Autism Advocate

THIRD EDITION 2010 • Autism AdvocAte 1

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Communication Assessment

Speech Therapy in Natural Environments

Simplifying Conversation

And more...

“I Have a Lot to Say” tools that Help individuals

communicate effectively

THIRD EDITION 2010, Volume 60 R3

AUTISMAdvocate

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departmentsPage 54

What’s New at the Autism Society

» Autism Society News

» Advocacy

» Conferences

» Chapter News

spotlight Page 12

By Judy endow, Msw

NAVigATiNg ThE SOCiAl WORldThe Importance of Teaching and Learning the Hidden Curriculum

Learning to understand and navigate the social landscape around us is essential for people to function in everyday life. For individuals on the autism spectrum, however, the skill of decipher-ing, incorporating and using the information all around us does not come naturally. But this social information—called the hidden curriculum—can be learned. The hidden curriculum refers to those unstated rules or customs that, if not understood, can make the world a confusing place and cause those who are not neurologically wired to automatically “get it” feel isolated and “out of it.”

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contentsfal l 2010

Page 7

Communication Assessment for Individuals with Autism Spectrum DisorderAddressing Deficits and Improving OutcomesBy nIcole BrIn, M.a., ccc-slP

Page 16

What? Where? Who?Teaching Young Children with Autism to Ask Wh-Questions By cheryl ostryn, Ph.d., BcBa-d

Page 21

The Picture Exchange Communication System™Helping Individuals Gain Functional CommunicationBy anne overcash, M.ed., catherIne horton, M.s., ccc-slP, and andy Bondy, Ph.d.

Page 26

A Behavioral Approach to Teaching LanguageWhat it Is and Why It’s UsefulBy Marla d. saltzMan, M.a., BcBa, and Kathleen Kelly

4

Enhancing Social Communication SkillsSocial Skills Training via Simulated EnvironmentsBy John guercIo, Ph.d., BcBa-d, cBIst

Page 40

Get Out of the OfficeSpeech Therapy in Natural EnvironmentsBy erIn weIner, M.s., ccc-slP

Page 44

Conversation BasicsSimplifying How We Teach ConversationBy Kerry Mehaffey Mataya, M.ed.

Page 50

Learning Each Other’s LanguageStrategies to Improve Communication Between Neurotypicals and Individuals on the Autism Spectrum By susan M. wIlczynsKI, Ph.d., BcBa

features

the Autism AdvocateAs a member of the Autism Society, you will receive this publication. For membership information, visit www.autism-society.org/join.

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THIRD EDITION 2010 • AUTISM ADVOCATE 1

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THIRD EDITION 2010, Volume 60 R3

AUTISMAdvocate

IN THIS ISSUE:Defining Personal Quality of Life

Employment and HealthKeeping Fit

Diet and Nutrition

And more…

Live WellAchieving Healthy Lifestyles for People with Autism

THIRD EDITION 2009, Volume 56

R3

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IN THIs IssuE:Addressing the Inequality of Adult Autism servicesDesigning spaces for People with AsDWhat to Look for in Residential servicesWhen Your Child Leaves Home

And more…

AUTISMAdvocate

Finding a HomeREsIDENTIAL OPTIONs fOR INDIVIDuALs ON THE sPECTRum

FOURTH EDITION 2009, Volume 57

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IN THIs IssUE:Involving Your Child in the Post-High school Transition ProcessTransitions in the Elementary Gradessuccessfully Transitioning Between JobsTransitions in sibling Relationships

And more…

Meaningful Planning to enhance Quality of life

Transitions in Autism

AUTISMAdvocate

FIRST EDITION 2010 • AUTISM ADVOCATE 1

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IN THIS ISSUE:Research on Social

Skills TrainingA High School Peer

Mentoring ProgramTeaching and Supporting

Social Skills at SchoolMaking Connections Online

And more...

THE CRITICAL IMPORTANCE

OF SOCIAL SKILLS

FIRST EDITION 2010 , Volume 58 R1

AUTISMAdvocate

FRIENDSmaking

4 Autism AdvocAte • THIRD EDITION 2010

Board of Directors (July 2010-July 2011)

OFFICERS:Lee Grossman, President & CEO

James Ball, Ed.D., BCBA-D, Chair

Jose F. Cordero, M.D., MPH, Vice Chair

Sergio Mariaca, Treasurer

Stephen Shore, Ed.D., Secretary

BOARD MEMBERS:Jon Basinger

Andrew Baumann

L. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan, Ph.D.

Bob Cassidy

Barbara Becker-Cottrill, Ed.D., PPA Chair

Lars Perner, Ph.D., PSA Chair

Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., BCBA

HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS:Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Ruth Christ Sullivan, Ph.D.

Autism AdvocateThe Premier Magazine on Autism Spectrum Disorders

PublisherLee Grossman, President and CEO

Vice President, Constituent RelationsMarguerite Kirst Colston

Director of ProgramsJennifer Repella

Managing EditorRobin Gurley

Media SpecialistAmanda Glensky

Web SpecialistSelena Middleton

Designn2design, inc.

Advertising SalesPotomac Media

The Autism Advocate is a publication of the Autism Society, 4340 East-West Highway, Suite 350, Bethesda, Maryland 20814.

Copyright 2010 by the Autism Society. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form or by any

electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. The information, views and any

recommendations or endorsements expressed by authors, advertisers and/or other contributors appearing in the Autism

Advocate do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or recommendations or endorsements of the Autism Society. The

publication of such information and the advertisements included within the Autism Advocate do not constitute an endorsement of such information or of any treatment, product, methodology

and/or service advertised.

The Autism Advocate is published four times a year. To receive the publication, please join the Autism Society. For more information, please visit www.autism-society.org. To contact the editor, please

e-mail [email protected].

If you are interested in advertising in the Autism Advocate, please contact Reem Nourallah at 202-363-3740 or [email protected].

All other inquiries should be directed to:Autism Society

4340 East-West Highway, Suite 350Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Toll free: 1-800-3AUTISM | Fax: 301-657-0869www.autism-society.org

meSSAge From The BoArd ChAir

It is with great pleasure that I address you as the new Board Chair of the Autism

Society. I have been a member of the Autism Society for over 25 years and have

not missed a National Conference since my first one in Seattle, Washington. It is

a great honor to serve as your Chair for the upcoming year, and I will work with

all of you to make the Autism Society the best it can be and to uphold its mission:

“Improving the lives of all affected by autism.” I would be remiss if I did not thank

Dr. Cathy Pratt for her dedication over the past seven years as Chair. I stand in

awe at all she was able to do for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and

their families.

Communication is a basic function of life that we all take for granted; however,

for many individuals with ASD, it is a real struggle. This edition of the Autism

Advocate takes a hard look at critical skills and addresses strategies that will

assist individuals to improve their communication skills, enhance their social

communication and use a variety of ways (such as pictures) to effectively

communicate. We should all echo the immortal words of Walt Disney, who said,

“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most

universally understood language.”

Thank you for your continued support of the Autism Society and enjoy this

informative issue of the Advocate. I look forward to a productive year, and with

your help, the best ever.

JIM Ball, ed.d., BcBa-dchaIr autIsM socIety Board of dIrectors


meSSAge From The AuTiSm SoCieTy PANeL oF ProFeSSioNAL AdviSorS

It was an honor to share time with my colleagues on the Panel of Professional

Advisors at the Autism Society National Conference in Dallas this past July. It is an

amazing group of people, each dedicated to making a difference in the lives of all

affected by autism. We had the opportunity to have a working meeting where we

explored current issues and topics, and formed working groups around them. We

look forward to sharing the outcomes and products of these groups throughout the

coming year. I must also add that the Panel of People on the Spectrum of Autism

and the Panel of Professional Advisors co-presentation at the conference was not to

be missed. Be sure to mark your calendars for next year’s presentation in Orlando.

This issue of the Autism Advocate includes articles from an exceptional group of

authors in the area of communication. It is an issue you will want to read from

cover to cover. Filled with practical information and strategies, it covers relevant

topics in the area of communication for individuals across the autism spectrum.

From assessment to evidence-based procedures, this issue takes a comprehensive

look at what we know today about teaching and supporting individuals on the

autism spectrum in the skill of communicating. Included is the important topic

of enhancing social communication skills, and teaching and learning the “hidden

curriculum.” Family members, professionals, friends and acquaintances of

individuals with autism spectrum disorders are guaranteed to take away valuable

and useful information from each article. This is an issue you will continue to refer

to for a long time to come. Enjoy!

BarBara BecKer-cottrIll, ed.d.PPa chaIr

Panel of Professional AdvisorsBarbara Becker-Cottrill, Ed.D. (Chairperson)

James Ball, Ed.D., BCBA-D

Margaret L. Bauman, M.D.

Lois J. Blackwell

Eric Courchesne, Ph.D.

Margaret Creedon, Ph.D.

Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D.

Anne M. Donnellan, Ph.D.

Glen Dunlap, Ph.D.

V. Mark Durand, Ph.D.

William L.E. Dussault, J.D.

Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D.

Judith E. Favell, Ph.D.

Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Doreen Granpeesheh, Ph.D., BCBA

June Groden, Ph.D.

Paul Millard Hardy, M.D.

Robert L. Hendren, D.O.

Martha Herbert, M.D., Ph.D.

Jill Hinton, Ph.D.

Ann Holmes, M.S., C.C.C., BCBA

David L. Holmes, Ed.D.

Susan Kabot, Ed.D., CCC-SLP

Martin Kozloff, Ph.D.

Rebecca Landa, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Gary LaVigna, Ph.D.

Bennett L. Leventhal, M.D.

Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D.

Cathy Pratt, Ph.D., BCBA

Edward Ritvo, M.D.

Frank Robbins, Ph.D.

Stephen Shore, Ed.D.

Ruth Christ Sullivan, Ph.D.

Luke Y. Tsai, M.D.

Diane Twachtman-Cullen, Ph.D.,CCC-SLP

Jennifer Twachtman-Reilly, M.S., CCC-SLP

Margaret Whelan

Michelle Garcia Winner, M.A., CCC-SLP

Harry Wright, M.D., MBA

Emeritus Members Edward Carr, Ph.D., BCBA (1947-2009)

O. Ivar Lovaas, Ph.D. (1927-2010)

Gary Mesibov, Ph.D.

Bernard Rimland, Ph.D. (1928-2006)

Eric Schopler, Ph.D. (1927-2006)

Panel of People on the Spectrum of Autism Advisors (PSA)

Lars Perner, Ph.D. (Chairperson)

Dena Gassner, MSW

Sharisa Joy Kochmeister

Sondra Williams

Zosia Zaks, M.Ed.


coMMunIcatIon assessMent [FeATure

Communication Assessment for

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Addressing Deficits and improving outcomes

By nIcole BrIn, M.a., ccc-slP

This critical skill is an area of significant

deficits for people with autism spectrum

disorders (ASD). Quality evaluation of

communication skills, conducted by

a licensed, certified speech-language

pathologist (SLP), is necessary in order to

address these deficits.

Communication Skill DevelopmentCommunication is a learned skill.

Expectations change along with age

and development. Typically developing

infants naturally learn to communicate

through observation. More advanced

communicators develop more complex

skills via direct teaching and feedback from

C o m m u N i C AT i o N i S A N i m P o r TA N T C o m m o N

T h r e A d T h r o u g h T h e h u m A N r A C e . P e o P L e F r o m

A L L r e g i o N S o F T h e W o r L d g e T T h e i r e m oT i o N A L

A N d P h y S i C A L N e e d S m e T B y C o m m u N i C AT i N g

W i T h oT h e r S .


] coMMunIcatIon assessMent

others in their environment. Table 1

(above) depicts examples of the process

of communication skill development at

each stage.

With early communicators, caregivers

are often the first reporters of red flags.

Concerns are typically shared with

pediatricians during their child’s well check-

up visits. Some of the most common red

flags for communication disorders that may

warrant further assessment by an autism

assessment team include the following:

Possible red flags in the area of communication with early communicators:

• Does not respond when name is called

• Does not participate in early social

communication interactions/play

• Has difficulty expressing wants clearly

• Makes attempts to communicate that

are extremely difficult to interpret

• Does not follow directions

• Appears to be deaf or heard of hearing

• Does not point/use gestures in a

communicative fashion

• Does not participate in joint

attention (does not understand or use

referencing)

• Appears to lack desire to communicate

with peers about a variety of topics

• Exhibits communication that appears

to be “scripted” or “borrowed”

• Displays a speech/language disorder

that pervasively impacts social

communication as well as pragmatic

language skills (Filipek et al., 1999)

Possible red flags in the area of communication with adolescents and adults:

• Has history of the above communication

deficits and/or continued deficits

• Talks “at” listeners; does not engage

in give-and-take with communication

partner

• Often talks about intense interests;

communication skills improve

significantly when talking about

intense interests

• Has difficulty understanding directions/

information and organizing things in

a useful way (i.e., taking notes in class,

understanding projects at work)

• Has difficulty initiating and ending

conversations; peers or co-workers

typically initiate and end conversations

• Does not understand non-verbal

language and how to modulate

communicative behaviors based on this

real-time input

• Does not use clear communicative and

logic skills to verbally problem solve

social situations, and describe healthy

friendships and relationships (Bridwell

& Brin, in press)

A Team EvaluationA certified and licensed speech-language

pathologist (SLP) specializes in evaluation

and treatment of both language as well

as communication skills, and therefore

is a key person in the autism assessment

process. An SLP is the “communication

expert” and an essential team member

when determining a client’s strengths

and weaknesses in this area; however,

it is always preferable to have a team

The Process of Communication Skill Development

early coMMunIcator

Learns to communicate through cause-and-effect relationships

Example: Babies learn to cry to communicate a variety of needs. They may cry when hungry, wet, dirty, sleepy, etc. They learn quickly that crying results in a communication partner coming to them to help get their needs met.

school-age coMMunIcator

Builds new communication skills through direct teach and practice

Example: The first several weeks of school (pre-K through 12th grade) are spent learning classroom routines and grade-level rules.

