Social Skills Therapy-About.com

Information from: http://autism.about.com/od/autismtherapy101/a/socskillbasics.htm

Why Would a Person With Autism Need to See a Social Skills Therapist?

One of the most significant problems for people on the autism spectrum is difficulty in social interaction. This difficulty is, of course, made more significant by problems with speech and language. But autism also seems to create problems with "mind reading" -- that is, with knowing what another person might be thinking. Most people can observe others and guess, through a combination of tone and body language, what's "really" going on. In general, without help and training, autistic people can't.

This "mind blindness" can lead even the highest-functioning person on the autism spectrum to make social blunders that cause all kinds of problems. Without knowing why, a person on the autism spectrum can hurt feelings, ask inappropriate questions, act oddly or generally open themselves up to hostility, teasing, bullying and isolation.

What Exactly IS a Social Skills Therapist?

As autism spectrum disorders have become more and more common, a sort of industry has grown up around teaching social skills to both children and adults. There is no such thing as an association of social skills therapists, nor is there an official certification in the field. Thus, social skills practitioners come from a wide range of backgrounds and training.

In general, social skills therapists are social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists and speech/language therapists who specialize in working with autistic people. Over time, they have developed or learned techniques to build social interaction skills ranging from basic skills (such as making eye contact) to complex and subtle skills (like asking for a date).

In recent years, "do it yourself" social skills teaching tools for parents and adults on the autism spectrum have hit the market. These generally take the form of books and videos modeling different types of interactions, along with hints and tips for "doing it right." Drama therapists also work on social skills through literally scripting scenarios and/or improving and critiquing practice interactions.

What Do Social Skills Therapists Do for People with Autism?

Since there is no official certification for social skills therapists, techniques vary. In a school setting, social skills therapy may consist of group activities (usually games and conversation) with autistic and typically developing peers. Groups may be overseen by school psychologists or social workers, and may be held in the classroom, lunchroom or playground. Generally speaking, school social skills groups focus on game playing, sharing and conversation.

Out-of-school social skills groups are similar in style, but are paid for privately (medical insurance is unlikely to cover such programs). Children are grouped by age and ability, and may make use of specific social skills curricula as developed by well-established practitioners of social skills therapy.

Drama therapy, a variation of social skills therapy, is somewhat unusual -- but where it's offered, it has the potential to be both fun and educational. Video modeling, video critiques of interactions, group therapy and other approaches may also be available in your area, and are especially appropriate for teens and adults. Typical cognitive therapy with a psychologist or psychiatrist may also be helpful.

In theory, social skills therapy will provide people on the autism spectrum with the ability to converse, share, play and work with typical peers. In an ideal world, such therapy will allow people on the autism spectrum to become almost indistinguishable from their typical peers.

In fact, social skills therapy tends to be offered no more than an hour or two a week -- and while it may provide autistic learners with specific skills and techniques ("look at a person's face when you're conversing," for example) it's unlikely to make an autistic person appear typical. A program most likely to have such an impact would be very intensive -- unlike the vast majority of existing social skills programs.

How Can I Find a Qualified Social Skills Therapist?

Since there is no official certification for social skills therapists, it can be a challenge to find a qualified practitioner. Most of the best social skills therapists are not so much trained as born: they happen to be very talented therapists in their own field, with an innate understanding of how to help people with autism "get" how others think, feel, and act. Thus, the fact that someone has been trained in a particular social skills method does not necessarily make him or her an ideal therapist. Probably the best way to decide if a therapist is right for you or your child is to attend a few sessions.

Most school programs for children with autism do include social skills therapy. There is no guarantee that the person running those programs has specific training in or experience with running such programs, so it may be worth a parent's time to inquire into just who is offering such programs and why they were chosen to do so. It's not at all unusual for a school psychologist or social worker to run social skills programs with relatively little training or background.

If you are interested in finding private social skills therapy, a good idea is to start with your local Autism Society of America chapter or AutismLink, both of which offer information about local practitioners.

