Autism Spectrum Disorders - Research Paper Example

? Autism Spectrum Disorders Autism Spectrum Disorders Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affects the manner in which theaffected persons relate to other people in terms of how they communicate. Most of the affected persons also have learning disability. They take relatively longer period for them to master new skills in life. Autism, Asperger’s syndrome and rett’s syndrome are the major forms of ASD. Among the three, autism is the most serious. Special care and education should be provided for people living with ASD. Several special skills programs have been designed to enable ASD victims to interact normally with people and pursue their academic aspirations the programs vary according to the age of the affected people. School Aged Children This stage is very vital as it forms the foundation for the future of the affected individuals. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act is one of the programs that should be adopted by teachers to ensure that the children with special needs like ASD are at par with their normal counterparts (Dennis, James, & Walker, 2008). NCLB ensures that all children receive the same quality education. Evaluation of the effectiveness of NCLB involves administering special standardized tests to the children. Function-Based Challenging Behavior Interventions can be used to modify the behaviors of children with ASD (Roantree & Kennedy, 2006). The interventions include differential reinforcement, modified instructional schedules or demands, and teaching communication as alternatives to challenging behavior. Differential reinforcement is the appreciating, by way of reward, desirable behaviors. It also encompasses not punishing challenging behavior (Machalicek, 2008). This is carried mainly by teachers in the special needs settings. The method is most effective in cases where the desired and the challenging behaviors do not overlap. Modified assignments can also be effective in the reduction of severity of a challenging behavior among the children with ASD (Bock & Majorie, 2002). This is especially in the escape of task demand. Shortening of the task and making it simpler to achieve can be done to make the children more comfortable in carrying out the task (Janney & Snell, 2000). Provision of additional information can also be provided to limit challenging behavior. Communication is very vital in academics (Landa, 2007). Functional Communication Training (FCT) intervention can be used to enhance the ability of children with ASD to communicate effectively. Implementation of FCT is composed of four steps, which are conducted to achieve the main goal; to help the ASD children to communicate effectively. The first step involves the determination of the communication goal of a specific behavior (Joseph & Patrick, 2008). The child is the taught an alternative behavior that still has the same message as the undesirable one. The child is then rewarded for the new behavior. The last step involves with holding the punishment for the challenging behavior. Sensory Integration, which is a remedial approach, assists in the development of the nervous system, and it is via the sensory structures of touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell, that we get knowledge and input about our universe (Volker, Thomeer & Nida). Moreover, information is developed in combination with the insight of location in any given space, a response of body position, and being able to distinguish and arrange progress Floor time technique can also help the children improve interaction between the children themselves as well as with their teachers in a growth based cycle (Williams, Katheleen, &Lawrence, 2007). Though gradually, the child is able to develop the necessary skills that aids in fostering their relationship with the parents and their teachers Pivotal Response Training (PRT) is a viable method that can be adopted for teenagers. It targets verbal behavior instead of pictures (Koegel & LaZebnik, 2004). For instance, a child may need a snack; the therapist can call out the name of the snack. This can act as a prompt to the child. This is then followed by a verbal approximation is prompted and reinforced in case the child is not able articulate the first attempt. PRT gives the child an opportunity to connect communication with the benefits. Teenagers Relationship development intervention (RDI) is parent based program involving medical treatment of autism and other ASD disorders (Rogers, 2000). It helps in improving relationships as the people can share their experiences freely. RDI gives people with ASD a chance to learn how to be compassionate, understand people and be affectionate to other people. This improves their mode of expression. Priming can be used as an intervention method to improve how an ASD teenager relates with people. It is the provision of opportunities for the teenager to practice certain social activities prior to a social context (Koegel, Koegel, Frea, & Green-Hopkins, 2003). Priming improves the social life of teenagers. Self management and initiation training is another skill that can be used to make the lives of teenagers with ASD better. The teenagers are allowed to take control of their own intervention. They taught how to discriminate between the desirable and unwanted behaviors (Harrower & Dunlap, 2001). The teenagers are rewarded for good behaviors. Script fading entails the use of written scripts to inform the teenagers on the expected behaviors in social gathering (Boutot, 2009). When the behavior improves, some parts of the script are deleted. A practice is referred to as a prospectus involving behavior intervention, schemes alter or edification advance devised for utilization by educators, families or students with the articulate anticipation that the outcome will be in measurable gain (Buggy, 2001). Adults A good intervention method for adults with ASD is that in which the peers are involved. Peers are taught how to develop the special skills together (Chan, Lang, & Rispoli, 2009). They learn how to prompt specific skills in each other. This is possible because they are usually taught the necessary skill’s together. People from ethnical diverse populations An intervention method for people from different ethnical population is picture exchange communication system (PECS) which is ABS based. It puts stress on the necessity of motivation in communication (Bondi & Frost, 2003). The technique gives the people an opportunity to choose what is interesting and the teacher to incorporate learning based on the lead provided by the child. The child is able to choose between the intervention stimuli and the environment. The people communicate by handing a picture to a partner (Matson & Wilkins, 2007). The picture gives a clue on what the child wants, which in most cases is what is contained in the picture. This method is viable and some success has been recorded. Conclusion Autism spectrum disorders do not have cure. It calls for proper intervention methods for the affected individuals to go lead normal lives. The various intervention strategies vary according to the age, it is necessary that the interventions be started at tender ages. References Bondy, A., & Frost, A. (2003). Communication strategies for visual. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed. Boutot, E. (2009). Using "I will" cards and social coaches to improve social behaviors of students with Asperger syndrome. 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