• When is it okay to raise your hand?• When is it okay to talk to the people at your table? • How do you get your needs met in the classroom?

adult coMMunIcatorBuilds new, advanced

communication skills through self-study or rule-based written

guidelines

Example: A new high school graduate learns the communication expectations at her new job through observation as well as through direct teaching.

• When to use and how to understand implied meanings and socially acceptable emphasis when sending professional emails.

• What details are appropriate to communicate with your supervisor.• How to communicate during breaks with acquaintances in the work environment.• Understanding the company’s etiquette guide for new hires. These handbooks typically teach the new hire

expected social expectations such as how to answer the phone and when/how to greet others around the facility.

Table 1 Bridwell & Brin (in press)


coMMunIcatIon assessMent [

of professionals when evaluating an

individual for an ASD. The preferred team

that I typically practice with includes

the following professionals who are also

experts in the area of autism: educational

diagnostician, psychologist, occupational

therapist and additional experts as needed.

It takes a team of professionals who are

experts in ASD to piece together the

complex puzzle that unfolds during an

evaluation. Indeed, the American Academy

of Pediatrics supports the idea that in order

to gain a “whole picture” of the client’s

abilities and how communication skills may

affect other areas of functioning for the

client, ASD evaluations should be done by a

team of experienced professionals (Johnson,

Myers, & the Council on Children with

Disabilities, 2007). It is recommended that

the team include experts in the interplay

among sensorimotor functioning, behavior,

social/emotional development, and a

child’s ability to communicate and use

language in an effective manner. Qualified

autism assessment teams may be found

in all service delivery environments,

including public schools, private practices

and physician groups. It is the caregiver’s

responsibility to investigate the team’s

range of qualifications and experience prior

to assessment.

Consider the complexity that behavior

adds to an evaluation. Behavior problems

are often the reason why students are

referred for evaluation. Behavior and

communication directly impact each other,

leading to the question, “Which came

first, the lack of communicative ability

or the perceived negative behaviors?”

Often, deficits in communication skills

manifest as behavior difficulties. It is

critical to determine when this is the

case because intervention must target the

underlying communication deficits rather

than the direct suppression of negative

behaviors. It takes a team, including an

SLP, to determine the effectiveness and

communicative intent of the client, and a

behavioral specialist, such as a psychologist,

to help determine the origin of the

behaviors. Additionally, motor and sensory

concerns can complicate the diagnostic

picture; therefore, it is important that the

team include an occupational therapist.

In many cases, communication strengths

and weaknesses are directly impacted by

responses to the environment or physical

needs. For example, a child may have the

ability and knowledge to listen to their

peers during group activities; however,

they may not be able to concentrate on

the activity at hand because they feel the

need for movement. This need may begin

to override the ability to participate in the

lesson. It takes a team of professionals to

determine the antecedent of the behaviors

and to look at the client from a “whole

person” perspective, not only from their

area of specialty.

Evaluating and Assessing Communication AbilitiesNo matter where the person falls on the

autism continuum, communication is

a known deficit area. According to the

current diagnostic manual, the DSM-IV-TR,

the communication deficits must impact

spoken language, pragmatic language and

quality of overall language (including play

skills, social communication and varied

use of language) in order to diagnose

“Autistic Disorder” (APA, 2000). In contrast,

the DSM-IV-TR states that those who

have Asperger’s Disorder do not exhibit

a “clinically significant general delay in

language.” Experience indicates that

individuals with Asperger’s Disorder do

have impaired communication skills in

the areas of pragmatic language, social

communication and spoken language.

These observations appear to be supported

by the recommended revisions to the DSM.

The current draft of the DSM-V (to be

published in 2013) combines the Pervasive

Developmental Disorders, which includes

Asperger’s, into one category—Autism

Spectrum Disorder. Characteristics of

Autism Spectrum Disorder include deficits

in social communication and interactions.

Table 2 (above) lists methods that an

SLP may use to gather necessary data for

determining communication skill strengths

and weaknesses for diagnosis and possible

intervention planning.

Data-Gathering Process for Evaluation

Infant through school-age

• Review of records• Parent interview• Observation in multiple environments• School staff interviews (if school age)• Diagnostic interview with client

(if school age)• Direct assessment with autism team• Direct assessment for speech and

language skills• Scoring and interpreting diagnostic

interview with assessment team of professionals

• Family de-briefing• Student de-briefing (older students)• School staff de-briefing• Staff and family initial training

adults

• Review of records• Observation in multiple environments• Interview client’s supervisor and/or

co-workers• Diagnostic interview with client• Direct assessment with autism team• Direct assessment for speech and

language skills• Scoring and interpreting diagnostic interview

with assessment team of professionals• Client de-briefing• Initial training



] coMMunIcatIon assessMent

About the Author nicole Brin, M.A., ccc-SlP

Nicole Brin, M.A., CCC-SLP, practices therapeutic interventions in a pediatric outpatient setting and participates on a transdisciplinary autism assessment team through The Ziggurat Group in Dallas, Texas.

As the “communication expert,” the SLP

should take part in all of the assessment

activities listed above. When all of these

activities are included in an autism

evaluation, the transdisciplinary team

has the opportunity to obtain data on

both functional and standardized skills

across all area(s) of concern, including

communication.

The SLP should provide a comprehensive

assessment as part of the autism evaluation.

Testing tools used to gather this data

include screeners, standardized assessment,

qualitative measures, observation and

records review. There is not one single

testing tool that can determine an ASD

diagnosis or eligibility. In the same respect,

there is not one single tool that enables

the SLP to gather all needed data about

communicative competence as a part of

an autism assessment team. For instance,

one cannot effectively determine if a

client has a communication skill deficit

based solely on standardized assessment

scores. All data collected throughout the

assessment activities (described in Table 2)

should be used to determine if the client’s

communication skills negatively impact

their functioning in the world.

A comprehensive assessment of

communication skills enables the SLP to

develop meaningful recommendations

for caregivers, school staff and/or the

adult client. Open communication among

all people involved in the assessment

process is essential to developing

accurate assessment conclusions as

well as meaningful interventions/

recommendations. Table 3 (below) lays

out the areas of focus in a communication

assessment.

A true team effort between those who

know the client best (caregivers/family

members/individual with autism) and

the transdisciplinary team of autism

experts who know the disorder will result

in better outcomes from the assessment

process. Communication is at the heart of

the ASD profile and must be addressed on

an ongoing basis. Communication skills

change over time (especially with early

intervention); therefore, assessment for

intervention is a lifelong necessity for

people with ASD.

ReferencesAmerican Psychiatric Association. (2000).

Diagnostic and statistical manual of

mental disorders, 4th edition, text revision.

Washington, DC: American Psychiatric

Association.

Bridwell and Brin (in press). Speech and

language evaluation. In B. Grossman, R.

Aspy, & B. Myles (Eds.). Transdisciplinary

evaluation of autism spectrum disorders:

From diagnosis through program planning,

Shawnee Mission, Kan.: Autism Asperger

Publishing Company.

Filipek, P.A., Accardo, P.J., Baranek, G.T.,

Cook, E.H., Dawson, G., Gordon, B., Gravel,

J.S., Johnson, C.P., Kallen, R.J., & Levy, S.E.,

et al. (1999). The screening and diagnosis

of autistic spectrum disorders. Journal

of Autism and Developmental Disorders,

29(6):439-484.

Johnson, C.P., Myers, S.M., & the Council

on Children with Disabilities. (2007).

Identification and evaluation of children

with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics,

120, 5.

Communication Assessment Areas of Focus

Non-verbal Language understanding use

Speech Characteristics

Expressive Language Skills Pragmatic language oral narration repetitive and/or

stereotyped use of language

Receptive Language Skills

Fluency (verbal)

Voice


The SLP should provide a comprehensive assessment as part of the autism evaluation.


www.asperger.net 877-277-8254 (phone)

913-681-9473 (fax)

Countless studies have shown that differences in communication skills are a core characteristic of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Among its wide selection of titles, AAPC offers essential books and other materials for parents, teachers, speech-language pathologists and others to fit the needs of any child on the spectrum. Let our resources help develop and cultivate communication skills both at home and in the classroom.

Visit www.asperger.net or call toll free 877-277-8254 to learn more about AAPC’s practical solutions.

Initiations and Interactions: Early Intervention Techniques for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Teresa A. Cardon, M.A., CCC-SLP

Strategies at Hand: Quick and Handy Positive Behavior Support Strategies

By Tracy Mueller, Ph.D., and Robin Brewer, Ed.D.

Improving Speech and Eating Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Oral-Motor Program for Home and School

By Maureen A. Flanagan, M.A., CCC-SLP

Practical Solutions from AAPC

Universal Interventions

Targeted Interventions

Intensive Interventions

Terms/Strategies

References

Navigating the

The ImporTance of TeachIng and LearnIng The hIdden currIcuLum


spotlight

One of the key elements for

all of us to get along in daily

life is our understanding of

and ability to navigate the

social landscape in the world around us.

How we actually do this is referred to

as our social skills. For those of us with

autism, like me, it is said that we lack

social skills–that is, we fall below the

acceptable social standard, not displaying

the myriad of social skills that seem to come

automatically to most people. The reason

for this is our autism neurology, meaning

that unlike typical people, our brains are

not wired to enable us to automatically pick

up, incorporate and then effectively use the

often elusive and transient information that

is all around us. This information is called

the “hidden curriculum.”

What is the Hidden Curriculum?The hidden curriculum is based on the

work of autism researcher Brenda Smith

Myles. It is the social information that is

not directly taught but is assumed that

everybody knows (Myles, Trautman, &

Schelvan, 2004). The hidden curriculum

refers to those unstated rules or customs

that, if not understood, can make the

world a confusing place and cause those

of us who are not neurologically wired

to automatically “get it” feel isolated and

“out of it” (Endow, 2009a, 2010). In fact,

whenever you think or say things like

“everybody knows…,” “common sense tells

you…,” “it is quite obvious that…” or “I

shouldn’t have to tell you, but…”, that is the

hidden curriculum. As an adult with autism,

Navigating the Social World

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By Judy endow, Msw


sPotlIght [

I have learned that whenever somebody

says one of these phrases what is coming

next is an explanation of some sort of social

sin I have committed. Not understanding

the hidden curriculum contributes to the

often pervasive feeling that goes far beyond

not fitting in, to feeling that you are not part

of the human race. During my growing up

years, I believed for a long time that I was

an alien (Endow, 2006, 2009b).

For me, the most difficult part of having

someone notice my social missteps is the

underlying assumptions others then make

about me. Here are two examples.

eXaMPle #1

the bakery lady at my grocery store chased me down shouting, “what is wrong with you?” when I merely took free cookies like the sign indicated. The hidden curriculum item that i was unaware of was when the sign in a bakery says, “free cookies” (even though the word “cookies” is plural), it means only one cookie per person (Endow, 2009b). Although i never would have taken more than one cookie had i known, it was nonetheless assumed by the bakery lady that i had intentionally taken more than my fair share.

Another customer commented aloud for all to hear, “What a pig!” it felt awful to know i was thought of in this way, even if it was by strangers. i am not a thief or a pig, even though i did take more than my share of free cookies. i am not an inherently bad person, but because of my behavior i was a social outcast in the moment. When i make a misstep with acquaintances, it can be even worse. it means i may be forever banned from the group. many times i never have a clue as to what i did, other than figuring out i must have committed yet another unforgivable social sin.

eXaMPle #2

when the police officer asked why I was speeding, I answered as truthfully as possible by saying that I had depressed the accelerator with more force than needed to achieve the posted speed. i was not trying to be a smart aleck with the officer—something that could make a bad situation even worse. At the time i was wondering how this guy ever graduated from the police academy without understanding how speeding occurs, but knew it would be disrespectful to say so having previously learned the hidden curriculum dictates to always be respectful to police officers. What i did not know was the additional hidden curriculum rule that says if you are stopped for speeding it is best to apologize and promise to be more careful from now on. Even though my behavior pegged me as a smart aleck, and could have gotten me into even more legal trouble, i am not a smart aleck or a speed demon. i have gotten a total of three speeding tickets over 40 years of driving.

The consequences of committing social

sins can be anything from loss of friends

to legal troubles with a resultant criminal

record, depending on your age. Not

understanding and following the rules of

the hidden curriculum negatively impacts

social functioning in all areas of life—home,

community, school and workplace.

Students are at a disadvantage in school

with a resulting negative impact on their

education. Adults often lose more than

friends when they do not understand and

abide by the social rules of society. Some

have lost their homes and jobs, and others

have been incarcerated as a result of not

behaving according to the rules of the

hidden curriculum.

Rules Change Due to VariablesA difficult thing about social rules is that

they are often a moving target. The rules

change depending on a whole host of

variables, such as age, who you are with,

gender, culture and circumstance. For

example, a child might be taught that when

someone says “hi” to you in the school

hall, it is polite to say “hi” back (Myles &

Duncan, 2008). After school, the child is

in a totally different social situation where

safety dictates he should not say “hi” or talk

to an adult stranger who approaches him

as he walks home. Different circumstances

dictate employing what can seem like

conflicting rules. So, even if you know many

of the hidden curriculum rules, it is not

always easy to know which rule to follow

when.

ageAge is a variable that can get both kids and

adults on the autism spectrum in trouble if

they have not learned the changing hidden

curriculum rules as they grow up. Little

kids often hold hands when they walk

together in public places, but if a third-

grader tried to hold the hand of a classmate

he could be teased and laughed at by peers.

If a high school student or an adult tried to

hold hands with someone, romantic interest

would be attributed to the act regardless

of the intent. This could go bad either way.

The recipient might return the assumed

romantic interest with a sexual overture

or, if appalled by the interest, the person

might shout, swear or be physically abusive.

Learning the hidden curriculum for those


of us with autism never stops. It is a lifelong

endeavor.