Speech Therapy - National Autism Resources

Information from: http://www.nationalautismresources.com/speechtherapy.html

The goal of speech therapy should be to improve useful communication. No one treatment method has been found to successfully improve communication in all individuals who have autism. However, the best speech therapy for autism usually, begins early, is individually tailored, targets behavior and communication, and involves parents or primary caregivers.

Some Types of Speech & Language Therapy for Autism Include:

• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC): a broad term for forms of communication that supplement or enhance speech, including electronic devices, picture boards, and sign language
• ABA, Functional Communication Training, Verbal Behavior, or Discrete trial training: therapies that teach language and behaviors through a system of rewards and consequences.
• Peer mentors/circle of friends: trained peers who interact, coach and play with the autistic child during the day.
• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): a method of using picture symbols to communicate.
• Relationship development intervention (RDI): a treatment program that centers on the belief that individuals with autism can participate in authentic emotional relationships if they are exposed to them in a gradual, systematic way.
• Sign Language using signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body to communicate.
• Social Stories: stories that are created or adapted for a person to teach specific social skills.

Working with a Speech and Language Pathologist Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) conduct evaluations, work with individuals with ASD to treat speech and language deficits, (motor speech, semantics, and pragmatics (verbal and nonverbal language social language). For non-speaking individuals, SLPs design augmentative and alternative communication systems. Not all SLPs are trained in working with autistic kids so it is important to make sure your SLP has adequate training.

“According to data from ASHA's National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS), two thirds of preschoolers with ASD showed gains of one or more levels on the Spoken Language Production Functional Communication Measure (FCM) following speech-language pathology intervention. FCMs are a series of seven-point rating scales ranging from least functional (Level 1) to most functional (Level 7) designed to measure improvement in a variety of clinical areas. Similar gains were also seen in two other frequently treated areas–spoken language comprehension and pragmatics with 72% and 63% of children achieving one or more levels of progress respectively. Furthermore, NOMS data reveal that children who made functional gains in these areas received approximately 2-5 times more intervention (depending on the disorder being treated) than children who did not.” American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Treatment Efficacy Summary.

Implications for State- and District-wide Assessments

By GreatSchools Staff

Information from:
http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/legal-rights/713-accommodations-IEP.gs?page=2

Implications for State- and District-wide Assessments

Federal law requires a student's IEP to include a statement ofaccommodations required for participation in state- and district-wide assessments. Sometimes these assessments carry "high stakes" for students - they help decide important matters, such as whether your child goes on to the next grade level or graduates from high school with a regular diploma. Attaching student stakes to performance on state and district assessments is a state decision and is not a requirement of IDEA or NCLB. However, states are required by IDEA to issue guidelines/policy on appropriate assessment accommodations; and test makers usually provide a list of reasonable accommodations that won't interfere with test validity, so that they can guarantee that the test actually measures what it's supposed to measure.

Some classroom (instructional) accommodations may not be allowed on state or district assessments, because their use would invalidate the score on the test by compromising the measurement of the target skill. For example:

• If a test of reading comprehension is read aloud to a child, then it doesn't measure his ability to understand what he reads. Instead, it tests his understanding of what he hears.
• A spellchecker may be allowed to help a child who's writing an essay. But it couldn't be allowed on a spelling test because it would show his ability to use technology rather than how well he spells.

In general, any accommodations listed on the IEP must be delivered consistently - that is, at all times, and under all types of circumstances. However, a student's IEP should differentiate between accommodations for instruction and accommodations for assessment--and parents should understand the different consequences of each for their child.

If a child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determines that the child can't participate in the regular state or district assessment (even with appropriate accommodations) and, therefore, will participate by taking an alternate assessment, the IEP team must develop a written statement of why the child cannot participate in the regular assessment, and why the team has determined that a particular alternate assessment is appropriate for the child. If your child is receiving special education services you should be aware of the important consequences of the child taking an assessment other than the regular assessment that all students take.

Updated January 2010

Accommodations, Modifications, and Alternate Assessments: How They Affect Instruction and Assessment

Your child may be eligible for modifications to help him succeed in the classroom - and on standardized tests.

