What
about the Youngest Children with ASD? by
Ann Dillenbeck
About one year
ago, a friend asked me to join
her in a project. Vanessa Khouri Smith invited me to help her write an
article
about developing early intervention plans for children with autism
spectrum
disorders (ASD). As Patti Prelock, Professor and Chair with the
Department of
Communication Sciences at the University of Vermont, was Guest Editor
for the
journal issue, we were to have the support of a wise mentor and skilled
therapist. Our goal was to write about our experience working with
families
whose children had been diagnosed with ASD as early as their second
birthday.
To prepare the article, Vanessa and I first reviewed the scant research
describing effective intervention programs for children with ASD under
the age
of 3. We also drew upon the wealth of evidence that intensive early
intervention is critical in improving outcomes for children with ASD
and their
families. Next, we gathered accounts of successful strategies from our
own home
and community visits with children and their caregivers. Finally, we
placed our
knowledge about the youngest children with ASD in the context of best
practices
in early intervention.
As
a result, this article emphasizes family centered care in developing an
early
intervention team and in designing and implementing the intervention
plan. It
underscores the importance of understanding family and childcare
routines. The
article recommends that teams address children’s engagement,
independence, and
social relationships, three alternatives to the traditional domains of
motor,
speech, adaptive, and cognitive skills. It explores ways
interventionists may
provide families with emotional, material, and informational support.
Last, but
certainly not least, the article discusses the team’s evaluation of the
early
intervention plan for effectiveness, feasibility, and relevance, and
its focus
on the transition between early intervention and special education
services at
the child’s third birthday.
“Developing
and Implementing Early Intervention Plans for Children with Autism
Spectrum
Disorders,” a journal article in Seminars in Speech and Language,
Volume 27,
Number 1, February 2006, published by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
and
written by Vanessa Khouri Smith, Speech-Language Pathologist with the
Visiting
Nurse Association and Ann Dillenbeck, Developmental Educator with the
Family,
Infant and Toddler Program at Parent to Parent of VT
To
order a copy of the journal, contact:
Thieme 333 Seventh Avenue; New York, NY 10001; 1-800-782-3488;
Assessment
on Autism Needs in Vermont
Claire Bruno,
Autism Consultant at the Department
of Education and Clare
McFadden, Autism Specialist at the Dept. of
Disabilities, Aging, and Independent Living were hired in June of 2005.
The
main focus of their jobs is to develop a Vermont system of support to
individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in school, home and
community.
Their first task has been to conduct a statewide assessment of what is
currently available in the educational and human services systems,
determine
the gaps in services and supports, the impact on families, and future
projected
needs. Clare and Claire are also reviewing research-based interventions
for
teaching and supporting individuals with ASD. Their findings thus far
are
reported in the “Vermont Interagency White Paper on Autism Spectrum
Disorders” CLICK
to download the White Paper, a 74 page Word document (also was
available at www.dail.state.vt.us or
www.state.vt.us/educ/ under “What’s New.”) Next steps include starting
the
process of filling in the gaps identified.