There can also be serious legal

ramifications depending on one’s age. If a

child peers into the bedroom window of his

friend’s home, it might be okay. The worst

thing that might happen is somebody telling

him it is not nice to look in someone’s

window; one should ring the door bell

instead. However, if an adult does the same

thing, it is very likely the police would be

called and an arrest might result.

genderGender is another variable in the world of

social rules. This can be quite important

because we have a large population of male

students with ASD in our schools that are

supported by female professionals. There

are gender-specific hidden curriculum

standards specifically for males, such as

restroom etiquette rules, that are very

different from the restroom rules for

females. Females talk in the restroom;

males don’t. If your young male student is

conditioned to talk to you in the restroom,

he may grow up talking to others in the

restroom. If he does this as a teen or a man,

whether he knows it or not, talking or even

just making eye contact in a public men’s

room can be perceived as initiating sexual

interest. Imagine the consequences for

your young student as a grown man if you

do not teach him the hidden curriculum

for using the men’s room. Therefore, if you

are a female professional supporting a male

student, make sure you know and instruct

your student how to behave in the restroom

according to his gender—not yours.

Teaching the Hidden CurriculumFor people on the autism spectrum,

learning the hidden curriculum is just

as, if not more important, than learning

academic skills. Yet, I rarely see hidden

curriculum or social skills instruction in

class schedules or in the IEPs of students

needing to learn it. When a person’s brain

is not wired to automatically pick up this

information, he will not somehow magically

learn it as he gets older. It is not something

our students with ASDs will outgrow.

Instead, the hidden curriculum must be

taught by direct instruction to students who

have a neurology that does not permit them

to automatically learn it in the same way

neurotypical students do.

The ECLIPSE Model (Moyer, 2009) is a

useful resource for teachers that includes

sample IEP goals along with “pick up and

use” lesson plans for teaching the hidden

curriculum. The Social Times (Buron, 2010)

is another resource for teachers, which is

written directly to students in their “voice.”

Each new issue offers critical information

in a format that makes learning social

information fun for students. Another way

to teach and learn the hidden curriculum is

by using the One A Day hidden curriculum

calendars, geared to both kids (Trautman

when a person’s brain is not wired to automatically

pick up this information, he will not somehow magically

learn it as he gets older.

spotlight


& Wragge, 2010) and older adolescents and

adults (Endow, 2010). In addition, hidden

curriculum items are available as iPhone

applications for all ages.

However you choose to teach the hidden

curriculum, know that learning it is not

optional for those of us with autism. If

you are a teacher, know that the hidden

curriculum is likely the most important

subject you will ever teach. Your school

district will not mandate it, but wise

teachers will make teaching it a priority.

If you are a person on the autism spectrum,

know that you will need to keep learning

the hidden curriculum as you graduate

from school and move into the world.

It is great to have earned a diploma, but

you must not stop there. A diploma is

merely the first step into adult life. For me,

keeping up with and learning new, elusive

and ever-changing hidden curriculum

items is crucial. It allows me to fit in more

comfortably with my family and friends, in

my job and in my community, and lets me

be all that I want to be in the world.

ReferencesBuron, K.D. (2010). The Social Times.


Publishing Company.

Endow, J. (2006). Making Lemonade: Hints

for Autism’s Helpers. Cambridge, Wis.:

Cambridge Book Review Press.

Endow, J. (2009a). 2010 Hidden Curriculum

One-A-Day Calendar for Older Adolescents

and Adults. Shawnee Mission, Kan.: Autism

Asperger Publishing Company.

Endow, J. (2009b). Paper Words: Discovering

and Living with My Autism. Shawnee

Mission, Kan.: Autism Asperger Publishing

Company.

Endow, J. (2010). 2011 Hidden Curriculum

One-A-Day Calendar for Older Adolescents

and Adults. Shawnee Mission, Kan.: Autism


Moyer, S. (2009). The ECLIPSE Model:

Teaching Self-Regulation, Executive Function,

Attribution, and Sensory Awareness to

Students with Asperger Syndrome, High-

Functioning Autism, and Related Disorders.


Publishing Company.

Myles, B.S., & Duncan, M. (2008). 2009

Hidden Curriculum One-A-Day Calendar.


Publishing Company.

Myles, B.S., Trautman, M.L. & Schelvan, R.S.

(2004). The Hidden Curriculum: Practical

Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules

in Social Situations. Shawnee Mission, Kan.:

Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

Trautman, M., & Wragge, A. (2010). 2011

Hidden Curriculum One-A-Day Calendar

for Kids. Shawnee Mission, Kan.: Autism


if you are a person on the autism spectrum, know that

you will need to keep learning the hidden curriculum

as you graduate from school and move into the world.

About the Author Judy endow, Msw

Judy Endow, MSW, maintains a private practice in Madison, Wis., providing consultation for families, school districts and other agencies. Besides having autism herself, she is the parent of three grown sons, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. Judy presents on a variety of autism-related issues, serves on the Wisconsin DPI Statewide Autism Training Team, and is a board member of the Autism Society Wisconsin Chapter and an incoming board member of AUTCOM.


] teachIng young chIldren

FeATure

where

who

what

By cheryl ostryn, Ph.d., BcBa-d

In order to solve all of these communication

problems, you need to be able to gain

information by asking questions, such as:

“What is that box/noise?” “Where is my

crayon?” and “Who is the ‘snack captain’?”

By using everyday routines, teachers and

other caregivers can create opportunities to

teach young children to ask wh-questions.

Why are Wh-Questions Important? Anyone who has been around young

children knows that a majority of their

verbal communications are comprised of

What? Where? Who? teaching Young Children with Autism to Ask wh-Questions

yo u S e e A N e W, B i g B ox i N T h e Co r N e r o F T h e P r e S C h o o L A N d S o m e T h i N g

i N S i d e i T i S m A K i N g N o i S e . yo u WA N T To Co Lo r , B u T yo u C A N ’ T F i N d yo u r

FAvo r i T e g r e e N C r Ayo N . yo u A r e h u N g ry, B u T F o r g oT W h o T h e “ S N AC K

C A P TA i N ” i S To dAy.

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teachIng young chIldren [

questions, such as “What’s that?” “Where

is it?” Who is that?” “When are we there?”

and “Why did it do that?” However, young

children with autism and developmental

disabilities may not naturally learn how

to ask these questions and may need

to be explicitly taught. Typically, when

young children hear questions in close

association to what is happening in their

social environments, they learn how to

communicate using questions and also

understand how helpful questions are to

finding out information. Having the ability

to achieve a goal, such as being able to ask

where a favorite toy is located, is known

as functional communication. By asking

“Where is my teddy bear?” the response,

“It’s on the bed” achieves the goal of

attaining information related to the bear’s

whereabouts.

Question asking is an essential ingredient

of young children’s social and emotional

development as it allows them to actively

engage in communication exchanges in

a reciprocal fashion, gather important

information about one’s social environment

and form friendships. On a related note,

essential information about one’s social

world is acquired with questions such as,

“Where’s Marci?” “What do you want to

play?” or “Who do you want to play—Mama

Bear?”

Questions are Requests or Mands (Demands) for Information Specifically, wh-questions are requests for

information about items and people. For

instance, asking “Where is my teddy bear?”

is asking for information about the bear’s

location and not actually a request for the

bear, even though it is likely the question

is being asked because the bear is wanted.

Similarly, “What’s in the box?” is a request

for information about what is in the box,

and “Who has my snack?” is a request for

information as to who is in charge of the

snack, but not necessarily for the snack

itself. Therefore, wh-questions can be

thought of as a two-step procedure:

1. to request necessary information in

order to

2. achieve a goal (e.g., item, attention)

The first part of this two-step procedure

is social in nature and typically needs a

verbal response from another person.

For instance, another person needs to

supply the answer to the question, such

as providing the name of the item in the

box or the name of the peer on snack duty.

However, research heavily documents

that many children with language delays

and developmental disabilities have social

deficits and therefore are unlikely to engage

in question-asking behavior because they

are not socially motivated (Neisworth &

Wolfe, 2005; Scott, Clark, & Brady, 2000).

How to Motivate Young Children to Ask QuestionsEducators and caregivers can motivate

young children to ask wh-questions by

pairing reinforcement (something good)

with asking the question. Children with

autism and developmental disabilities

typically ask for items by saying item names,

such as “cup” for drink, so teaching them

to ask wh-questions simply expands upon

this by using establishing operations, which

are basically a source of motivation for a

behavior to occur. For instance, being really,

really thirsty will make me (motivate me)

want to ask for a drink (see Figure 1 above).

Using this method, young children can be

motivated to ask wh-questions. For instance,

the loss of my favorite doll will motivate

me to ask where it is, as I have learned that

when I ask where it is, someone will tell

me where it is, and then I can get it and

play with my doll again (reinforcement)

(see Figure 2 on next page). Using specific

and child-related establishing operations,

children can be motivated to engage in the

two-step procedure.

Integrating Wh-Questions into the ClassroomThe following section details how to

incorporate teaching wh-questions into

everyday classroom routines. For example, in

Miss Katy’s preschool class, there are three

children with autism. Miss Katy will use the

ASKED procedure to help her students learn

to ask wh-questions throughout the school

day. The steps that make up the ASKED

approach are as follows:

• �Assimilate a list of the children’s

favorite items/activities

Figure 1

BehaviorSAY ‘CUP’

consequenceDRINK MILK

motivation (eo)THIRSTY

Having the ability to achieve a goal, such as being able to ask where a favorite toy is located, is known as functional communication.



• Set up the classroom

• Kick off the question-asking

• Encourage correct responses

(if necessary)

•�Data collection

Assimilate a List of the Children’s Favorite Items and ActivitiesFirst, Miss Katy constructs a list of her

students’ favorite toys, objects and activities.

She knows what the children prefer from

information gathered from their parents/

caregivers as well as from being in the

classroom with them. Figure 3 (below) is an

example of this list.

Set up the ClassroomNext, before the children come into class, Miss

Katy spends about 15 minutes setting up her

classroom in order to arrange objects so the

children will be motivated to ask questions.

This step includes moving objects from their

usual places, locking favorite toys in the

cupboards, placing snacks out of sight and

emptying boxes that typically contain toys.

Kick off the Question-Asking and Encourage Correct Responses (if Necessary)Miss Katy decides that once the children

are settled with their selected activities at

their chosen stations around the classroom,

she will work with Adrian, Kaleem and

Sasha separately on question-asking. Miss

Katy makes sure to encourage correct

answers by prompting, as she wants her

students to always get the correct answer

so their learning environments stay positive

while they are practicing their question-

asking skills.

Teaching Sasha to ask “What?” Miss Katy goes over to Sasha in the music

corner and sits next to her. Miss Katy opens

the cupboard and brings out an unfamiliar

red box and shakes it so Sasha can hear a

ringing sound. Sasha gets up to grab the

box, but Miss Katy blocks Sasha’s hand and

prompts her to say, “What’s that?” Once

Sasha imitates the question, Miss Katy

opens the box, takes out the item and says,

“Wow, it’s a big silver bell.” Sasha tries to

grab the bell, but Miss Katy does not give it

to her until she says “want bell.”

Teaching Adrian to ask “Where?” Miss Katy approaches Adrian who is

standing by the water play station. Miss

Katy picks up the box that typically

contains the water toys (including Adrian’s

favorite plastic tubes), says, “Get the water

tubes” and passes the box to Adrian. Adrian

opens the box to find it empty and Miss

Katy verbally prompts, “Where… (are the

tubes/my tubes/tubes)?” Once Adrian

imitates the question, Miss Katy says, “The

plastic tubes are under the blanket.” Miss

Katy then shows the plastic tubes to Adrian,

says, “Want tubes?” and gives them to him.

Adrian then puts them in the water.

Teaching Kaleem to ask “Who?” Miss Katy walks over to Kaleem who is

tugging at the locked cupboard doors and

repeatedly saying, “Want puzzle, want

puzzle.” Miss Katy sits Kaleem on the floor

and says, “The puzzles are in the locked

Behavior

Ask where is my doll?

consequence

Told doll’s location

motivation (eo)

Can’t find favorite doll

Information to retrieve doll

(1) to request necessary information (2) achieve a goal

Figure 2

Behavior

Ask who has my snack?

consequence

Told helper’s name

motivation (eo)

Hungry

Information to get snack

(1) to request necessary information (2) achieve a goal

An example for motivating the “Where?” question:

An example for motivating the “Who?” question:

Student Activities Objects Edibles

Adriansand Play Koosh Balls chips

Water Play Plastic tubes dried mango

Kaleem

Puzzles Bouncy Balls

crackersPlay-doh

Fire enginetrains

Sasha

elmo card gamemusical

instruments

chocolate

talking Piggy Bank m&ms

cutting crackers

List of Preferred Activities, Objects, and Edibles

Figure 3


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cupboard and the helper has the key.” Miss

Katy then prompts Kaleem to ask, “Who…

(has the key/has key/key)?” Once Kaleem

asks the question, Miss Katy tells him

that Shannon the helper has the key and

he should get it from her. Miss Katy then

guides Kaleem to Shannon. Kaleem asks for

the key so the door can be unlocked and he

can play with his favorite puzzle.

Data CollectionMiss Katy continues to initiate question-

asking situations throughout the rest of the

school day. At the end of the day, Miss Katy

finds it hard to remember all of the question-

asking opportunities for all three students,

so she records the responses on a simple

daily data sheet as shown on the right.

At the end of each week, Miss Katy then

adds up the weekly opportunities, correct

responses and prompting levels so she can

chart her students’ progress. By collecting

this data, Miss Katy can also see if any

of her students need extra help or more

opportunities throughout the day to

practice question-asking.

Language Ability Considerations It is important to remember that each child

presents individual language needs; therefore,

individualized correct responses need to be

defined for each child. For instance, one child

may be able to ask, “Where is my dinosaur?”

where as another child may only be able

to ask, “Where dino?” Similarly, one child

may be able to say, “I want the key,” whereas

another child may only be able to say, “key.”