By GreatSchools Staff

http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/legal-rights/713-accommodations-IEP.gs

When school staff talk about accommodations and modifications for your child with learning and/or attention problems, are you confused? What do these terms mean in a classroom? Has an alternate assessment been recommended for your child on a state- or district-wide test? What do you need to know when it comes to standardized tests used to make important decisions about your child?

What are Accommodations?

Accommodations provide different ways for kids to take in information or communicate their knowledge back to you. The changes basically don't alter or lower the standards or expectations for a subject or test. Preferred seating in the front of the class for a child with attention issues is an example of an accomodation. Through the child's Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Plan, classroom accommodations may be formally developed. In addition, some general education teachers agree informally to make accommodations for kids in their classes.

What are Modifications?

Prior to the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), the term "modifications" referred to changes in the delivery, content, or instructional level of district-wide or statewide tests for students receiving special education services. In effect, modifications resulted in lowering the expectations and standards by which these students were assessed. Beginning with IDEA 2004, the term "modification" is no longer used in relation to district-wide and statewide testing, because the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates that students with specific learning disabilities be tested using the same standards as those used for non-learning disabled kids. Replacing the term "modifications" with "alternative assessment" makes more explicit the different - i.e., less complex - standards of such tests.

Implications for Classroom Instruction

Accommodations are adjustments to make sure kids have equal access to curriculum and a way to be successful. Accommodations to be used for classroom instruction and testing are generally defined in a student's IEP, although this is not a required component of a student's IEP as specified by IDEA. When using accommodations, kids with learning disabilities (LD) or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) are expected to meet the same standards set for all kids. For example: Kids with LD can learn the same material as others in the class but in a different way. A child with delayed reading skills can participate in class discussions about a novel if she's listened to the audio tape version of the book.

Accommodations also offer a way for kids with LD to demonstrate what they've learned. For example: A child with poor writing and spelling skills may use assistive technology - a tape recorder or word processor - rather then struggle with pencil and paper to do her report about a famous person in history.

Teachers can set conditions to help kids with AD/HD pay attention. For a child who's easily distracted by background noise, an accommodation that might be offered is seating the student away from the window and heater, or close to the teacher for prompting.

Modifications, on the other hand, mean that the curriculum and/or instruction is changed quite a bit. When modifications are made, kids with disabilities are not expected to master the same academic content as others in the classroom.

A child who can't learn the twenty-word spelling list every week may learn only ten words. This results in different standards for mastery - half the number of words as kids without a disability learn weekly.

A fifth-grade child with a severe math disability who isn't ready to learn fractions and decimals may still be working on addition and subtraction. This means that his instructional level has changed significantly - second-, not fifth-grade instruction - from that of other kids in his classroom. So, grades do not necessarily tell parents the full story; it's important to find out whether your child is achieving these grades in the standard curriculum for his grade level, or in a modified curriculum.

Study Shows Transcendental Meditation's Promise for Kids with ADHD

January 6, 2009 |  9:43 am

A small pilot study published in the journal Current Issues in Education suggests that for children diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, the twice-daily practice of transcendental meditation in school improves attention and reduces stress, anxiety and impulsive behavior. And unlike other forms of meditation, which require levels of concentration that are difficult for most with ADHD, the students in the Washington, D.C.-area study were able to learn, master and practice transcendental meditation easily, said the study's lead author.

The study is the latest in a burgeoning effort to subject the ancient practice of meditation to rigorous testing to gauge whether it has measurable health benefits. Among the leading research centers engaged in such testing, including for those with ADHD, is Semel Institute's Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA.

A group of 10 children between ages 11 and 14, diagnosed with ADHD and attending a school for those with learning disabilities in Silver Spring, Md., participated in the pilot study. Eight in the group -- which consisted of nine boys and a girl -- were medicated for ADHD, and two were not. But all, by their parents' and teachers' reports, had significant attention deficits or behavioral and emotional problems in spite of specialized instruction and medication regimes.

The findings are highly limited because the study was very small and did not measure the performance of a comparison, or control, group that did not meditate. Instead, it compared teacher reports and students' self-assessments and performance on a wide range of cognitive tests and surveys before and after three months of twice-daily sessions of TM for 10 minutes each.

