Your child has a lot to gain from having a well-structured, individualized education program (IEP). An effective IEP can be the difference between your child acquiring a few skills versus several, very impactful ones. This blog will focus on aspects that will help you to select the most appropriate teaching objectives for your child. TheRead More
Teaching Functional Living Skills to Individuals With Autism
Dr. Partington tells his clients, “Whatever you don’t teach him, long term, you will have to either do it for him or pay somebody else to do it for him.” Take a second to think about the implications of this quote. This could include financial dependency and also a major time commitment from the parent. Read More
Measuring Outcomes of Parents Teaching Functional Skills to Their Son With Autism Using the Assessment of Functional Living Skills the AFLS®
James W. Partington, Ph.D., BCBA-D Behavior Analysts, Inc. Walnut Creek, CA Lisa Squadere-Watson Parent of Child with ASD Abstract Children with a diagnosis of autism frequently have major deficits in their ability to perform a wide range of skills necessary for routine daily activities. These deficits in functional living skills often limit the individual’s optionsRead More
Shifting Greater Emphasis on Functional Skills
Many young children with developmental delays benefit from the strategy of placing a major focus on teaching critical language and other basic learning skills (e.g., imitation skills). The methods used to teach various “concepts” typically involves mastering multiple examples of arbitrarily chosen targets until the learner can demonstrate knowledge of this skill. When learning enoughRead More
You Get More With Sugar Than You Do With Vinegar… Notes on Advocacy for Parents of Children on the Spectrum
By Lisa Squadere-Watson, Parent used with permission from Different Roads to Learning www.difflearn.com Everyone has a story about how their child came to be labeled with an autism spectrum diagnosis. Most are heartbreaking tales that make any parent shiver. However, one of the most important topics that should be discussed is how we as parentsRead More
What Happens When You Grow Up? Developing Effective Services for Adults with ASD
By Joanne Gerenser, PhD, CCC-SLP used with permission from Different Roads to Learning www.difflearn.com With the rising incidence of autism spectrum disorders comes the challenge of providing adequate and appropriate services. It has been widely established that Early Intensive Behavior Intervention (EIBI) offers children on the spectrum the greatest hope for positive outcomes. In fact, aRead More
Promoting Independence Throughout the Lifespan: Functional Skills
By Michael Mueller, Ph.D., BCBA A Lesson from Language Defining characteristics of children on the autism spectrum include underdeveloped language and communication abilities. Early language is absolutely essential if a child will eventually come to control their world, express their wants and needs, develop peer relationships, and interact with others in myriad settings and situationsRead More
Developing Active Learning Participation by Children with Autism: Capturing the Motivational Variables
By James W. Partington, PhD, BCBA Partington Behavior Analysts, Walnut Creek, CA The field of behavior analysis has been instrumental in helping parents and professionals identify effective methods for teaching skills to others particularly children with special needs. It is possible to conduct “task analyses” to break down complicated tasks into very small units ofRead More