Educators and caregivers need to make

decisions on language development based

upon specific needs.

Using this method to teach children with

autism and developmental disabilities to

ask wh-questions can, and should, be used

in different settings and with different

people to provide opportunities for practice

and promote generalization. When young

children know how to ask questions,

they can become active participants in

conversations and social exchanges, giving

them more freedom to become functional,

competent communicators (Ostryn, Wolfe,

& Rusch, 2008).

ReferencesNeisworth, J.T., & Wolfe, P.S. (2005). The

autism encyclopedia. Baltimore, Md.: Paul

H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Ostryn, C., Wolfe, P.S., & Rusch, F.R.

(2008). A review and analysis of the

Picture Exchange Communication System

(PECS) for individuals with autism

spectrum disorders using a paradigm of

communication competence. Research &

Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities,

33(1-2):13-24.

Scott, J., Clark, C., & Brady, M. (2000).

Students with autism. San Diego, Calif.:

Singular Publishing.

About the Author cheryl ostryn, Ph.d., BcBa-d

Cheryl Ostryn, Ph.D., BCBA-D., is a board certified behavior analyst and a researcher in the field of autism at the University of Colorado Denver. She has authored several articles on working with students with autism spectrum disorders, as well as teaching undergraduate and graduate classes. She would like to acknowledge that part of the research for this article was funded by a national grant award from the Organization for Autism Research.

helpful hints for setting up the classroomWhen planning ways to set up scenarios for your students, ask yourself the following questions:

• What can i move? • What can i lock away? • What can i take away?• Where can i put this?• Where can i hide this?• What can i put in here? • Who can i give this to? • What can i hide?

Student Target Question

Opportunities Presented

Spontaneous Correct

Responses

Average Daily Verbal Prompting

Level

Adrian

What 2 1 x1 prompt

Where 1 0 x3 prompts

Who - - -

Kaleem

What 1 0 x2 prompts

Where 1 0 x2 prompts

Who 1 1 -

Sasha

What 3 1 x1 prompt

Where - - -

Who 1 0 x4 prompts

Daily Data Sheet: Day 2 of Teaching

Figure 4

THIRD EDITION 2010 • Autism AdvocAte 21 THIRD EDITION 2010 • Autism AdvocAte 21

functIonal coMMunIcatIon [FeATure

By anne overcash, M.ed., catherIne horton, M.s., ccc-slP, and andy Bondy, Ph.d.

Some individuals may be unable to communicate via speech. Others may use spoken

utterances that listeners cannot understand because they are unintelligible. Still, others are

unable to initiate communication because they do not understand that they have the power

to “go first” in a communicative exchange. The Picture Exchange Communication System

(PECS™) was developed to target all of these potential areas of difficulty.

Early PECS development began in 1985 at the Delaware Autism Program by Lori Frost,

M.S., CCC-SLP, and Andy Bondy, Ph.D. Frost and Bondy had implemented a variety of

traditional communication intervention strategies, but many students continued to struggle.

Co m m u N i C AT i o N i S A

S K i L L T h AT m A N y o F

u S TA K e F o r g r A N T e d.

h oW e v e r , F o r

P e r S o N S W i T h Au T i S m

S P eC T r u m d i S o r d e r S

(A S d) A N d/o r

r e L AT e d d i S A B i L i T i e S ,

Co m m u N i C AT i o N C A N

B e e x T r e m e Ly d i F F i C u LT

A N d F r u S T r AT i N g .

The Picture Exchange Communication System™helping individuals Gain Functional Communication

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Speech imitation techniques required many

prerequisite skills, including attention to

the therapist and the ability to imitate fine

motor movements necessary for speech

production. Sign language was also utilized

with many students. However, fine motor

difficulties often impacted the ability to sign

accurately, and many students developed

idiosyncratic signs. Also, most people do not

understand traditional sign language and

these unique signs were nearly impossible

for the unfamiliar listener to identify. Picture

point systems also had drawbacks, including

difficulty in pointing accurately or with clear

discrimination and pointing whether or not

a communicative partner was available. All

of these traditional systems relied on the

teacher/trainer to begin the interaction;

none specifically focused on teaching the

importance of initiating communication with

another individual. Realizing these limitations,

Frost and Bondy created a functional means of

communication proven successful for learners

with a variety of communicative challenges:

the Picture Exchange Communication System.

Pecs ProtocolThere are six phases of the PECS

protocol. The only prerequisite to PECS

implementation is identification of a

powerful reinforcer (an item or activity that

the individual really likes).

Phase I teaches the physical exchange of

a picture; no discrimination is required.

Rather, the focus is on teaching the

individual to initiate a communicative

interaction. By the end of Phase I, upon

seeing a desired item, the individual will

pick up a picture, reach the picture to the

hand of the communicative partner and

then release the picture into the open

hand. Research supports the use of two

trainers in this phase to minimize prompt

dependency by separating the source of

reward from the source of the prompts.

Phase II teaches distance and persistence.

Communication does not only take place

when a communicative partner is nearby

and waiting. As such, the communicative

partner and communication book are slowly

moved away from the individual until he

or she is able to travel across the room

to make a request. Additional aspects of

generalization are introduced, including a

variety of people, activities and locations.

Picture discrimination skills are

introduced at Phase III, first through

pairings of preferred and non-preferred

pictures. Specific error correction strategies

(such as the 4-Step Error Correction

Procedure) are utilized for any mistakes.

The 4-Step Error Correction Procedure,

developed by Bondy and Frost (2002)

initially for use within the PECS protocol,

also works well for any error within discrete

trial lessons. Following mastery with

pairings of preferred and non-preferred

pictures, discrimination between two

preferred pictures is introduced. Upon

continued success, the picture array

increases until the person is accurately

discriminating among all of the pictures in

the communication book.

Sentence structure is introduced at Phase

IV; the simple request will now consist of

the sentence starter “I want” + a picture

of the desired item/activity placed on

a Sentence Strip. The use of “sentence

starters” such as “I want,” “I see,” “I

hear,” “I have,” etc., will lead to eventual

differentiation between comments and

requests in Phase VI. The communicative

partner “reads” back the sentence strip

once it has been exchanged. A pause

between “I want” and the name of the

item/activity is utilized (referred to as a

constant time delay) to encourage and

facilitate speech/vocalizations. For any

speech attempts or speech approximations,

reward the student by providing a larger

amount of the requested reinforcer.

In other words, teach the student that

exchanging a picture and speaking is even

better than using picture exchange alone.

In Phase V, the PECS user is taught to

expand on basic skills with the addition of

attributes. Individuals often have particular

preferences within their reinforcers. An

individual may really like the large red

...teach the student that exchanging a picture and speaking is even better than using picture exchange alone.

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functIonal coMMunIcatIon [

therapy ball, but dislike the yellow one.

Using these preferences, a variety of

descriptive vocabulary can be introduced.

The teacher/trainer introduces a response

to the basic question, “What do you want?”

in this phase. The first four phases have

focused on teaching initiation. However,

responding to questions is an important skill

for everyone.

In Phase VI, individuals learn to make

comments on interesting stimuli in the

environment. Commenting lessons should

capture the student’s interest by introducing

sounds, sights or smells in stimulating and

creative ways. At the successful completion of

Phase VI, the individual will spontaneously

comment on novel occurrences in the

environment. At this time, the PECS user

should have mastery of a combination of

functional communication skills, including

spontaneous requests, responsive requests,

and responsive and spontaneous comments

(Frost & Bondy, 2002).

review of the literatureMany researchers have examined the overall

success of PECS implementation. Currently,

there are over 85 PECS-related publications.

Bondy and Frost (1994) reported the first

description of PECS, as well as outcome data

for 85 preschoolers with ASD attending a

public school setting. Of the 66 children who

began using PECS prior to age 5 and who

used PECS for at least one year, 39 students

transitioned to speech alone. Twenty-five

other students used a combination of speech

plus PECS.

Although PECS was originally developed

for young children with ASD, its use has

become much more widespread. PECS

can be an effective tool for individuals of

any age with communication difficulties.

As such, PECS has been successfully

implemented with individuals with varying

diagnoses across the age span. Most of the

current research has involved preschoolers

and elementary to high school-aged

children, although six studies have included

adults. The majority of studies have focused

on individuals with autism, while others

have involved individuals with global

developmental disabilities, including

cerebral palsy, blindness and deafness.

Across this age range and diversity of

disability issues, PECS has been highly

successful with regard to the development

of functional communication skills.

Regardless of age or disability, many

individuals often engage in Contextually

Inappropriate Behaviors (CIBs),

resulting from an overall inability to

communicate. Not surprisingly, when an

individual is given a functional means of

communication, many CIBs are greatly

ameliorated. Several research articles

have examined PECS implementation and

found subsequent decreases in the rates of

CIBs. For example, Charlop-Christy et al.

(2002) studied a series of behavior targets

(including tantrums, grabbing, out-of-seat

behavior and disruptive behaviors) for

three children with ASD in both academic

and play settings. Following PECS training,

they noted an overall reduction of 70

percent across behaviors and settings, with

complete elimination of the four targets.

Other studies have specifically examined

the effect of PECS implementation on

speech development. As mentioned

previously, Bondy and Frost first noted that

the majority of students in their 1994 study

transitioned from PECS to speech. Of the

current publications regarding PECS, at

least a dozen have specifically addressed

the issue of speech development. When

speech appears or is augmented after the

introduction of PECS, it is typically after

Phase IV, when the constant time delay

strategy is introduced that encourages

Pecs MaterIals

Because pECS is a low-tech or light-tech communication system, there is no costly equipment to purchase to begin implementation. however, materials (such as communication books/binders) must be prepared and properly maintained. Once reinforcers have been identified for the person, symbols for those items/activities must be created. Any symbol set will do, but we have found that most communication binders contain symbols from a variety of sets. We recommend choosing a symbol set that is readily available to the team, but be flexible enough to explore other sets in phase iii if the student struggles with picture discrimination.

following are some helpful tips for gathering and maintaining pECS materials:

•StartPhaseIwithpicturesthat are easily created. picture discrimination skills are not required prior to the introduction of pECS, so use what you have.

•WhencuttingVelcro™toaffixthe pictures, it is best to either coat the scissors with cooking spray or use Titanium scissors.

•Assignacommunicationmanager to ensure that pictures are created and communication books are maintained on a regular basis.

•Nevermakeonlyonepicture;itis often just as efficient to print and protect several of the same picture all at once.

•Photocopyeachpagefromthe communication book and compare the photocopy with the communication book on a weekly basis. This allows for the

contInued on Page 24


] functIonal coMMunIcatIon

and supports the use of speech along

with PECS. Recently, one conference

presentation noted that the use of this

strategy within Phase II also appeared

to encourage vocalizations, though this

finding needs to be replicated.

Of course, not all children with autism

will develop speech after the introduction

of PECS. This is also true for all

communication interventions. However,

a preliminary report by Schreibman

(2008) gives encouraging support to the

effectiveness of early introduction of PECS

to very young children (mean age of 2.5

years) who have 10 or fewer spoken words

upon entry into the study. This multi-year,

multi-site study randomly assigned

children to receive either PECS training or

Pivotal Response Training (PRT), a direct

speech approach with over 20 years of

research supporting its effectiveness. After

six months of intense training, including

parent training and support, those children

in the PECS group produced just as many

spoken words in as many children as those

in the PRT group. Although, the full project

needs to be published in a peer-review

format before long-term conclusions can

be drawn, the preliminary report appears

very supportive of the broad effectiveness

of PECS use.

For those individuals who do not develop

speech, many transition to a high-tech

speech-generating device (SGD). Once the

individual has mastered sentence structure

and begins using multiple attribute

concepts, the team should consider

transitioning the person to an SGD that

has the capacity to store this extensive

vocabulary. In a review of the literature

concerning PECS and SGDs, both strategies

appeared to effectively lead to functional

communication.

Over the past 25 years, PECS has gained

worldwide popularity. Currently, there

are PECS/Pyramid offices in 9 different

countries with over 22,000 participants

annually receiving workshop training.

PECS trainings have been conducted in

over 60 countries and the Second Edition

PECS Training Manual© is available in 8

languages. Current research indicates that

PECS is clearly an effective functional

communication system for individuals with

communicative difficulties. In addition,

research supports the finding that PECS

implementation results in increased speech

production and social interactions for many

individuals, as well as noted decreases in

challenging behaviors.

ReferencesBondy, A., & Frost, L. (1994). The Picture

Exchange Communication System. Focus

on Autistic Behavior, 9, 1-19.

Charlop-Christy, M.H., Carpenter, M., Le,

L., LeBlanc, L., & Kelley, K. (2002). Using

the Picture Exchange Communication

System (PECS) with children with autism:

Assessment of PECS acquisition, speech,

social-communicative behavior, and

problem behaviors. Journal of Applied

Behavior Analysis, 35, 213-231.

Frost, L., & Bondy, A. (2002). The Picture

Exchange Communication System training

manual, 2nd ed. Pyramid Educational

Consultants, Inc.

Schreibman, L. (2008). One size does not

fit all: Developing individualized treatment

protocols for children with autism.

Association for Behavior Analysis Newsletter,

31(3):40-43.

About the Authors anne overcash, M.ed., catherIne horton, M.s., ccc-slP, and andy Bondy, Ph.d.

Anne Overcash, M.Ed., has worked with individuals with ASD for nearly 20 years. She currently conducts a variety of training workshops and provides consultation to families and professionals for Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc. For more information, visit www.pecs.com.

Catherine Horton, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who has worked in a variety of settings prior to joining Pyramid. Currently, she conducts training workshops on many topics and provides consultation services to parents and professionals.

Andy Bondy, Ph.D., is the co-developer of PECS and co-founder of Pyramid Educational Consultants. He has worked with individuals with ASD and those who care for and teach them for over 40 years.

replacement of missing pictures and the addition of new ones.