TM differs most notably from other forms of meditation by the practitioner's repeated use of a single sound as a means to quiet the mind. The use of this sound with no outward meaning has the effect  of turning the mind inward, said lead author Sarina J. Grosswald, a device which makes it "so much easier for these kids" than other means of settling the mind. For those with attention difficulties, especially, "it's very hard to silence the mind by trying to silence the mind," added Grosswald.

At the end of the three months, both students assessing their own state of mind and teachers assessing the participants' behavior reported reduced levels of stress, anxiety and ADHD symptoms, greater than would be expected in a random gauge of students' symptoms. On widely used measures of executive functioning -- including the ability to maintain focus on a task, shift attention when necessary, keep information in short-term memory and plan and organize course material -- the students practicing TM saw substantial gains, the study found.

The study's authors included neuropsychologist William R. Stixrud and Fred Travis, director of theMaharishi University of Management's Center on Brain, Consciousness and Cognition. The team noted that for many children diagnosed with ADHD, stress and anxiety may underlie behavior and attention problems. Although children's ADHD symptoms span a broad spectrum of behaviors, targeting stress and anxiety through the use of transcendental meditation may have similarly broad effects, they surmised.

Given the ease with which the targeted students picked up and practiced TM, the authors suggested that such meditation could also be effective in helping students without ADHD better manage the stresses and anxieties of their school days, improving their functioning all around. Currently, slightly more than a dozen U.S. school systems have integrated the practice of TM into their school day, said Grosswald.

Grosswald added that she and fellow researchers have followed their pilot study with another that compares changes in the performance of students with ADHD and practicing TM with that of students with ADHD who do not, and that measures both groups' brainwave activity with electroencephalography, or EEG.  One finding that has emerged clearly: that during tests and problem-solving, ADHD sufferers who practiced TM showed much broader activation of brain regions -- including the brain's seat of executive function, the prefrontal cortex -- than did kids who did not.

During the school day, says Grosswald, students with such patterns of coordinated brain activity would probably find it easier to focus their attention on classwork, resist impulses that could be disruptive, reduce stress and anxiety and even make the transition from school to home easier.

-- Melissa Healy 

Twitter: @latimeshealth

Facebook: latimeshealth

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Get Organized

by Autism Community Resources (Honor Neurodiversity) on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 7:08am ·

Once a diagnosis is received you will find yourself in a flurry of paperwork. I learned quickly to organize. purchase a binder or a multi-tab portfolio.The following is an example of how you can organize it: 

• Initial Development, Speech/language and/or Behavior Evaluation 
• Neurological Assessment 
• Speech Pathologist Evaluation and weekly updates 
• Occupational Therapy 
• Physical Therapy 
• Psychologist 
• Diet 
• Vitamins 
• Social Group Assessments/Reports 
• Behavioral Modification ABA therapy 
• Any Medical Records (pediatrician, allergist, etc) 
• IEP Reports 
• New treatments 
• Biofeedback 


I would also recommend keeping a “to-do” list and managing a calendar. Electronic or paper; whatever works best for you. Especially in the beginning, there will be many appointments to keep track of. Google Calendar is a great tool to use, because it links to your email and sends you alerts/reminders to your phone & email. 


Then there is research. During this process most parents research the web searching for innovative and appropriate therapies for their child. Print everything out and keep it in a separate folder or binder. This includes all the things you have heard of, or want to look into. This will be your reference guide.. This binder/folder will help you navigate through the different type of therapies and as your child experiences these therapies , you can also keep track of which ones are working for him/her & which ones are not. 

It’s not going to be just one person working with your child; you will have a TEAM of professionals such as Speech pathologist, Psychologist, ESE teacher, ESE director, Medical doctor, Allergist, etc. There will be many names to keep track of. If they have business cards collect them and learn their names. Remember them during the holidays and special occasion.(note dates in your calendar) It doesn’t have to be monetary; it could be as simple as a sweet gesture. When we show people we appreciate them and care for them, they want to show the same in return & they will do that through the care of your child. 

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