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Managing Challenging Behavior Due to Autism during Emergencies: Advice for First Responders
First responders are by definition available and on call twenty-four hours a day to provide emergency services ranging from medical to safety and protection needs. In most cases these encounters are brief, intense and are paired with stressful episodes including medical emergency, fire or other...
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Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: An Effective Approach for Schools to Prevent and Manage Challenging Behaviors
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) was developed in the 1980s as a data based behavioral intervention for students with behavioral disorders (BD). Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is an evidence-based approach which incorporates behavioral and academics...
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Understanding Aggressive and Self-injurious Behavior
When addressing challenging behaviors, specifically when it comes to aggressive behaviors and self-injury, it’s important to understand the reason as to why these behaviors are occurring before determining a solution. The behavior of all living organisms serves specific purposes; and the reason...
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Addressing Setting Events to Make Behavior Plans More Effective for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Challenging, disruptive, and potentially dangerous behaviors frequently are a concern for caregivers and family members of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In recent years, the methodology of Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) has come to be recognized as one of the most...
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Addressing Skill Deficits in Students with High Functioning Autism as a Proactive Approach to Prevent Behavioral Challenges
Students with high functioning autism (HFA) typically display cognitive abilities in the average to above average range, and some superior range; therefore often participate in general education classes. While these students have many strengths, specific educational approaches are often needed to...
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Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior for Adults with ASDs
As individuals with autism age out of the educational system, families are faced with a number of challenges. Maladaptive behavior, in particular, can be a significant stressor for families of adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). While estimates of the prevalence of problem behavior vary...
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Behavior as Desire for Control in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Occasionally we all need a gentle reminder that autism is not an abstraction floating around in the ether. Autism is real precisely because people experience it, and separate cases of autism spectrum disorders differ so markedly because their subjects are unique individuals with different...
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Bitten by the Truth
Three years ago, at 4 am in the morning, my life began to unravel when my daughter sank her teeth into the fleshy part of my inner thigh. “Mommy, please help me!” she begged as she fell to her knees and grabbed my legs. Then she clamped down hard and held on tight like a pit-bull. I screamed,...
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Challenging Behavior at School: Using a Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plan
When addressing behavior problems, a careful assessment provides the foundation for effective and efficient intervention. Consider the following scenario: After struggling with headaches for nearly a week, you visit a doctor. Following a brief discussion, the doctor suggests brain surgery. While...
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Contributing Factors of Aggression and Self-injury in Autism
Although self-injury and aggression are not included in the diagnostic criteria for a diagnosis of autism, they are often associated with the diagnosis (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These symptoms are often the most problematic and concerning symptoms that caregivers face when seeking...
