Interventions For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Complex Communication Needs

This eighth volume in the AAC series brings together the disciplines of AAC and ABA, both of which are needed to address the challenges of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and complex communication needs.

Just as autism is a continuum of disorders, it is associated with a broad range of neurodevelopmental, social, and communication deficits. For individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has a major impact on their daily lives, often reducing the occurrence of challenging behaviors. Aided Augmentative Communication for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders is a practical guide to the field, offering readers a solid grounding in ASD, related complex communication needs (CCN), and AAC, especially visual and computer-based technologies. Widely used interventions and tools in AAC are reviewed—not just how they work, but why they work—to aid practitioners in choosing those most suited to individual clients or students. Issues in evaluation for aided AAC and debates concerning its usability round out the coverage. Readers come away with a deeper understanding of the centrality of communication for clients with ASD and the many possibilities for intervention. Key areas of coverage include: AAC and assessment of people with ASD and CCN. Interdisciplinary issues and collaboration in assessment and treatment. AAC intervention mediated by natural communication partners. Functional communication training with AAC. The controversy surrounding facilitated communication. Sign language versus AAC. Aided Augmentative Communication for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders is an essential resource for clinicians/practitioners, researchers, and graduate students in such fields as child and school psychology, speech pathology, language education, developmental psychology, behavior therapy, and educational technology.

The newest edition to the renowned AAC series from the leading authorities on the use of AAC with children and adolescents with autism.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention: An Intensive, Immersive, Socially Based Delivery Model is ideal for school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and an excellent resource for interventionists (special education teachers, ABA therapists) and SLPs working in other settings who wish to develop an intensive, immersive Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)-based intervention through a three-phase intervention process: assessment, intervention planning, and intervention implementation. Written by an SLP who has worked in a public school setting and saw to the application of theory to practice, the text provides detailed information regarding working with children who have complex communication needs and the background knowledge necessary for successful implementation of the intervention approach. Included are considerations for vocabulary selection for the beginning communicator, how to create a symbolically rich environment, detailed intervention approaches, and progress monitoring strategies that establish appropriate, measurable goals. AAC will no longer be an alternative means of communication but a best practice means of teaching communication in the SLP's or interventionist's repertoire. Making the leap from the theoretical to the practical, this essential book: Describes the intervention needs of children with complex communication needs and the limitations of current approaches (e.g., PECS, Milieu Training, Functional Communication Training).Operationally defines the goal of AAC intervention, discussing its complexities, including the limitations of a pull-out model.Introduces the Intensive, Immersive, Socially Based Approach to Intervention and briefly describes each phase of the intervention process.Discusses how AAC assessments differ from traditional assessments of speech and language skills, as well as provides an overview of different assessment models and their contribution to the intervention process.Examines the importance of training support staff to key components of this intervention model.Contains information on the application of language-based intervention strategies to AAC.Talks about the importance of progress monitoring and how to use functional communication measures and communication sampling, a new and innovative technique developed by the author, to monitor progress.Provides example lesson plans and example goals addressing each area of communicative competence.*Disclaimer: Please note that ancillary content (such as documents, audio, and video, etc.) may not be included as published in the original print version of this book.

This book is the first to offer a comprehensive overview of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI), which are evidence-based interventions that integrate both behavioral and developmental approaches in the treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This book draws on contemporary theory and recent findings to provide researchers, professionals, undergraduate and graduate students with essential resources, allowing them to better understand and support children, youth and adults with autism and significant communication impairments. The book consists of 11 chapters organized into 3 sections detailing typical and atypical prelinguistic development for individuals on the autism spectrum, together with a range of assessment and intervention approaches that clinicians and educators can draw on in practice. The book adopts a lifespan perspective, recognizing that there is an important and particularly challenging sub-group of children on the spectrum who remain minimally verbal beyond the age of 8 years. Each chapter summarizes current research on a selected topic, identifies key challenges faced by researchers, educators and clinicians, and considers the implications for research and practice. The concluding chapter considers issues of research translation and how educators and clinicians can encourage the use of evidence-based practices for prelinguistic and minimally verbal individuals.

"The new edition of this practical accessible text introduces preservice SLPs to 12 evidence-based interventions that improve the communication and social skills of people with autism spectrum disorder"--

This book addresses the importance and relevance of interprofessional care coordination for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It covers the role of interprofessional collaborations across various settings for multiple service provision purposes. The volume examines interprofessional collaboration among professionals across such broad issues as screening, evaluation, intervention, and overall care management of ASD. In addition, the book explores more narrowly focused issues, such as providing transition services during early childhood and young adulthood, culturally responsive practice and advocacy issues for individuals with ASD from diverse backgrounds, and providing care for individuals with ASD and co-occurring trauma. Finally, the book concludes with the editors’ recommendations for future directions in interprofessional care for pediatric ASD. Topics featured in this book include: Autism screening tools and interdisciplinary coordination of the processes. Dell Children’s (S)TAAR Model of Early Autism Assessment. The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Transition from early schooling for youth with ASD. Postsecondary and vocational opportunities for youth with autism. Transitioning from pediatric to adult medical systems. International perspectives in coordinated care for individuals with ASD. Psychopharmacology of ASD. Interprofessional Care Coordination for Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder is an essential resource for researchers, clinicians and professionals, and graduate students in clinical child and school psychology, social work, behavioral therapy and related disciplines, including clinical medicine, clinical nursing, counseling, speech and language pathology, and special education.