•Placeawhiteboardinastrategiclocation so that when new interests are discovered, you can easily make a note of it and make the relevant pictures later.

•Storeextrapicturesorpicturesthat have not yet been taught by category in laminated file folders, recipe boxes, small plastic drawers or thread/bead boxes, baseball card holders in binders or small pocket charts.

•BesurethescissorsandVelcroare always “at the ready” for creating extra pictures.

contInued froM Page 23


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] teachIng language

By Marla d. saltzMan, M.a., BcBa, and Kathleen Kelly

It is not enough to teach children what a

word means; we have to teach them how

to ask for what they want, comment on

the world around them, answer questions

and have conversations. We want our

kids to communicate for the right reasons

and for this communication to be natural

and spontaneous. To help children with

autism learn to communicate effectively,

we must look not only at what they are

saying, but why they are saying it. In

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we call

this why the function. This article will

discuss the various functions of language,

a behavioral approach to language

assessment and intervention, and why

this approach is useful.

ABA is the field dedicated to applying

the principles of behavior, discovered

through scientific research, to changing

behavior for the purpose of improving the

lives of individuals. Behavior is defined

as anything a person says or does, and the

job of behavior analysts is to understand

why a behavior is occurring. In order

to analyze and understand the function

d e F i C i T S i N Co m m u N i C AT i o N S K i L L S C A N B e o N e o F T h e B i g g e S T

C h A L L e N g e S , N oT o N Ly F o r C h i L d r e N W i T h Au T i S m , B u T F o r T h e i r

PA r e N T S , S i B L i N g S , C A r e g i v e r S , T e AC h e r S A N d T h e r A P i S T S A S W e L L .

A Behavioral Approach to Teaching Languagewhat it is and why it’s Useful

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] teachIng language

of certain behavior, behavior analysts

examine the behavior in relation to the

environment; specifically, what is occurring

immediately before a behavior occurs (the

antecedent) and what consequence follows

the behavior. By understanding under

which circumstances a behavior is likely

to occur, we can create environments that

foster learning and skill acquisition (i.e.,

increase positive behaviors) and decrease

undesirable behaviors. This is an especially

empowering and encouraging point of

view for parents and educators faced with

the challenge of teaching children with

language delays.

common scenariosLanguage is divided into two categories:

what the child understands, or receptive

language; and what a child says, or expressive

language. Children with language delays

often exhibit deficits in one or both of these

areas, and educators are then faced with the

responsibility to design programs to teach

these skills. Therefore, it is common to see

goals in a child’s Individualized Education

Plan (IEP), such as, “Tyler will increase his

vocabulary to include 200 words” or “Julia

will speak in 2- to 3-word phrases.” These

are, of course, worthwhile goals, but they do

not tell us about the circumstances in which

the child should be able to communicate.

For example, if a child learns to say 200 new

words when he or she is shown an object and

asked, “What’s this?” we would say the first

sample IEP goal mentioned above was met.

What we would not know is whether this

child would be able to say any of these new

words in other types of situations.

For example, a child may be able to repeat

the word “spoon” after hearing someone say

“spoon” or upon seeing a spoon at the dinner

table, and may be able to follow an instruction

to get their spoon. However, we may

observe later when the child wants to eat his

ice-cream and has no spoon that he is unable

to ask for a spoon, and instead begins to cry,

scream or hit. In this example, even though it

appears that the child “knows” what a spoon

is, he is not able to appropriately ask when

he needs a spoon.

Scenarios such as these are encountered

by parents and educators on a daily basis,

and suggest that a behavioral account of

language may useful for assessing and

teaching communication to children

with autism and other developmental


teachIng language [

disabilities. In addition, the result of

over 25 years of scientific research with

both children with autism and typically

developing children tells us that oftentimes,

children, especially early language learners,

will not automatically say words they have

learned given new circumstances (e.g.,

Lerman et al., 2005; Miguel, Petursdottir,

& Carr, 2005; Partington & Bailey, 1993).

Therefore, to communicate effectively, it is

often not enough for a child to simply learn

the meaning of a word; they must know

how and when to use it.

a Behavioral approach to teaching communicationAs stated before, behavior is anything

a person says or does; therefore, from a

behavior analytic perspective, language is

behavior. In 1957, Harvard psychologist B.F.

Skinner wrote a book titled Verbal Behavior,

in which he categorized what is commonly

referred to as expressive language

according to its function or purpose. That

is, Skinner was interested in why people say

things. This analysis of language has since

proven to be very useful in helping behavior

analysts and other educators develop

procedures to teach language to children

with autism.

Skinner identified four functionally

independent categories of verbal responses,

also known as verbal operants: 1) The

Mand, 2) The Tact, 3) The Echoic and 4)

The Intraverbal. In each case, the form

is the same (e.g., “spoon”); however, the

function or the circumstance under which

the word is emitted is very different.

The Mand. In simplest terms, a mand is

a request for an item, action, activity,

information or the cessation of something.

The mand is always preceded by states of

deprivation (i.e., wanting to gain access to

something) or aversive stimulation (i.e.,

wanting something stopped or removed).

The mand usually specifies what the

individual wants and is generally followed

by someone getting what they want or

removing something they do not want.

Following is an example:

A child wants candy, so she asks for candy by saying, “candy” (or signing, “candy” or handing an adult a picture of candy), and she gets candy. in this example, the mand is, “candy.” Not having any candy (deprivation) and wanting candy evokes the response, “candy,” and results in getting candy.

Typically developing children mand

numerous times each day; however,

children with language delays may not

make these types of responses without

specific training. Failure to mand

often leads to children getting items

or attention through engaging in other

types of behavior (usually unwanted or

challenging behaviors, such as crying,

tantrums or aggression) in order to get

their needs and wants met. As such,

mand assessment and training is widely

considered a good starting point when

teaching communication skills (Koegel

& Koegel, 1995; Sundberg & Michael,

2001). Many successful interventions

have focused on first teaching mands as

appropriate communicative alternatives to

inappropriate behaviors (e.g., asking for a

spoon instead of crying or hitting).

The Tact. In simplest terms, a tact is

naming or describing something that

comes in contact with one of the five

...behavior is anything a person says or does; therefore, from a behavior analytic perspective, language is behavior.

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] teachIng language

senses—what someone sees, hears, feels,

smells or tastes. At first glance, the tact

may easily be confused with a mand.

However, it is important to understand

that the verbal response, although it may

be in the same form as a mand, is not

occurring because the person wants to

gain access to something. Instead, the

person is simply stating or describing what

they are encountering in their immediate

environment, resulting in some form of

acknowledgement or attention from others

around them. Following is an example:

A child who has candy sees a boy at the park who is also eating candy. She says, “Candy,” “look, candy” or “That boy is eating candy too.” mom says, “That’s right! That boy is eating candy.” in this example, the child says, “candy” not because the child has no candy and wants candy. Rather, she says, “candy” because she sees someone else eating candy. The consequence that follows: mom’s attention and acknowledgement that she is correct!

It is important for children with autism and

language delays to learn to spontaneously

tact (i.e., comment) on their environment.

Without this important skill, a child is

unable to engage in the kind of social

exchange illustrated in this example. Tacts

allow us to verbally share our experiences

with others and are an important

component of conversational language.

The Echoic. In simplest terms, an echoic is

simply repeating exactly what he or she

hears (i.e., echoing). For example, hearing

someone say “candy” and then saying,

“candy.” Having echoic behavior is essential

for learning to say words, vocabulary and

foreign languages. Echoic behavior is a

foundational skill necessary for meaningful

vocal verbal behavior to develop.

The Intraverbal. Intraverbal behavior is

defined as a verbal response to a verbal

stimulus (i.e., what someone else says)

that is not the same as the stimulus.

For example, hearing someone else say,

“Ready, set….,” and then saying, “Go!” Or

when asked, “How are you?” responding,

“Great!” Much of elementary and secondary

education focuses on teaching intraverbal

behavior. For example, students are

expected to learn to answer numerous

questions across subjects, such as, “What’s

9 x 5?” “Define ‘volcano’” and “Who was

the first president of the United States?”

what to teach: Behavioral language assessmentSo, why is a behavioral classification of

language useful and how does it relate to

teaching our children? By understanding

how and why verbal responses occur, we

are able to thoroughly assess a child’s

language skills across the verbal operants

(i.e., the mand, tact, echoic, intraverbal)

rather than simply assessing a child’s

expressive and receptive language. In

Echoic behavior is a foundational skill necessary for meaningful vocal verbal behavior to develop.

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Which treatments hold the most promise?

Which research studies are yielding break-

throughs today? Are children and adults on

the autism spectrum receiving the support

they need? It’s questions like these that have

driven tens of thousands of people

living with autism to join together online

to give researchers and policy makers the

information they need to find the answers

and improve lives. It’s called the Interactive

Autism Network and it’s the nation’s largest

online autism research effort. Already, it’s increased our knowledge

of the disorder, matched qualified participants with research studies,

and created a resource for anyone who wants evidence-based

information on the latest treatments and findings.

We all have questions. Together, we’ll find answers.

Join today at IANproject.org

Linking autism researchers and families

Who Can Participate?

All children under the age of 18 in the United States who have been diagnosed with an ASD by a professional are eligible to participate. The child must be enrolled in IAN Research by a biological or an adoptive parent who is legally authorized to provide consent. Once a research profile is created, other eligible family members may participate, including other biological/adoptive parents and any full or half-siblings (under the age of 18). All adults in the United States who have been diagnosed with an ASD by a professional are eligible to participate. Adults with an ASD who are able to provide consent for themselves may create their own research profile and then add additional eligible family members, including any biological/adoptive children (under the age of 18) and any other parents of these children. Adults with an ASD who are not able to provide consent must be enrolled in IAN Research by a legally authorized representative (such as a guardian). Once a research profile is created, other eligible family members may participate, including biological and/or adoptive parents of the individual with an ASD. ASD diagnoses that are included in IAN Research are: Autism or Autistic Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Principal Investigator: Paul Law, MD MPHContact: [email protected] IRB#: NA_00002750

Volunteer for Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders

IAN, the Interactive Autism Network at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, is looking for volunteers to participate in an online research study. To participate individuals and their families will answer questions online about themselves. The study’s purpose is to increase knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and help find effective treatments. IAN will also match willing individuals and families affected by ASDs with local and national research projects.

Join over 30,000 people who aren’t content to sit and wait

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A web project of Kennedy Krieger Institute • Sponsored by Autism Speaks

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] teachIng language

About the Authors Marla d. saltzMan, M.a., BcBa, and Kathleen Kelly

Marla D. Saltzman, M.A., BCBA, is the Co-founder and Clinical Director of Autism Behavior Intervention (ABI) in north Los Angeles, and is adjunct faculty at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles.

Kathleen Kelly is a Program Supervisor and Research and Development Supervisor at ABI. She is currently completing her master’s degree in counseling with an ABA emphasis at the California State University, Los Angeles.

addition, we are able to design language

intervention programs that directly focus

on teaching the skills missing from the

child’s verbal repertoire.

A behavioral language assessment provides

information, not only about deficits in

language form (e.g., nouns, prepositions,

plurals), but also language function (e.g.,

mands, tacts, intraverbals). The assessment

process combined with what research

has taught us about the development of

language in typically developing children

provides us with a guide for creating

language intervention programs that target

skills that are developmentally appropriate

for the child. Such an assessment allows

us to focus on basic/fundamental skills

first (e.g., requesting/manding) and then

gradually teaching more complex skills

(e.g., conversational skills/intraverbals) by

building upon the foundational skills in a

developmentally appropriate, sequential

manner.

how to teach: the Behavioral approachIt is not only important to identify what

to teach, but also how to teach it. A

behavioral approach to teaching language

offers both. It does not merely tell us

what the child can or cannot do given

certain circumstances, but it provides the

information educators need to establish

certain behaviors missing from a child’s

repertoire.

For example, when teaching mands, we

often make simple changes to a child’s

environment to provide opportunities for

the child to mand. If we have determined

through assessment that a child cannot

ask for objects or activities that he or

she wants or needs, and likes ice-cream,

for example, we may present ice-cream

without a spoon and provide a prompt

for the child to say, “spoon.” When he

does, we then provide a spoon. Similarly,

if assessment has revealed that a child

cannot ask for information (e.g., “Where’s

my juice?”), we may place juice out of the

child’s view and then contrive a situation

to make it likely that the child will want

to know the location of her juice (e.g., by

offering the child a snack or asking her

to, “Get your juice”). If needed, after the

child has looked for the juice, we can

provide a prompt for the child to say,

“Where’s the juice?” When she does,

we can then divulge its location so that

the child can find it. Over time, these

prompts are then faded so that our kids

learn to spontaneously ask for what they

want and need.

A common concern of parents and

educators is that their child/student

“knows” a lot of words; however, they

never spontaneously use language. By

analyzing language from a behavioral

perspective, we take into consideration

the circumstances under which responses

usually occur, identify targets that are

functional and meaningful to the child in

their everyday life, and create situations in

which the child can learn to spontaneously

emit these responses. A behavioral

approach to teaching language provides us

with an effective and efficient way to teach,

thus significantly improving the lives of

children with autism and their families.

References available from authors upon

request.

A behavioral language assessment provides information, not only about deficits in language form... but also language function...

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What is perceived as a simple task to

most of us can be an arduous undertaking

for those families dealing with autism

spectrum disorders (ASD), especially when

it comes to social communication skills.

The child with ASD rarely has the impulse

control to be able to maintain appropriate

behavior in social situations.

The reason for this lack of the control

is quite simple. When one is in an

environment that contains a variety of

preferred items, such as a grocery store,

the ability to refrain from reaching out

for these items can be quite difficult. On

top of this is the sensory overload that

can occur as a result of bright fluorescent

lights, the swishing sound of automatic

doors opening and closing, and the squeak

of grocery carts as they are pushed around

the store. This does not even take into

account the task of navigating the parking

lot to enter the store in the first place! In

such a situation, we would be asking a bit

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The chances of knowing a person or family

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much of an individual with an ASD to then

display excellent behavioral control and

lack of impulsivity when they are being

bombarded simultaneously by all of the

stimuli mentioned above.

