-
Using Explicit Instruction to Teach Self-Advocacy
Those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can benefit from alternative pedagogy, and the utilization of different approaches for more abstract skills should be a primary focus. Self-Advocacy is a set of skills that involve executive functions, social communication, and adaptive functions....
-
Reflection of a Former Defiant Preschooler
I was once an impudent preschooler who ignored clear directions. Or so I must have seemed to my teacher. My classmates and I were gathered around for an activity, the nature of which I cannot recall. I do remember that it involved the children being asked, one at a time and more or less at random,...
-
My Life Is a Work in Progress
My goal in life is to keep facing my everyday challenges. My life is a work in progress. I want to talk about how I understand things and what is going on in my brain because I have autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). I also have anxiety. My anxiety can be good because it helps me...
-
Robot-Assisted Instruction for Children with Autism: How Can Robots Be Used in Special Education?
In today’s high-tech world, quality teaching in special education is an essential factor that many specialists need to fulfill. Special education teachers are well-trained and often receive the latest skills and resources to provide effective intervention for children with autism. However, high...
-
Strategies to Teach Key Foundation Skills to Young Children with Autism
Children with autism have both strong and weak points when it comes to learning – like all children. A significant tendency to progress at different rates across developmental domains is generally the case. Further, there can exist an uneven performance within a single area. Since language is a...
-
Ethical Implementation of ABA Programming in Schools: A Guide for Professionals and Parents
For over fifty years, research has demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication and appropriate behavior. According to the Association for Science in Autism Treatments (ASAT), ABA is the only scientifically validated...
-
What Happens When the Teacher Is on the Spectrum? An Interview with a Pre-Service Teacher with ASD
With more and more people with ASD becoming adults, enrollment in higher education is also increasing for this population. Science, technology, engineering, and math majors are popular with students with ASD but what about education? An undergraduate education major with ASD was interviewed about...