs, with a one-to-one
teacher to student ratio or a small group environment. Other people
with ASDs may do well in a more general education environment with
appropriate academic and social support.
| Unusual behaviours may be one
of the most challenging aspects of ASDs for some people with
autism and for parents, family members, caregivers and teachers.
Behaviours can range from being unusual or eccentric to being
aggressive and/or dangerous to self and others. Repetitive hand-flapping,
finger-snapping, rocking and head-banging are examples. Some
people with autism may self-injure themselves and may show little
or no sensitivity to their injuries. In some cases, they may
also lash out at others, sometimes with no apparent provocation.
Most experts agree that the function and causes of such behaviours
can fairly often be identified and the person can be helped
to modify his/her actions. Such behaviours may arise due to
physical problems such as severe physical discomfort, while
others may be forms of communication. Severe behaviours should
be assessed by an accredited professional with specific training
in behaviour analysis, such as a behavioural psychologist or
physician. |
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