ASA's 36th National Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders (July 13-16, 2005)

1. The audience will become familiar with how More Than Words fits into the continuum of current treatment approaches and incorporates best practice principles.

2. The audience will become familiar of how More Than Words uses a child's strengths, his sensory preferences and his learning style to help his communication and social interaction.

3. The audience will become familiar with the core strategies used to facilitate communication and social interaction in More Than Words and how to apply these strategies for children at different levels of ability.

4. The audience will become familiar with the unique way parents are taught in More Than Words by experiencing some of the hands-on-activities that are used in the program.

5. The audience will hear about research that supports both the underlying interactive philosophy of More Than Words and recent research in Canada and the United Kingdom showing the effects of the program on parents and their children.

The beginning of this presentation will help the audience understand how More Than Words incorporates principles from the most popular treatments currently used for helping children with ASD – applied behaviour analysis and a social pragmatic developmental approach. More Than Words is based on a social pragmatic developmental approach and also emphasizes the breaking down activities into small steps and adding structure and predictability to the child's day. Through video taped examples, the audience will see how, in the words of Dr. Barry Prizant, a world-renowned expert in the field of autism, “More Than Words” uses strategies drawn from and based on an empirically validated approach…and lets children be children and parents be parents.”

The majority of the presentation will focus on the strategies taught in More Than Words so that members of the audience might leave with some practical ideas to try. While the program is designed for parents, the techniques explained in this presentation can be used by all of the important people in a child's life: teachers, grandparents and babysitters. The first strategy presented from More Than Words will show how adults can arrange their child's environment so that he will be motivated to interact with them. Using a strategy called, Give Your child a Reason to Communicate the presenter will show how this technique applies to children at all levels of development. For example, by creating an obstacle for their child, such as putting a desired object within sight, but out-of-reach, parents can help a child seek their help or use spontaneous speech, depending on their child's ability.

The second strategy explained, Follow Your Child's Lead, will show how using a child's interests affects the child's ability to initiate and use more complex, spontaneous language. Issues of when and when not to follow a child's lead and alternative solutions, such as how to intrude on a child's solitary play, will be discussed.

The third strategy, called R.O.C.K. (R: Repeat what you say and do; O: Offer opportunities for your child to take a turn; C: Cue your child to take his turn; K: Keep it fun) is an acronym that helps parents remember how to create routines that are structured, predictable and provide opportunities for the child to show his emerging comprehension and language skills.

The last strategy presented is called The Four S's: Say Less, Stress, Slow, Show, and is designed to help adults adjust their language so that their child's comprehension improves. Adult language input is the most important factor in determining children's comprehension, especially timing what one says to the immediate moment the child shows interest in something.

Summary

Treatment options for children with ASD are numerous and controversial – professionals often disagree amongst themselves, making the choices for parents and professionals confusing and stressful. More Than Words empowers parents and is supported by research that demonstrates that children with ASD learn to communicate by being active participants in meaningful activities. Over one thousand families across North America have benefited from the More Than Words Program, and more than 1200 speech language pathologists have been trained to run the program for parent groups. I look forward to an opportunity to share this innovative program at the Autism Society of America National Conference.