Social Exchange Childhood Autism Program - Term Paper Example

Social Exchange Childhood Autism Program Dear Mrs. Knobel, “The outcome of functional, independent skills of autistic children can be developed through the collaboration of involved partnership.” (Piscataway Regional Day School, 1984) Autism is a mental disorder characterized by a shortage of personal, social, speech and other development and communication skill aspects. Recent prevalence rate for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are now estimated at about 1 in 110 children in the U.S. (Lord, & Bishop, 2010) Development and education of children with autism is an epidemic in today’s society. Children with autism usually have a tendency to self-isolate from the real world and lose a connection of real world experiences. A social exchange program shows an effective result in autistic children because it helps their social skills, complete or partial lack of language skills, repetitive and stereotyped interests and activities that are aimed primarily at inanimate objects. My plan includes developing the social skill of children with autism to become more productive members of society by implementing a social exchange program and future research into the developing dynamics of the program. Introduction The Piscataway Regional Day Schools approach for teaching students with autism through student-to-classroom-staff ratio is admirable, but it could benefit its student more if another strategy was enforced toward social modification. As a school under the management of the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission, the opportunity to help functional, dependent children with autism is of great value. It is necessary for students with autism to have social interaction with peers because this encourages the growth of social sills as a study done by Strain, Odom and McConnel show (Laushey, Heflin, 2000). Socialization with non-autistics during their training and education has been shown to be such an advantageous chance for the applied behavior analysis that Piscataway Regional Day School consistently reinforces. This school currently makes use of the most commonly used approach, which is determining correction effects for each individual case. Lately more attention has been brought to the problem of studying and correcting the various mental disorders in children. Research of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in children has been shown to be problematic, in which the violation of communication prevails throughout the child’s behavior and occupies a dominant place in the formation of its abnormal development. Also, children who are autistic exhibit problems related to communication, emotion recognition, empathy as well as social skills as a research done by Happe shows (Opitz, Sriram and Sapuan1, 2001) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state in their report (2009) that a study done in 2001 found that 9.9 per 1,000 children had an ASD. Data available from the 2002 study year found that 10.6 per 1,000 children had an ASD. This report clearly shows that childhood autism is an increasing problem for the public health in the state of New Jersey and must be treated as early as possible. Beginning before the age of three, symptoms of ASD are often present throughout the personal life of an individual, effecting cognitive functioning, learning, socializing, attention, and sensory processing as explained by Rice C in 2006. In addition, autism also creates some secondary problems which may include obsessive-compulsive disorder, difficulties in language and attention deficit disorder as shown by studies done by Frith in 1991 and Tsai in 1992 (Olney, 2000). Unsociable children with autism grow up into unsociable adults that eventually become “outcasts”. Autistic children lacking relationships with normal children will result into unsociable grownups (Barnard et al., 2001). In addition, social isolation may also be the result for some students with autism according to Matson et al (Laushey, Heflin, 2000). However, such issues can be minimized by Piscataway Regional Day Schools. There can be a number of strategies evolved that can help the children in the progression of social skill. Students suffering from Autism lack in their social skills. Peer tutoring has been proven by many as more appropriate in inculcating social skills in students suffering from autism. Peer tutoring is considered by many as important in this endeavor. However the type of peer tutoring and the kind of training important for the tutors has not been appropriately researched. This is true of children especially. It is speculated that training an entire troupe of peers along with the victims of autism will lead to generalization of social skills. It will instill a contextual approach in typical students. Literature Review There are multiple strategies to enhance the learning of children with impairments in social understanding and communication. The first step in the education process is establishing contact with the child, investigating his/her capabilities, characteristics and interests, and the work on the general organization of his/her behavior. Students with ASD require direct instruction in behavioral and social skills because they do not generalize these skills across education and social contexts (The puzzle of autism, 2006, p. 12). Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) is a systematic strategy used to control, predict, and improve the behavior of autistic children. The problem with many ABA programs is the employment of Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT), which Steege and Mace (2007) define as an orderly and intensive instructional methodology. It fails to work because it does not deal with the behaviors that can get in the way with training and achievement. Although this training has many advantages to recommend its use, it’s not well suited to teach the full range of social skills children with autism need to develop and generalize to varied natural environments (Steege and Mace, 2007). Therefore, this study strongly suggests that the one to one instruction of teachers with autistic children is not the most effective way to improve ASDs social impairments. Aside from the techniques of development, research based on previous social programs has been conducted to help children in other ways than the common programs and treatments. One of the social programs is “The Son-Rise Program” that is made by the Autism Treatment Center of America (http://www.autistictreatmentcenter.org/index.php) is oriented on the parents for the home education of the autistic child. This program includes how to build social interaction, motivate the child, have a support from specialists, and many others. The stories found on the web about this service describe that it is quite helpful for parents and has a great impact on their relationship. However, due to the fact that it is not centered on the relations of society, parents are unable to raise a fully independent child. The second social