The truth of the matter is we expect that all

children should behave in a similar fashion

when out in the community. Parents of

children on the spectrum often have to

endure cruel stares and hushed comments

from others when their children engage in

unwanted behavior in community settings.

Most of these parents just “grin and bear

it,” but some have adopted unique styles to

deal with these frustrating events. I knew

a father who once made a special t-shirt

that read “stop staring” on the front of his

shirt. The back of the shirt read, “My son

has autism; you can help by not staring

and offering to donate to your local autism

charity.” It may not be the most politically

correct way to share this message, but

the point is made with great clarity. The

thought that I am trying to communicate

is that social problems and communication

are core deficits inherent in autism. Parents

should not have to worry about how people

in the community might react if they see

an angry outburst or an emotional struggle.

They should be able to devote all of their

emotional resources towards helping their

child in the moment. It is well known

that once children are back in their home

environment, they are more comfortable

and less likely to engage in behavior that

can be problematic in the community.

accessing the world virtuallyInteractions and aspects of their

environment that promote learning

new skills and the interpretation of the

world through their own unique vision

can contribute to children’s comfort and

tranquility.

One of the preferred means of accessing

the world around them is the television or

computer. It is a highly valued activity for

many individuals with ASD. The images

and steady flow of auditory stimulation

that come from these sources can be

controlled at will and experiences can be

selected to coincide with the child’s special

interests. In a way, it is tantamount to

being able to turn your world of experience

on and off at whim. The documented

strengths in memory and ability to use

visual information more effectively than

information obtained via other senses

serves as a strong evidence base from

which to incorporate a visual strategy

into social skills training for individuals

with autism (Janzen, 2003). Even brief

observations of children with ASD

demonstrate the repetitive nature with

which they select video and audio clips, and

their intense focus as they take in scenes

on their television or computer. However,

if the computer screen or television

were replaced by a live human being, the

constant contact, repetitive interest and

on-task behavior would likely disappear

quickly. Because of the effectiveness of this

medium in engaging individuals on the

Parents should not have to worry about how people in the community might react if they see an angry outburst or an emotional struggle.

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A virtual visit to a dentist’s office helps ease fears.


socIal sKIlls [

spectrum, a new approach to addressing

social anxiety capitalizes on computer-

based media.

the allure of video gamesA recent article on the use of a computer

software program to address social skills

issues in the ASD population underscores

a new wave of training opportunities

(Guercio, 2009). By using the computer

screen and functionally related tasks to

garner the attention of individuals on the

spectrum, researchers are starting to unfold

the possibilities that may lie deeper within

the technical world to provide functional

treatment for individuals on the autism

spectrum. Those on the spectrum often

describe their uncanny ability to engage in

video games and computer interaction for

hours.

In his book Finding Kansas (2008), Aaron

Likens describes his relentless desire to

“defeat” a video game when he encounters

it. He is currently ranked number one in

the world in several racing games. To the

casual observer, this fascination with games

seems reasonable to a degree, but to the

clinician, parent or researcher, a number

of questions come to mind. Why are these

games so enthralling? Why do they absorb

the complete attention of those who play

them, especially those with ASD? Likens

gives us some clues that can help us better

understand the video-autism connection.

The ability to know with some level of

certainty what the future holds can be

very important to many people, especially

to those on the spectrum. Likens (2008)

describes how the allure of video

games centers on their patterns and

predictability. There is a given set of rules

that accompanies all games. The process

of playing these games involves a series of

steps that eventually lead to either positive

or negative outcomes. Behavior analysts

would call these games the perfect behavior

modification tool. The shaping protocol

that is used is very effective; responses that

are effective are reinforced and maintained,

while those that result in loss of life, points,

vehicular crashes or other disincentives

are selected out. The end result is that the

individual is “trained to criteria” on that

particular game. In essence, the positive

feedback obtained from doing the right

things in the game are rewarded and

occur more frequently. At the same time,

responses that produce loss of points or

other negative outcomes are decreased.

Likens looks at these games in a different

light—one that is colored by his experience

of being on the spectrum (he is a 26-year-

old male with Asperger’s syndrome). His

revelations about video game play and its

role in the lives of many individuals on

the spectrum help us to understand this

attraction.

As mentioned above, video games have a set

of rules that the player must follow. These

rules are immutable and specific. Therein

lies the attraction for individuals on the

spectrum. With a rigid set of rules, there

can be no abstract thought, no uncertainty;

everything is laid out in a predictable

pattern that one can easily discern and

navigate. Employing visual information to

teach a point is one of the most effective

ways to instruct individuals with autism

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Likens (2008) describes how the allure of video games centers on their patterns and predictability.


] socIal sKIlls

Brothers share a bonding moment.

(Schneider & Goldstein, 2010). There

is a clear start and finish to computer-

based activities. The ability to anticipate

when virtual communication of visual

information is completed is much simpler

than trying to do this in a conversation.

learning social skills via the computerSocial situations can be quite problematic

for individuals on the autism spectrum.

Each social interaction that a person with

ASD experiences is like a math problem

without a solution. There is no such thing

as a written or implied set of rules that

applies to every situation. This leaves life

very unpredictable. For individuals who

value sameness, surprises are aversive.

Practicing social skills in a one-on-one

manner (which is typical of many social

skills treatment approaches) can be a

punishing experience for individuals

on the spectrum. An alternative to this

method is integrating the love of visual

media into the training process.

This is where building computerized

virtual models of specific social

environments can be a valuable treatment

tool in social skills instruction. Similar

approaches to instruction in the field

of autism, such as video modeling and

training, have been in place for a number of

years. These approaches are labeled visual

support systems (Charlop & Milstein,

1989). Though the name may sound

elaborate, the strategies are not. Various

social skills protocols employ visual

supports in the form of video modeling to

perform the social skills being targeted.

The medium used to teach is one that is

valued, making the task less challenging

and increasing performance and skill

acquisition as a result. The models can

be based on specific social situations

that individuals with autism experience

on a daily basis. Each model allows the

person to “walk” through a scenario on

the computer screen and describe what

they would do or say given the situation

depicted on the screen. Training then

takes place by providing feedback on the

computer screen through virtual models of

people with whom the individual typically

interacts as depicted above.

anxiety Management: using google sketchup for Pre-InstructionSome children and adults with an ASD

get very anxious in unfamiliar, stressful

situations. Using 3-D software, created

by Google, called SketchUp, parents,

educators and even individuals on the

spectrum can design virtual environments

to show people with ASD what to expect

before they encounter the real situation.

The example above focuses on a visit to the

dentist, but similar stress can occur when

moving to a new classroom, attending

a new summer camp, getting a haircut,

visiting a store, etc. By creating and

“walking through” a model of the situation

ahead of time, an individual with ASD can

“rehearse” the event; therefore, becoming

more familiar with, and better prepared

for, what he or she will encounter.

Once the individual has mastered the skill

on the computer screen, they are then

ready to proceed to practicing the skill in

the real world.

This approach makes a great deal of

practical sense since the different social

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socIal sKIlls [ The Glenholme SchoolA Devereux Center

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situations that individuals with autism encounter can be

depicted. Hagiwara and Myles (1999) have incorporated Social

Stories™, visual symbols and computer-based instruction in

a multimedia training package. The main difference with this

program is that the practice of the appropriate skill is done

with the help of computer models that serve as a reinforcing

(rewarding) teaching tool as opposed to learning these skills

in circumscribed scenarios. The skills being taught may be the

same, but the medium by which the teaching takes place makes

the acquisition easier due to diminished levels of anxiety. In this

age of video games, three- dimensional televisions and movies,

and other digital media, it makes good sense to incorporate

the wave of the future to address the social communication

challenges of today in the autism spectrum population.

ReferencesCharlop, M.H., & Milstein, J.P. (1989). Teaching autistic children

conversational speech using video modeling. Journal of Applied

Behavior Analysis, 22(3): 275-285.

Guercio, J.M. (2009). Digital social skills training: Bringing social

skills training into the digital age. Autism Link, 33,125-128.

Hagiwara, T., & Myles, B.S. (1999). A multimedia Social Story

intervention: Teaching skills to children with autism. Focus on

Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 14, 82-95.

Janzen, J.E. (2003). Understanding autism: A guide to the autism

spectrum disorders. San Antonio, Texas: PsychCorp.

Likens, A. (2008). Finding Kansas: Decoding the enigma of

Asperger’s Syndrome. Mustang, Okla.: Tate Publishing Company.

Schneider, N., & Goldstein, H. (2010). Using Social Stories and

visual schedules to improve socially appropriate behaviors in

children with autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions,

12(3): 149-160.

About the Author John guercIo, Ph.d., BcBa-d, cBIst

John Guercio, Ph.D., BCBA-D, CBIST, is Vice President of Clinical Services and Research at TouchPoint Autism Services (formerly the Judevine Center for Autism), which serves more than 2,500 families annually. He previously worked as the Program Director for the Personal Intervention Program at the Center for Comprehensive Services. He received his degrees from the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.


] sPeech theraPy

FeATure

Get Out of the Officespeech therapy in Natural environments


By erIn weIner, M.s., ccc-slP

While this common method is effective

in some cases, the problem is that many

people on the spectrum face their

most difficult challenges during social

interactions in their everyday lives. For this

reason, many people who are diagnosed

with autism spectrum disorders are better

served when speech-language pathologists

work with them in their natural

environments. Instead of asking clients to

come into an office, this new approach calls

for visiting clients in their homes, schools

and work places. By doing so, the therapist

is able to help clients deal with real-world

situations as they occur.

To be sure, there are certain instances

in which the traditional approach may

still be best. The office setting can act like

a pair of training wheels, allowing clients

to practice skills that they can transfer to a

natural environment. And older clients may

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] sPeech theraPy

FeATure

be uncomfortable with a therapist visiting

them in their workplaces and thus prefer

the privacy of an office. While the natural

environment approach is a relatively new

method, and therefore not well researched,

my experience in the field has convinced me

that it is the preferable way to work with most

people on the spectrum, regardless of age.

Benefits of the natural environment approach One defining characteristic of people on

the autism spectrum of all age groups is

that they have a difficult time with social

interactions. Social skills cannot be taught

like math. Asking clients to memorize

scripts can be useful as a stepping stone, but

it will not teach skills that are applicable in

the real world. The only true way to make

sure a skill is generalized is to teach it in a

variety of settings, and then practice it over

and over again. It is one thing to talk about a

past incident, but it is far better to be there

to intervene when something happens. At

the same time, when speech therapists are

in the natural environment, it also allows

them to coordinate with the entire team

of specialists who work with those on the

spectrum, and involve the family, peers and

community in the learning process.

Once liberated from an office, there is no

limit to where therapy sessions can be

conducted. Even a setting as ordinary as

a grocery store can prove to be a useful

environment for working with those on the

spectrum. Some clients have no difficulty

locating items, but what if they cannot

find something? The therapist can use this

situation as an opportunity to have the

client try to locate a store employee for help.

During the interaction, the therapist can

assist the client with formulating a question

and asking it at the proper volume level.

The store is also a great opportunity to work

on greeting others. For instance, when it is

time to pay, the client can be reminded to

say “thank you” to the cashier.

Beyond the general reasons why natural

environment treatment is preferable,

there are reasons why it works for specific

populations.

natural environments and children Children visiting a speech pathologist’s

office are often forced to sit at a table during

the session; however, it is very difficult for

a child with sensory processing disorder

to sit for long periods of time. Working

with such clients in their home or at a local

playground is much less confining and helps

put them at ease.

School gets more difficult as students get

older, and the amount of homework kids are

assigned these days can be overwhelming.

Kids who need speech therapy often require

other services, such as occupational therapy.

Between all of these appointments and

schoolwork, they do not have much time to

be kids. By conducting therapy in a more

natural setting, it can actually be fun, and

it is easier to involve family, friends and

neighbors–a crucial aspect of childhood

development. During the sessions, the

therapist can create situations to help

the kids practice the skills they have just

learned.

The therapist can organize activities, such

as watching DVDs, playing on a Slip ‘n Slide

or jumping on a trampoline, and invite other

kids over. This helps establish the client as

living in a “fun house” where other children

enjoy hanging out. It is a wonderful

opportunity for kids on the spectrum to

learn how to interact with others.

Regular office visits can be especially taxing

for the parents of children on the spectrum.

Because speech therapy is just one aspect of

coaching people on the spectrum, parents

are pulled in many directions. Driving their

kids to all of these appointments can mean

hours on the road each week to see the best

professionals in the field. Families often

find themselves spending more time in their

cars than they do in their own homes and

backyards playing or cooking.

By conducting therapy in a more natural setting, it can actually be fun, and it is easier to involve family, friends and neighbors...

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sPeech theraPy [

easing the Burden on Parents Parents of children on the spectrum are also

under a tremendous amount of emotional

and financial stress, and as a result, they

can feel socially isolated. Often, the only

people they meet are other mothers in the

waiting room at the therapy center rather

than neighbors at the local park or a kid’s

soccer game. The demands of taking care

of kids who need services on a regular basis

overrides everything else in the parents’ life.

The natural environment approach in which

the speech therapists come to them is one

way to help ease the burden.

I worked with one parent who was

concerned that her five-year-old son was

crying and experiencing meltdowns while

being driven places. He was also having

difficulty transitioning between activities

and was expressing anxiety over unexpected

changes to his schedule. Over the course

of treating her son, I observed that while

he was able to make comments, he had not

yet developed the ability to ask questions.

To address the problem, I gave her a series

of cards to play a game with the child. On

the front of a card, it said, “I’m going to do

something,” and that triggered the child to

read the back of the card, and ask, “What?”

