A Review of a Randomized Control Trial of DIR/Floortime Therapy

• By: Sara Gershfeld, MA, BCBA Tristram Smith, PhD Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT)
• July 1st, 2012
• autism research, behavioral interventions, developmental interventions, DIR, early intervention, evidence-based practice, Floortime, parent coaching, science, social communication, treatment
• 5011    0

Parents and clinicians frequently face the issue of making informed decisions amongst heated debates over the most effective approaches for treating young children with autism (Prizant and Wetherby, 1998). Of the current approaches used to treat autism, there lies a continuum ranging from intensive...

Autism and Asperger’s: Two Distinct Disorders or One Disorder of Varying Symptom Severity

• By: Sam Goldstein, PhD University of Utah School of Medicine Jack A. Naglieri, PhD University of Virginia
• January 1st, 2012
• Asperger's Syndrome, Asperger’s, assessment, autism research, developmental disorders, diagnosis, DSM-V, repetitive behaviors, social communication, social interaction
• 4389    1

Autism has been conceptualized as a biologically determined set of behaviors occurring with varying presentation and severity that is likely as the result of varying cause (for review, see Goldstein, Naglieri, & Ozonoff, 2008). The disorder occurs significantly more often in boys (Smalley,...

Future Directions in Medication Treatments for ASD

• By: Evdokia Anagnostou, MD Bloorview Research Institute at University of Toronto Joel D. Bregman, MD Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of Missouri Latha V. Soorya, PhD, BCBA Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• January 1st, 2012
• brain pathways, clinical trials, glutamate signaling system, medications, molecular genetics, neuroinflammation, neuroscience, oxytocin, research, social communication, Treatments and Interventions
• 3062    0

There has been enormous growth over the past 10-15 years in research attempting to identify effective medications for children and youth with ASD. A few classes of medications have been shown to be effective for treating specific symptoms associated with autism. There is accumulating data to...

Assessment and Understanding of Fear in Children with an ASD

• By: Laura B. Turner, MS Raymond G. Romanczyk, PhD, BCBA-D SUNY Binghamton Institute for Child Development
• January 1st, 2012
• anxiety, assessment methods, caregiver report, emotional regulation, fear, phobias, research, social communication, social-emotional skills
• 5141    0

Intense fears and phobias have been reported in up to 64% of children with an ASD (Muris Steerneman, Merckelbach, Holdrinet, & Meesters, 1998). In comparison, only 5% of typically developing children present with intense fears (Ollendick, King, & Muris, 2002). Children with an ASD also have...

Focus on Video Modeling Techniques for Inexpensive, Fast and Customized Solutions for Improving Social Skills

• By: Laurie Jacobs, MA, CCC-SLP Social Skill Builder
• October 1st, 2011
• pragmatic language, social communication, social development, social skills training, technology-based learning, video modeling, visual learning
• 3337    0

When my sister and I began Social Skill Builder in 1999, we were looking for a way to bridge the social language gap to help kids with ASD, Asperger’s and other learning disabilities achieve success in social situations. Social Skill Builder has created a series of learning tools that use videos...

Early Intervention for Children with Autism Improves Social and Communication Skills

• By: Rebecca Landa, PhD Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute
• July 1st, 2011
• applied behavior analysis, developmental delays, early intervention, early signs, parent training, social communication, toddlers
• 3965    0

Research Pinpoints Early Signs of Autism and Develops Key Intervention Programs for Toddlers   Autism is the nation’s fastest growing developmental disorder, with current incidence rates estimated at 1 in 110 children. This year, more children will be diagnosed with autism than AIDS,...

Social Coping and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Power Combination of Psychology and Speech Language Interventions

• By: Stacey Kanin, MS, CCC-SLP Samara P. Tetenbaum, PhD Shana Nichols, PhD
• July 1st, 2011
• cognitive behavioral therapy, coping skills, emotional regulation, mental health, social communication, social skills, speech-language therapy
• 2736    0

Throughout our years working with the ASD population, parents often inquire about whether their child should be receiving speech-language or psychological services. The answer is frequently “both.” Research demonstrates that individuals with ASDs are at great risk for developing significant...

A Look Inside the Hidden Curriculum

• By: Brenda Smith Myles, PhD The Ziggurat Group
• July 1st, 2011
• hidden curriculum, life skills, safety skills, self-regulation, social communication, social expectations, social skills
• 6683    0

The hidden curriculum is assumed knowledge - the expectations, rules or guidelines that are not directly taught because they are universally known (Garnet, 1984; Hemmings, 2000; Jackson, 1968; Kanpol, 1989; Myles, Trautman, & Schelvan, 2004). It also addresses the incongruities of how skills...