Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

If your child has autism, what’s the best program or method for teaching him? Despite lots of hype, lots of claims, lots of testimonials, no one knows.

But unfortunately, many parents and school personnel mistakenly believe that all children with autism need the same instructional program or method, that only one program or method is universally recognized as the best, that only it is appropriate, that only it can help these children.

The Literature

The professional literature contradicts this view. Here’s a sampling:

There is evidence in the literature … for the efficacy of [the Lovaas] approach, but there are also questions about methodology such that conclusions are not easily drawn, and the effects of programmes will be subject to much individual variation associated with the child, the family circumstances, the therapists, and the precise nature of the programme. (Connor, 2003, p. 22)

What matters is how best to plan for that given child in the here and now, in the light of his/her particular characteristics and profile of skills and disabilities…. The research literature provides a very helpful background but it does not yet provide clear answers or directions…. This view is reinforced by the increasing realisation of how wide-ranging are the cases of young children all legitimately diagnosed as falling within the autistic spectrum so that there is an obvious risk that the conclusions applicable to one child, or to one particular sample of children, may not be applicable to others…. Even among apparently similarly functioning children, there may be marked individual differences so that there is always likely to be some question whether one is truly comparing like with like. (Connor, 2003, pp. 22-23)

The report by Jordan et al. (1998) … concluded that no one method has all the pedagogical answers for how pupils on the autistic spectrum should be taught …. All children, whether or not they have special educational needs, will be individuals, with their own preferred way of responding to their environment and the learning opportunities within it. Although there are characteristics that unite those with autism, there will be many ways in which their individual differences and preferences will also be apparent. (Tutt et al., 2006, pp. 79-80)

On a related note, the heightened interest in applied verbal behavior programs for children with autism is creating a demand for services that may not yet be based on sound empirical support for effective outcomes…. Carr & Firth suggest that the current evidence for the effectiveness of this approach with children with autism is somewhat indirect. That is, the studies described in this paper certainly provide evidence for the validity of Skinner’s framework but do not provide the same kind of evidence about overall treatment effects of comprehensive verbal behavior curricula in terms of the social validity of achieved outcomes. (Sautter & LeBlanc, 2006, p. 44)

There are a number of issues that are clearly unresolved concerning the effectiveness of educational interventions for ASD [autism spectrum disorder]. (Reed et al., 2007, p. 419)

The ABA [applied behavior analysis] program produced significant gains on both intellectual and educational functioning, and the nursery intervention produced a strong impact on all three measures of functioning…. Although ABA also showed some impact on adaptive behavioral functioning, it was the special nursery program that had the greatest impact on this aspect of functioning (with an impact also on intellectual and educational functioning). (Reed et al., 2007, p. 430)

The successful education of students with ASD [autism-spectrum disorders], it is nearly universally agreed, requires individualized programming based on effective methods implemented by well trained professionals…. Yet, there are few points of accord beyond general agreement that children and youth diagnosed with ASD should be educated using effective methods…. There are significant disagreements related to the meaning of an effective practice, and strident debates over which of the countless intervention and treatment options for students diagnosed with ASD have the best chance of bringing about maximally beneficial outcomes. These disagreements are deep-rooted and show no signs of abating any time soon. (Simpson, p. 8, 2008)

There is evidence of positive outcomes for many of the [psychosocial] interventions examined in systematic [literature] reviews of ASDs [autism-spectrum disorders], suggesting that some form of treatment is favourable to no treatment…. [However,] there is little evidence of the relative effectiveness of these interventions; therefore uncertainty remains about ‘best practices’ for the treatment of autism. Systematic reviews in ASDs consistently underlined the importance of tailoring choice of treatment to individualized needs. In addition, in the majority of systematic reviews, the authors concluded that the clinical results presented in the reviews are tentative and should be interpreted cautiously because of a lack of high-quality evidence. (Seida et al., 2009, 103)

Conclusion

Perhaps, Steege said it best: “No one method of instruction is suited to all children with autism.” (Steege et al., 2007, p. 97)

Action Steps

So, if you’re the parent of a child with autism, what should you do? First, read some of the more respectable, impartial articles and books that discuss programs and methods with decent—even if far from perfect—research support. Then, meticulously follow the procedures and protections of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). In part, these include making sure that:

• Your child’s program or instructional methods reflect his needs. Make sure his needs are fully specified in the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (Present Levels) section of his Individualized Education Program (IEP).
• Your child’s program is based on meaningful and measurable goals (and, in some states, objectives) that reflect the information in the Present Levels section of his IEP. If, for example, the Present Levels describes serious problems in understanding figurative language, his IEP goals and his program should address this specific need.
• Your child’s program is comprehensive enough, organized enough, and intense enough to achieve the goals (and, in some states,  objectives) in his IEP. One measure of intensity is the number of hours of daily instruction focused on the needs expressed in his IEP’s goals.  One indicator of organization is the degree to which your child’s teachers meet to coordinate his  curriculum, so throughout the day he gets enough practice and reinforcement.
• Your child’s teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his program and the instructional methods he needs.
• Your child’s teachers get the training and support they need to make his program succeed. Make sure his IEP lists the specific kinds of training and support they want and need. Before your first IEP meeting, or soon after, you may want to discuss training and support with them.
• Your child’s progress is frequently monitored, in valid ways, to ensure that he’s making good progress. The results are frequently reported to you. If his progress is poor, quickly meet with his IEP Team to figure out why and have his program or situation modified to accelerate his progress.

References

Connor, M. (2003). Monitoring and reviewing early behavioural intervention in autism. Educational Psychology in Practice, 19 (1), 21-33.

Reed, P., Osborne, L. A., & Corness, M. (2007). The real-world effectiveness of early teaching interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder. Exceptional Children, 73 (4), 417-433.

Sautter, R. A., & LeBlanc, L. A. (2006).  Empirical applications of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior with humans. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 22, 35-48.

Seida, J. K., Ospina M. B., Karkhaneh M., Hartling L., Smith V., & Clark B. (2009). Systematic reviews of psychosocial interventions for autism: an umbrella review. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 51 (2), 95-104.

Simpson, R. L. (2008). Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Search for Effective Methods. Focus On Exceptional Children, 40 (7), 1-14.

Steege, M. W., Mace, C. F., Perry, L., & Longenecker, H. (2007). Applied Behavior Analysis: Beyond Discrete Trial Teaching. Psychology in the Schools, 44 (1), 91-99.

Tutt, R., Powell, S., & Thornton, M. (2006). Educational approaches in autism: What we know about what we do. Educational Psychology in Practice, 22 (1), 69–81.

Howard Margolis, Ed.D. (c) Reading2008 & Beyond           www.reading2008.com