Another card had the words, “I’m going

to go somewhere” on front, and “Where?”

on back. At first, I trained her to practice

these exchanges at home, while engaging in

motivating activities with her child. Once he

had mastered the skill at home, I instructed

the mother to bring those cards with her in

the car and to the different places they went.

Sure enough, after a few weeks, the child

began asking questions without the cards,

and the questions evolved into fully formed

sentences such as, “Where are we going?”

and “What are we doing?” As a result, his

anxiety and meltdowns subsided, and he was

able to smoothly transition among the day’s

activities without a fuss.

how teens can Benefit from group social outings Currently, there is a lack of speech services

for teens on the spectrum even though

they need the same practice with social

interactions as younger kids and adults.

Most speech pathologists work with kids

from birth until 10 years old and sometimes

until they turn 12. A lot of teens do not want

the stigma of going to an office and are tired

of going to the same place year after year.

Yet, teens still need to be receiving therapy.

Therefore, the natural environment method

is especially helpful in these cases.

What teens really want is to get out and

engage in activities that interest them. Some

teens may have a difficult time making

friends and have different interests from

most of their peers. That is why group

outings with a speech therapist are a great

way to place teens with people who have

a common interest while allowing the

therapist to observe where any breakdowns

in communication occur. A bowling alley,

for instance, is a good place for a lesson on

sportsmanship, teamwork and respecting

others. This type of social group therapy is

much more beneficial than the old-fashioned

way of taking a group of kids on the

spectrum and placing them in a room to talk

about potential social situations they might

encounter, based on scripts. It is also a good

way to prevent teens on the spectrum from

staying glued to their computers looking for

friends on social networking sites, which is a

common complaint among parents.

how adults can Benefit from the natural environment As those on the spectrum move into

adulthood, some may continue to encounter

difficulty with social interactions requiring

more intensive intervention. In these cases,

adults would still benefit from supervised

group events. Outings such as visits to the

movies, Renaissance fairs and rock climbing

trips can all facilitate social development

based on common interests.

For those on the spectrum who are gainfully

employed and successfully married with

kids, yet still need simple refinements to their

social skills, they may be more comfortable

with the traditional office-based approach.

Speech-language pathologists still have a

long way to go in identifying the goals and

social skill sets they need to teach adults on

the spectrum who can experience significant

difficulty with marriage, dating and even

making friends.

Over time, we have developed a more

nuanced understanding of the challenges

those on the spectrum face, both with

pragmatics and social interactions. It is only

fitting that our method of working with this

population adapts to that new understanding,

which is why speech-language pathologists

should embrace the natural environment

approach.

About the Author erIn weIner, M.s., ccc-slP

Erin Weiner, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist serving the Washington, D.C., metro area. She is certified by the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed by the states of Maryland, Virginia and Florida. She can be reached at [email protected].


] conversatIon BasIcs

FeATureFeATure

By Kerry Mehaffey Mataya, M.ed.

Communication is an

essential life skill that

allows an individual to make

friends, maintain friendships,

succeed in an interview and maintain

employment. Effective conversations

enable people to get their needs met

and ideas heard, as well as making

others around them comfortable. Although

conversations might come naturally for

many, they are generally a challenge for

individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS).

When I first started teaching conversation

skills to people with AS, I worked with both

individuals and groups in both school and

after-school settings. Individual settings

were more difficult because to practice

Conversation Basicssimplifying how we teach Conversation

C o N v e r S AT i o N S TA K e

P L A C e W h e N T W o o r m o r e

P e o P L e C o m m u N i C AT e

W i T h e A C h oT h e r .

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conversation there really needs to be an

extra communication partner. We were

able to role play, but were not often able

to re-create the anxiety of relating to an

unfamiliar face or a peer.

In social skills groups, I started teaching

students using lesson plans from books

geared toward those with AS. In our

groups, we typically had between four and

six students with AS per session. To be

honest, during most sessions, I heard at

least one student say, “This is boring” or

“I already know this.” At that time, I felt

like I was prompting every interaction. I

also felt like there were too many rules for

students to remember and did not see the

progress that I wanted to see. Unless the

group went over the previous lesson, that

lesson became a distant memory the next

week and was not necessarily generalized

to real life.

I knew that most individuals with AS

were not efficient at multi-tasking and had

high levels of anxiety in social situations.

It was crazy for me to ask my students to

remember lots of rules while in a high-

stress situation (having a conversation with

someone they hardly knew).

Many individuals with AS enjoy talking

to younger children or older adults. If you

think about it, most children do not put a

lot of emphasis on talking because they are

too busy playing. Many adults can keep a

conversation going by asking questions or

telling related stories during silences to

keep tension from building. At the time,

my clients did not know what to do when

talking to a peer.

Different styles work for different

therapists, teachers and parents. I knew I

needed to do something that worked for

me and my students. I felt pretty confident

in my ability to converse with others,

but it was difficult to pinpoint exactly

how I engaged in effective interactions.

Conversation came naturally to me, so it

was hard to explain it to others. I wanted to

come up with a simple protocol to simplify

teaching conversation to my students.

For many weeks, I spent a lot of time

observing others at restaurants and

watching television to figure out what

people were doing during conversations.

Instead of listening to the conversation

itself, I would ask myself, “What are they

doing?” One night, it hit me. All people

really do in conversation is three things: ask

questions, tell stories and make comments.

I named my new protocol Conversation

Basics.

the components of conversation BasicsConversation Basics is an instructional

tool that provides a concrete structure for

understanding the content of conversation.

The balance of the three components is

what makes a conversation work. Listening

is also a key component to conversing with

others; however, it is an integral part of all

three of the content areas. How can you

know what to ask or how to comment if you

are not listening?

For initial instruction, Conversation Basics

is effective in both 1:1 or small group

settings. Once the concepts are learned,

they can be used in 1:1, small group or large

group instruction.

The three content areas encompass the

following:

1�Asking Questions. Questions are

typically asked using an interrogative

sentence often beginning with who,

what, when, where, why and how.

Questions can also begin with a

statement such as, “Tell me about

your…” Most questions elicit a response

from the other person to gain some type

of information. A rhetorical question is

the only type of question that does not

need a reply. Follow-up questions are

used to ask about what a person has just

said. Follow-up questions can be very

effective at maintaining a conversation

and showing interest. However, if you

ask too many questions, you can be seen

as interrogating the other person.

2� Telling Stories. Stories outline a

sequence of events (past, present, future

or hypothetical). Stories will vary in

length depending on the details of the

event. Some stories relay many events,

whereas others detail one event. Related

stories are a specific kind of story that

relates to the topic of the conversation.

Stories can be an effective way to

maintain a conversation because they

take up the bulk of the conversation

time. However, stories that go on for

too long can be seen as monologuing

and a conversation killer. Students

sometimes make up stories and might

need additional help to detail events

that are true.

3� Making Comments. A comment is a

remark made up of a single word or

phrase. Comments are usually used

for the purpose of contributing a

quick thought or observation, showing

conversation Basics

1Asking Questions

2 Telling Stories

3Making Comments



interest or making a connection with

what is being said. If done at the right

time, a comment can be an important

contribution to a conversation. If done

at the wrong time, a comment can be

seen as interrupting. Students should be

careful to use more than just comments

in a conversation. If you use only

comments, the other person may think

you are not listening or do not care

about the conversation.

getting started When I first start working with an

individual with AS, I expect to see at least

one or two conversation errors from Figure

1 above. This is not a comprehensive list of

all errors, but it can be helpful as you are

starting to teach conversation using this

method.

Individuals with AS are usually good at

either asking questions or telling stories.

They are usually not adept at both, unless

they have received special training or

taught themselves. If somebody tells

stories without asking questions, they can

be labeled a monologuer. If somebody

asks a lot of questions, they can be labeled

an interrogator. The balance between

the three areas is critical. If any one

area is emphasized to the extreme, the

conversation will be negatively affected.

The objective is for you to integrate

Conversation Basics into your classrooms,

homes and social skills groups to help

individuals with AS to learn to converse

with others effectively. It is never too late or

too early to start using this technique.

secondary conversation developmentWhen talking to peers, individuals with

AS often fear saying the wrong thing in

conversation. That is why it is important to

teach the content of conversation first—what

is actually being said. However, it is not just

what you say, but how you say it that allows

someone to respond positively or negatively.

Therefore, secondary conversation skills

(i.e., eye contact, body position) have to be

addressed once the content of what to say is

established and perfected.

Poor eye contact is sometimes due to

anxiety. When you were in school, were

you ever anxious that the teacher was going

to call on you in class? If so, what did you

do? You probably looked down. Without

making eye contact, you probably felt that

the teacher was less likely to call on you. It

is the same with conversation. If you do not

make eye contact with the other person,

perhaps they will not talk to you or expect

you to say anything.

steps Involved in conversation BasicsFollowing are the steps that teachers/

parents/caregivers should follow when

utilizing the Conversation Basics tool:

1. Observe your child or student in multiple

and varying conversations with peers over

a minimum of three days.

2. After your observation period, use the

rating sheet tool (see Figure 2 on next

page) to determine any observable weak-

nesses associated with the Conversation

Basics areas (asking questions, telling

stories, making comments).

3. Determine one area that will be your initial

focus. If your child or student is weak in

two or three conversation areas, choose

one to initially focus on.

4. Meet with your child or student to

pre-teach the vocabulary of Conversation

Basics. Make it simple, and let them know

that this is all they do in conversation with

the exception of listening. This breaks

conversation down into something they

can see as manageable.

5. Ask your child or student how they feel

about their skills in the Conversation

Basics areas. Which ones do they feel they

1Asking Questions

2Telling Stories

3Making Comments

•Askquestionsalreadyknow the answer to

•Asksamequestionover and over

•Askanirrelevantoroff-topic question (usually based on self-interests)

•Askquestionsaboutown interest

•Ask questions to find out information (for own purposes, rather than to learn about other person)

•Tellthenever-endingstory

•Provideonly1-2sentences, and wait to be prompted to tell more

•Tellastoryinalistformat using simple sentences (the format is often uninteresting to the listener)

•Usecommentsthatareout of style

•Usesamecommentover and over (i.e., “Cool…cool…cool”)

•Usecommentslackingthe right personality, tone or facial expression

Conversation Errors

Figure 1


conversatIon BasIcs [

do well? Which ones do they feel they

do not do well? What do they want to

improve? Keep in mind that they may not

be aware of what they do or do not do in

conversation.

6. Integrate Conversation Basics into a

one-minute conversation in a 1:1 setting.

You will be doing a lot of verbal prompting

depending on the goals you have developed.

Your verbal prompts should be short and

always reference the Conversation Basics

visual. Repeat this step as necessary until

the vocabulary has been learned.

7. Continue to advance the length of the

conversation and decrease the number of

prompts you are using in a 1:1 setting.

8. As soon as progress is made in a 1:1 setting,

provide opportunities to practice Conver-

sation Basics with a small group of peers

with common interests. Use visuals (i.e.,

note cards, Conversation Basics visual

or pre-determined, non-verbal cues or

gestures) if necessary. The Conversation

Basics do not need to be mastered to be

able to practice them in a group setting;

however, your child or student should

be responsive to at least one prompt (i.e.,

what someone says triggers them to ask a

follow-up question on the topic).

9. Continue to extend the conversation and

decrease the number of prompts you are

using in a group setting. You may have to

teach a student how to track a conversa-

tion in a large group to be able to follow

the content of the conversation.

10. The end goal is for your child or student

to initiate a variety of contributions to

a conversation with peers on a topic

without any prompts. This would signify

they are conversing independently.

11. Once Conversation Basics are mastered,

develop new goals for secondary conver-

sation skills as needed.

Following is a rating sheet tool for you to

use in scoring your child or student on

how they use the three components of

Conversation Basics.

In closing, it is my hope that I have

adequately described how to simplify

teaching conversation to people with AS.

Individuals with AS can learn social skills by

simplification, repetition and generalization.

Following this three-step process can lead

to success for both teacher and student.

The Conversation Basics Rating SheetAverage Below Average Poor

1Asking Questions

ask questions about the other person (i.e., “What are you doing this weekend?”)

ask general questions to start a conversation (i.e., “What grade are you in?”)

ask follow-up questions on topic (i.e., “So, you went to the beach…what did you do there?”)

2Telling Stories

tell a story in sequential steps (i.e., first…then…then...)

tell a story around one event (i.e., “One time, i...”)

tell a story using inflection and emotion

3Making Comments

Make a comment using a related phrase (i.e., “me too”)

Make a comment using a 1- to 2-word remark (i.e., “Awesome!”)

About the Author Kerry Mehaffey Mataya, M.ed.

Kerry Mehaffey Mataya, M.Ed., received her master’s in education with an emphasis on Autism and Asperger Syndrome from the University of Kansas in 2003. In 2004, she started her own business, Autism Asperger Syndrome Consulting Group, LLC (AASCG) (www.aascg.com), in the Birmingham, Alabama, area, where she consults for state school systems She is also the founder of Asperger Connection, Inc., a nonprofit that seeks to provide funding to enhance the quality of life for individuals with HFA and AS.

Figure 2


] IMProvIng coMMunIcatIon

FeATure

By susan M. wIlczynsKI, Ph.d., BcBa

“Mary” is a wonderful example of such

a friend. With an IQ in the stratosphere,

she can talk circles around me in the area

of mathematics. But discussing other

topics–such as relationship issues–can be

a challenge for Mary, who was diagnosed

with Asperger’s Disorder at the age of 51.

Mary thinks not in words, but in pictures

and colors. That means she must translate

images and colors into appropriate words

before she can ask or answer questions,

or offer one of her enlightening, often

entertaining insights. But this extra effort

does not stop Mary from persevering in her

strategies to improve Communication Between Neurotypicals and individuals

on the Autism spectrum

i h Av e A LWAy S T r i e d

To S u r r o u N d m y S e L F

W i T h i N T e r e S T i N g ,

C A r i N g A N d T h o u g h T-

P r o v o K i N g P e o P L e

W h o h e L P m e B e T T e r

u N d e r S TA N d m y S e L F

A N d T h e W o r L d

A r o u N d m e .

