Successfully Treating Children with Autism: Collaboration Between ABA & AAC Session #1449

58 Pages·2011·0.52 MB·English

Successfully Treating Children
with Autism: Collaboration
Between ABA & AAC
Session #1449
Richard Lytton, M.A., CCC-SLP
Heidi Light-Keppler, M. Ed., BCBA
Honey Rinicella, parent of two children
with Autism
What brought us
together?
Living With Autism
Honey Rinicella
Family Perspective
 4 Key Areas of Autism:
 Communication
 Social skills
 Behaviors
 Learning
Approaches
 Medical approaches include diet and
supplements
 Educational approaches include
speech and behavioral therapies, as
well as assisted technology devices and
augmentative communication methods
Real Stress
 Not being able to communicate causes
challenges for entire family
 For example:
 Rhonda-my brother doesn't like me
 Bob-I cannot help him enough
 Victor-just expressed concern if his brother
would ever talk
Behavioral Challenges
 Not being able to communicate your
needs to your friends, therapists and
parents can cause insane behaviors!
 word retrieval issues
 not being able to express a need
 Inability to communicate a pain
Communication Difficulties
 Speech ultimate goal
 Other ways to communicate besides vocal
language.
 Remember, just because a child cannot
speak, does not mean he cannot understand.
 Always presume intellect! The true disability
is when a child has the intelligence to
communicate but doesn't have the proper tools to
do it.
 Be careful of what is said in front of them
Challenges With Professionals
 Approaching speech and behavior in the same
way-- HUGE MISTAKE!
 Take the ability to communicate for granted
 Pair the complexity of communication with varying
sensory needs
 Needs:
 Accurate assessment
 Constant modifications
 Belief that speech is not just vocalizations!
 Build on different areas if you cannot obtain vocal
language
 Suggest a different therapist that could help better