Therapy Approach
When a child is first diagnosed with ASD, parents often have to wade through all the different types of therapies that exist, weighing up the appropriateness for the needs of their child. In a journal article written by Prizant and Wetherby (1998), they described a continuum of approaches that ranged from traditional behavioural therapies (eg. ABA) to family-centered social- pragmatic (eg. Floortime).
In their conclusion to the article, Prizant and Wetherby wrote "In our experience, some agencies, educators, clinicians and parents tend to favour either SP-D (social-pragmatic developmental approaches) or DT-BT (discrete-trial traditional behavioural) approaches to the virtual exclusion of the other, thereby ignoring other best practices from the continuum of approaches, even when it may be helpful to integrate them for a particular child. Nevertheless, we believe it is not only possible but even desirable to be ‘eclectic’ "(pg. 348).
When I am asked to describe my therapy approach, I would describe myself as eclectic. I utilize a range of therapy ideas across the continuum in order to best help the client I am working with. That said, I strongly identify with the guiding principles of TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children). TEACCH falls in the middle of the continuum between the highly structured ABA programs and the family centered social- pragmatic programs.
TEACCH works with key characteristics of autism, including strengths in understanding visual information, difficulty with communication and organising activities, and a preference for routine. The key idea is to teach children in a way that makes the most of their strengths and accommodates their weaknesses. Some of the guiding principles within TEACCH (that I utilize in my clinic room) are (1) organization of the physical environment, (2) a predictable sequence of activities, (3) visual schedules, (4) routines with flexibility, (5) work/ activity systems and (6) visually structured activities.
The guiding principles within TEACCH allow me to work with a range of children with a range of abilities. Whilst my training has led me both towards ABA style therapies (eg. PECS) and social- pragmatic, developmental therapies (eg. Hanen), I 'borrow' from both sides to assist the individual needs of the children I am working with.
References:
Prizant, B., and Wetherby, A. (1998). Understanding the Continuum of Discrete- Trial Traditional Behavioral to Social- Pragmatic Developmental Approaches in Communication Enhancement for Young Children with Autism/PDD. Seminars in Speech and Language- Volume 19 (4), p329- 353.
Mesibov, G., Shea, V. and Schopler, E. (2004). The TEACCH Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York, USA. Springer Media
In their conclusion to the article, Prizant and Wetherby wrote "In our experience, some agencies, educators, clinicians and parents tend to favour either SP-D (social-pragmatic developmental approaches) or DT-BT (discrete-trial traditional behavioural) approaches to the virtual exclusion of the other, thereby ignoring other best practices from the continuum of approaches, even when it may be helpful to integrate them for a particular child. Nevertheless, we believe it is not only possible but even desirable to be ‘eclectic’ "(pg. 348).
When I am asked to describe my therapy approach, I would describe myself as eclectic. I utilize a range of therapy ideas across the continuum in order to best help the client I am working with. That said, I strongly identify with the guiding principles of TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children). TEACCH falls in the middle of the continuum between the highly structured ABA programs and the family centered social- pragmatic programs.
TEACCH works with key characteristics of autism, including strengths in understanding visual information, difficulty with communication and organising activities, and a preference for routine. The key idea is to teach children in a way that makes the most of their strengths and accommodates their weaknesses. Some of the guiding principles within TEACCH (that I utilize in my clinic room) are (1) organization of the physical environment, (2) a predictable sequence of activities, (3) visual schedules, (4) routines with flexibility, (5) work/ activity systems and (6) visually structured activities.
The guiding principles within TEACCH allow me to work with a range of children with a range of abilities. Whilst my training has led me both towards ABA style therapies (eg. PECS) and social- pragmatic, developmental therapies (eg. Hanen), I 'borrow' from both sides to assist the individual needs of the children I am working with.
References:
Prizant, B., and Wetherby, A. (1998). Understanding the Continuum of Discrete- Trial Traditional Behavioral to Social- Pragmatic Developmental Approaches in Communication Enhancement for Young Children with Autism/PDD. Seminars in Speech and Language- Volume 19 (4), p329- 353.
Mesibov, G., Shea, V. and Schopler, E. (2004). The TEACCH Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York, USA. Springer Media