The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Participants will learn about several transdisciplinary (OT, SLP, teacher) groups developed to improve social and work skills of young children with autism. Topics will include: incorporating National Research Council’s recommendations, establishing treatment outcomes, defining discipline roles, establishing group structure, conducting peer training, incorporating family participation/education, and evaluating progress. There are seven session learning objectives. Participants will learn how to facilitate social-communication and work skills in a group learning setting. They will gain knowledge of evaluating and establishing treatment goals of early social-communication and work skills. Upon completion, participants will understand how to work in a transdisciplinary team to address social-communication and work skills and the importance of consistency across providers. They will learn how to facilitate social-communication skills with the inclusion of peers, understand the importance of family and community member involvement, and learn to embed data collection during treatment sessions.

NRC's recommendations have become best practices for programs for young children with autism and have been incorporated into group strucutre. Groups were based on these recommendations in the following ways: emphasis on active engagement, planned and repeated instruction that is organized into brief time periods, early intervention (up to age 7) focus, family involvement component, one child with autism spectrum disorder per adult, and ongoing assessment and program evaluation practices to measure progress and adjust the program.

Group social and work skill goals were developed, as well as goals based on individual assessment. Video will be used during the presentation to assist participants in identifying, measuring, and facilitating desired social and work skills. Group social-communication goals included the following: increase the frequency of responses to communicative attempts of others and increase the frequency of communicative attempts with others to initiate. Group work goals include: sit in circle for up to 5 minutes, work independently for a brief period of time, and increase work behaviors (independence, concept of finished, work/reward, etc.). Group motor goals include: learn to wait for brief periods of time and increase the time of interacting with a fine/visual motor activity. Parent goals incude: learn to monitor their child's play skills; evaluate their child's engagement using the Engagement Rating Scale; and learn to increase engagement during home routines by utilizing a sensory diet, independent activities, and doing a homework sheet.

A transdisciplinary approach to treatment sessions involved the following disciplines: Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP), Occupational Therapist (OT), and teacher. Video will be used to demonstrate the use of this approach. The SLP was responsible for facilitation of language, turn taking, and the use of PECS/augmentative communication. The OT was responsible for the use of a sensory diet for behavior regulation and the development of motor skills. The teacher was responsible for facilitating the development of work skills and running group activities.

A schedule and teaching plan was developed to facilitate generalization of skills taught one-on-one into other settings. Video and materials were used to demonstrate group structure. The group routine was as follows: circle, centers (OT, SLP, teacher), play, and ending circle.

Peers were trained to initiate with children with autism by learning how to gain attention, demonstrate function of toys, give toys, and persist with target child. These skills were taught using the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) model for peer training. Video demonstration will be used to demonstrate this approach.

Family knowledge and skills were developed by doing homework assignments, observing group sessions, and through dialogue with professionals following sessions. Materials and charts were used to enhance learning objectives. STAR assessments and reports were driven by parent data, feedback, concerns, and priorities. Individual goals were determined by these reports. For homework, parents worked on a specific skill during morning, afternoon, and evening routines to enhance engagement. For group observation, parents filled out an Engagement Rating Scale (Ruble, et al., 2003). Family education involved the following topics: engagement, sensory diet, Picture Exchange Communication System/augmentative communication, consistency, and the National Research Council Recommendations.

Content Area: Early Intervention