program is “School Therapy Program” by the Dimensions Therapy Center (http://dimensionsspeech.com/). This program includes speech and language therapy, computer-based intervention, occupational therapy and the most interesting ones are “Pathways to Independent Living™” and social and pragmatic therapy. The first program teaches the simplest and easiest way for autistic children to prepare for everyday’s needs and the second one focuses on peer interaction with other autistic children. Yet studies show, social interactions at specialized schools and home are not as effective as social interactions with normal students (Bauminger, 2007). The findings of the study by Bauminger also suggest that autistic children do experience loneliness which implies that they need other people around them. In addition, they have a basic desire of wanting to be involved with others (http://sped.wikidot.com/autism-and-socialization). Autistic children socially involved with mainstream children have allowed ASDs to successfully develop new skills while also learning social skills, all through typical peer collaboration (Autism social connection, 2008). Circles of friends can be one other way which can support and enhance the integration of children into mainstream with autism. This had been found to be successful by Whitaker, Barratt, Joy, Potter and Thomas (1998). This can foster social interaction within a wider peer group. (http://www.mugsy.org/connor2.htm) In addition, social interaction can be promoted in two different ways. These are adult mediated and peer mediated approaches. According to McGinnis and Goldstein (1990), adult mediated approaches are in which an adult works with the child to increase the skills which are important for peer interaction. There are various skills that can be taught such as prompting, reinforcing or bringing out appropriate social behavior. However it has been criticized by Strain, Odom and McConnel to elicit out only stifled behavior. The other way is through peer interaction in which developing peers are normally selected to help in the development of skills. One way of peer interaction is through peer tutoring. This is defined by Barron and Foot (1991) as a way through which two parties learn by helping each other. However, there is one limitation that there has been very less research done in this area. Although peer tutoring is also effective, it has normally been implemented on children who are more than five years of age. However, since early intervention is very important as Roeyers suggests in 1996, there are two strategies that can be developed to facilitate this peer interaction. In classrooms, different students with autism can be placed with students who are non-autistic so that the autistic students can learn by observing the others. Also, another way is by teaching peers the way to prompt a response from an autistic student and then later reinforcing it. Research done by different researchers such as Odom and Strain in 1984 and Roeyers in 1996 proves that these methods have been successful in producing positive results (Laushey and Heflin, 2001). One other technique that has shown success as reported by research literature is the working of a social skills group for children, adolescents and adults who have autism. Researches have been conducted by Andron and Weber (1998), Marriage, Gordon and Brand (1995), Mesibov (1984), Ozonoff and Miller (1995) and Williams (1989). The strategy provides group tuition which enhances communication skills through modeling, role pay, video recordings and constructive feedback. It also enhances friendship skills and it helps in understanding the perspectives of others (www.tonyattwood.com) Social stories are one other way in which peer interaction can develop. These are a visual aid that can teach social skills. This is usually done with a teacher. Different social situations are described on a page and the autistic child can discuss it with the teacher. Various social situations can be shown as getting late, getting lost etc (http://www.brighthub.com) However, as all of these studies show, social inclusion is very important for the enhancement of social skills of autistic children. The governments have made it necessary to include children with autism within the mainstream because it fulfills the system of justice. Introduction: Most people who suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorders have been found to be suffering from pervasive deficits in socialization. This makes training of social skills for socialization an important aspect of treatment for children suffering from Autism. (Hays, 1996) There has been a lot of research that has been conducted in this genre. According to Ozonoff and Miller (1995), research shows that the development of social skills results in long term benefits and development for all people. A dearth of social skills don’t foster healthy inter personal relationships; not even with peers. Social skills need to be developed and they can be only developed when the subjects are exposed to relevant social agents. Thus according to Mesibov and Shea (1996), it becomes very important for students with autism to have exposure to typical peers. This will foster learning of appropriate and relevant social skills in them. There are various other ways through which they can be exposed. Some of these include social inclusion and reverse mainstreaming. When chalking down a program for students suffering from Autism, all service options should be considered. After proper evaluation, the program with the least restrictive environment for the student should be selected. According to IDEA (1997), the services induced should be such that they allow each student with autism to be exposed to typical peers in order to build on and develop the right social behaviors. If typical peers and children with autism are juxtaposed together without any guidance, then the acquisition of skills will not be very effective. According to Gresham (1984), children suffering from Autism will not pick up immediately. They will take some time to develop their grip on appropriate social behaviors. Therefore it is vital that students suffering from autism are exposed to typical peers. This will help them in developing the appropriate social skills. The exposure can occur in various settings. Some of it could occur in full inclusion settings and the other in reverse mainstreaming. In a social training program services should allow each student suffering from autism to be with typical peers to the greatest extent. There are various strategies that can be used to promote social interaction. Most of them are divided into 2 broad categories with multiple variations. The 2 major categories are adult mediated approaches and peer mediated approaches. According to McGinnis and Goldsteein (1990), in an adult mediated approach an adult commutes with children in a certain way. The way he interacts is designed to develop skills which are useful for peer interaction. These include prompting accordingly, re-inforcing and eliciting appropriate social behavior. However Strain (1984) has criticized these exchanges. On the other hand in peer mediated approaches, peers who are in the process of development are selected and further trained to facilitate their improvement in social interaction of children suffering from Autism. There are various peer mediated strategies. Of these the most common one, is peer tutoring. Under peer tutoring, learners help each other by teaching each other. It is a very educational tool when assisting students who need to develop specific skills and behavior to thrive with autism. While peer tutoring may be effective, there has been very little research done in training of tutors. Whatever research has been conducted in training tutors has centered around students who are older than 5 years of age. This is primarily because older students tend to be more adept at developing and adapting structured training procedures. Irrespective, early intervention is important for students suffering from autism. According to Royeyers (1996), “ Therefore, it seems necessary for some type of training or preparation to be given to younger peers without disabilities in order to facilitate the learning of young children with autism.” Research on social involvement amongst children suffering from autism shows that there are three different ways in which peers can be involved; the first one is the proximity approach. The proximity approach is what is typically seen in most classrooms. In this approach, students who are suffering from autism are exposed to typical settings where they learn how to interact with their non disabled peers. The peers are not given any actual training. The second approach comprises of operant training in which the peers are explained and taught how to respond to students who are suffering from autism and then how to reinforce the desired behavior. The third and final way is peer-initiated. In this way the peer tutors are taught and trained to initiate social conversations with target students. Results demonstrate that all three approaches give rise to positive changes in students suffering from autism. Of the three approaches the second and third approach stand out to be the most effective ones of the lot. The first approach is better for inculcating generalization of skills across peers. In the first approach, the peer from whom student learning takes place is not specified. It also does not specify goals and social skills for the teachers dealing with social autism with children. The biggest advantage of this approach is the fact that there are fewer number of tutors per student. This makes it easier for them and the entire task more student specific. Thus students suffering from Autism lack in their social skills. Peer tutoring has been proven by many as more appropriate in inculcating social skills in students suffering from autism. Peer tutoring is considered by many as important in this endeavor. However the type of peer tutoring and the kind of training important for the tutors has not been appropriately researched. This is true of children especially. It is speculated that training an entire troupe of peers along with the victims of autism will lead to generalization of social skills. It will instill a contextual approach in typical students. Piscataway Regional Day School currently addresses autistic problems such as, dysfunctional, dependent, and unsociable behavior. However, each of these behaviors may benefit from the use of social exchanges with non-autistic students as a helpful addition to positive reinforcement. Plan The most effective use of a Social Exchange Childhood Program (SPEC) in Piscataway Regional Day School would primarily involve choosing the social environments that would be of most help in ASD development. Autistic children are individuals and therefore transition from school to adulthood differently. In order to successfully improve autistic development, interactions with normal students of their age rage should be organized. Both autistic and non autistic students should be aware of socially mixed classes, as well as the confirmation of parents. The social exchange of students from normal schools to special schools and vice versa should be agreed upon once a week (at least 5 hours) for group communication. All visitations would be under the supervision of specially trained educators, depending on the children’s level of mental and social development. After the described program has been enforced, the outcome of unsociable grownups should be evaluated to conduct the success rate of the program. The success of social adaption of an autistic child, dealing with a group of correctional or other institutions or at home, is closely linked with the possibility of co-ordination of parents, doctors, psychologists and educators. The Social Exchange Childhood Autism Program (SPEC) would allow autistic children to identify the best individual life style and help create a convenient form of social adaptation, to ensure his/her supply of activity and strength, the ability to recover after the inevitable stresses (Bellini et al., 2009). Children with autism must interact with normal children in order to remain functionally independent in society and to have a chance of living a normal life. I hope that you see the admirable benefits that such a program would provide and urge you to think of your students, when making a decision about implementing such a plan. If you have any comments, concerns, suggestions, or questions, do not hesitate to reach me at (917) 858-1845 or by email at cmoronta@eden.rutgers.edu. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Cimaris Moronta References Laushey,, K. M., & Heflin, L. J. (2000). Enhancing Social Skills of Kindergarten Children with Autism Through the Training of Multiple Peers as Tutors. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,, 30(3), 183-184. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from http://www.springerlink.com/content/lm3118488765wkt2/fulltext.pdf Attwood, T. (n.d.). Tony Attwood - Author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome - Strategies for Improving the Social Integration of Children with Asperger's Syndrome. Tony Attwood - Author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome - A little about Tony. Retrieved December 16, 2010, from http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72:strategies-for-improving-the-social-integration-of-children-with-aspergers-syndrome&catid=45:archived-resource-papers&Itemid=181 Bernard-Opitz, V., Sriram, N., & Nakhoda-Sapuan, S. (2001). Enhancing Social Problem Solving in Children with Autism and Normal Children Through Computer-Assisted Instruction. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,, 31(4), 377. Barnad, J., Harvey, V., Prior, A., Potter, D. (2001). Ignored or Intelligible?: The Reality for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. London: National Autistic Society. Bauminger, N. (2007). Brief report: Individual social-multimodal intervention for HFASD. 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