Learning Each Other’s Language

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IMProvIng coMMunIcatIon [

relationships with others, and finding ways

to be heard and understood. Over the years,

Mary, a college professor, has developed

many compensatory strategies that assist

her in communicating with “neurotypical”

people–those of us who are not on the

autism spectrum.

Communication, however, is a two-way

street: The necessary ingredients for

effective communication apply equally to

individuals on and off the spectrum. It is

vitally important that neurotypicals also

develop strategies for communicating

effectively with family members, friends

and colleagues who have autism spectrum

disorders (ASD). This article contains

observations and suggestions that will help

people from both groups learn to improve

their communication with each other.

Mutual respectAs Mary reminds me, social rules can

be confusing to individuals on the

autism spectrum. As a result, they might

sometimes interact with neurotypicals in

a way that may seem disrespectful. For

example, some individuals on the autism

spectrum may ask questions that are too

intimate or intrusive, or give the impression

of challenging authority or established

guidelines. They do not do this to make us

feel uncomfortable; oftentimes, they are

simply trying to understand our decision-

making process. Neurotypicals need to be

certain that disrespect was intended before

they react.

It is also important to recognize that

respect should be mutual. Individuals

on the autism spectrum sometimes feel

disrespected by neurotypicals as well.

All too often, neurotypicals speak to

individuals with ASD as if they were

incapable of understanding complex issues

or like they were children.

“I’ve had people treat me like a child many

times, and I felt very disrespected,” Mary

shares. “It was very hard for me. I just felt

very put down…and I felt distrust toward

those people.”

trust is Built on truthTo be honest, human beings lie. Some

people tell outrageous lies, adding juicy

details to enhance their fabricated facts.

But most of us are more apt to lie by

remaining silent, telling “lies of omission.”

Neurotypicals almost expect this to occur

on a regular basis and we tend to forgive

“little white lies” very easily.

Mary was quick to help me understand

that all lies are a violation of trust for

individuals on the spectrum. If someone

with ASD asks you a question, there are

only two good choices to consider. First,

you can answer the question directly. It is

best to provide the clearest explanation

possible, leaving out any subtext. Or you

can say, “I’m not comfortable answering

that question.” Some individuals with ASD

may not understand your desire to keep

certain information to yourself and may

ask why you are not comfortable answering

the question. This situation may present its

own unique challenge, but at least you have

not violated their trust by telling a lie.

There is an emotional aspect of

communication to consider too, according

to Mary. When she was a girl, and

something was wrong, people would say,

“There, there; it’s going to be okay.” To

tIPs on BrIdgIng the coMMunIcatIon gaP

As an individual with Asperger’s,

mary offers her perspective of some

of the communication challenges that

can occur between neurotypicals and

individuals on the autism spectrum. No

two neurotypicals process information

exactlythesameway;thisisalsotrue

for individuals on the autism spectrum.

her tips, below, offer insight on how to

overcome some of those challenges.

mary’s unique outlook helps illustrate the

value of taking time to better understand

those whose life experience may be

different from our own.

] get to know us as individuals. Each person on the autism spectrum is different just as any two neurotypical people are different.

] We are an intensely creative people, and we also love details. Talking to us about our special interests is a great way to begin a friendship.

] Never mistake our naiveté for being childlike. We can be very deep emotionally and very mature in ways that may only become apparent after you get to know us. Avoid patronizing us or treating us like children.

] many of us are frightened or mistrustful of people in authority, but when we see that they are doing their jobs properly, we become less fearful. however, some of us have had authority figures judge us harshly and misunderstand our feelings and motives. As you take the time to know us and we see that you are not prejudging us, it will be easier for us to trust you completely.

] Where appropriate, make it clear what the rules are–and be consistent.


Individuals on the autism spectrum sometimes feel disrespected by neurotypicals as well.


] IMProvIng coMMunIcatIon

Mary, this felt like a lie because they were

not trying to help her fix the situation.

“The flip side of that is that someone like

me might see a neurotypical person who’s

hurt and say, ‘Oh, I can fix that,’” Mary

explains. “We forget that the person needs

us to empathize first and then offer helpful

suggestions. The lesson here is that we

should all learn how to speak each other’s

language. People on the spectrum need to

learn how to empathize first and fix things

second, and neurotypicals need to say, ‘It’s

going to be all right’ and then, ‘I’m going to

help you fix it.’”

verify and clarifyWhile misunderstandings can arise in

conversations between any two people, they

are more likely to occur in a conversation

between an individual with ASD and a

neurotypical. Why? Because neurotypicals

often speak using idioms and abstract

concepts. In addition, our conversations

sometimes have underlying subtext—

unspoken opinions and emotions that can

be easily misinterpreted or misunderstood,

even by neurotypicals. Mary understands

that we neurotypicals often speak this way

without being aware of it. Yet, these are

exactly the communication issues that most

challenge people on the autism spectrum.

We can improve communication by better

monitoring these patterns in our own

speech when we interact with a person

with ASD.

(These rules may be complicated, but as long as they are explained, we do not mind.)

] presume honesty. We may fail to make eye contact because it makes us feel anxious. We may be nervous in social situations with new acquaintances. Some may construe our symptoms of anxiety as related to lying, and may not believe or trust us. if anything, however, most of us are honest to a fault.

] When we answer your questions literally, we mean no offense. if a woman asks if she looks fat in a particular dress, many of us will just look at her, decide if she does and give our opinion. if you feel hurt by anything we say, please know that we do not mean to be hurtful. many of us cannot read your face to know we have hurt you. We will know only if you tell us.

] Tell us if we are making you uncomfortable. for example, if we invade your personal space, and you just move away, we may not understand why. if you say something like, “i am not comfortable with someone standing that close, but six inches farther apart feels good to me,” we will generally be very willing to do that, and not feel hurt.

] We like logical explanations. When you are explaining something to us, it is often easier for us to understand if you give us details first and the big picture second.

] We often lack competence with social skills and interpreting people’s intent. do not use social constructs in explanation, but define things logically and factually. We may verify and clarify often, and although this can seem as if we are being difficult, it is vital to our understanding. in addition, you will often find it important to verify and clarify your understanding of what we say. We greatly appreciate patient people.

...neurotypicals often speak using idioms and abstract concepts.



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When conversing with most people on

the autism spectrum, it can be helpful to

“verify and clarify.” That is, you should

confirm that what you said has been

understood in the manner you intended.

If a miscommunication has occurred, you

should clarify your intent or content. Do

not be surprised if individuals with ASD

need further clarification. Of course, this

may also happen in conversations between

neurotypicals. Respectfully requesting and

adding clarification should be our goal

regardless of our communicative partner.

nonverbal communicationKeep in mind that much of what we

communicate with each other happens

nonverbally. Our interest in initiating and

maintaining a social interaction is conveyed in

our posture, facial expression and eye contact.

Furtive glances at the door may indicate an

intense desire to escape. Like many people

on the spectrum, Mary works hard to better

understand these nonverbal cues.

alternative and augmentative communicationIn some cases, people with ASD have

co-occurring intellectual disabilities that

limit their ability to speak. For others,

attempting to produce speech is too

difficult or inefficient. These individuals

are more likely to communicate using

speech-generating devices or other

forms of alternative and augmentative

communication. The fact that someone uses

an alternative to speech for communication,

however, does not mean that he or she is

incapable of sustaining a positive, complex

social interaction.

Some individuals with ASD have family

members, friends or support staff who

assist them when they go out into the

community. Unfortunately, some people

in our communities do not look at and

respond to the individual with ASD, but

instead interact with the adult who is

attempting to facilitate the discussion.

We must encourage people to bear in

mind that the communication is between

the individual with ASD and themselves.

Individuals on the spectrum will have a

hard time learning the value of interacting

with others if people do not communicate

directly with them.

Whether a person communicates through

speech, a device or pictures, the goal is to

effectively engage another person in an

interaction that serves a mutual purpose.

When sustaining a social communication

with an individual on the spectrum (or

anyone else), the same rules apply: mutual

respect, trust/honesty, verify/clarify. We

must be careful not to dehumanize or

disrespect an individual simply because

they use alternative communication

strategies.

final thoughtsAlthough I have spent a good deal of my

professional life learning about ASD and

writing about effective treatments for

autism and other developmental disorders,

I still have much to learn. I have learned a

lot about Asperger’s and other ASDs from

Mary, but this is not all she has taught me.

Mary teaches me about perseverance as she

continues to use her analytic strengths to

grow and change as a person—something

we all should do. Mary teaches me about

understanding as she knows that my

response to an email may be a week or two

behind schedule. Mary teaches me that there

are always new ways to look at the world.

And she brings joy to my life because there

is almost always something to laugh about

when we communicate with each other.

] Avoid labeling us as “difficult” or “retarded,” or using other pejorative and prejudicial terms. This makes us anxious, and anxiety makes many of us less able to communicate effectively.

] We have never been typical for even one day, but we would love to understand you, and like it when you try to understand us.

] We want to be given freedom and allowed to grow, and be provided the supports to do so.

About the Authors susan M. wIlczynsKI, Ph.d., BcBa, and “Mary”

Susan M. Wilczynski, Ph.D., BCBA, is the Executive Director of the National Autism Center in Randolph, Mass. As Chair of NAC’s National Standards Project, she has worked with experts nationwide to establish national standards of education and behavioral intervention for children with autism. Dr. Wilczynski holds a joint appointment with the May Institute, where she serves as Senior Vice President of Autism Services.

“Mary” is a well-respected college professor at a large university in the Northeast. Diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 51, she is also the mother of three children.



WhAT‘S NeW AT The AuTiSm SoCieTy] autIsM socIety news

news

Autism society 41st National conference a success!

Parents, individuals on the spectrum, educators, doctors, bloggers, politicians, miss Texas and

even a longhorn steer were in attendance at the Autism Society’s 41st National Conference

at the hyatt regency reunion in dallas July 7-10. in his opening address to a crowd of 1,500,

Autism Society President and Ceo Lee grossman called for society to redefine autism in a

way that reflects its true meaning as a “whole family, whole community” condition in order to

better serve those affected.

“unemployment in the autism community exceeds 70 percent, far higher than the national

average,” grossman said. “Autism is the fastest growing population in u.S. special education,

and yet students aging out of the school system are often unprepared to live independently.

Costs for health care and housing are left to overstretched parents to handle in the absence of

a national commitment to the quality of life for every American—including those with autism.”

Following grossman’s speech, obama administration officials Kareem dale and Sharon Lewis

spoke about the Administration’s efforts on autism and took questions from the audience.

on Friday, July 9, outgoing Autism Society board chair dr. Cathy Pratt spoke about autism as a

whole-family condition, and on Saturday, July 10, michelle garcia-Winner moderated a panel

of bloggers on the spectrum—Sandy yim of www.AspieTeacher.com, Jason ross of

www.drivemomCrazy.com and Alex Plank of www.WrongPlanet.net.

other highlights from the

conference included the

informative Science Symposium

on environmental exposures

and child development, a panel

discussion on the proposed

changes in the DSM-5 regarding

autism spectrum disorders, a

presentation on AmC Theatres’

pilot employment program, an exhibit hall of 120 booths, a theatre performance by children

participating in the respite care program and much more. Conference attendees even had a

chance to let loose Friday night at the “Saloon it up” event, where they learned to dance the

two-step and had the chance to get their photo taken with Jake, a real longhorn steer.

Thank you to everyone who made the 2010 National Conference so successful, especially to

the Autism Society chapters in attendance who helped represent the organization so well. The

Autism Society would also like to thank its sponsors: AmC entertainment inc., Autism Pro,

eden Autism Services, Autism research institute, metLife Center for Special Needs Planning,

easter Seals, emFinders, The daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, Baylor College of medicine,

College internship Program, indiana resource Center for Autism, monarch Center for Autism,

Walden university and the Autism Treatment Center.

online conference recordings are available for free for all conference attendees (instructions

were emailed to all attendees) and are also available for purchase for those who were not able

to attend. See www.autism-society.org/conference for ordering information.

Autism Society President and CEO Lee

Grossman called for society to redefine

autism in a way that reflects its true

meaning as a “whole family, whole

community” condition in order to better

serve those affected.

41st Conference Photos

Stars from the respite care theatre performance

(l-r) Lee Grossman, Miss Texas Ashley Melnick, Kareem Dale,

Sharon Lewis and Cathy Pratt

“Jake,” the longhorn steer

More performers from the children’s theatre


autIsM socIety news [

news

obama Administration officials Address Autism society National conference

At the Autism Society’s 41st National

Conference in dallas, Kareem dale, Special

Advisor to the President on disability Policy,

and Sharon Lewis, Commissioner of the

Administration on developmental disability

(Add) addressed attendees as the keynote

speakers on Thursday, July 8. Both speakers

discussed efforts the obama Administration

has undertaken to promote community living

and improved public policy for people with

disabilities and autism. mr. dale discussed

the Administration’s “year of Community

Living” initiative and its support of World

Autism Awareness day. ms. Lewis discussed

the impacts that health-care reform will have

on the autism community, and expressed a

need for the national conversation around

autism to shift to a discussion of community

and inclusion. ms. Lewis also expressed that

Add is actively working on the long-term

supports and services that adults with

autism need to be successful.

news

Autism society Announces New Board members

The Autism Society is pleased to announce

four new board members: Sergio mariaca,

Jon Basinger, Bob Cassidy and Andrew

Baumann. Sergio mariaca is the owner

of mariaca Wealth management, LLC, a

financial services company in West Palm

Beach, Fla. Jon Basinger, a commercial real

estate and business broker, is a partner

at mcShaneBasinger, LLC, in Atlanta,

ga. Bob Cassidy is co-founder of the 7

Summit Challenge, and splits his time

between his philanthropic endeavors

and furthering along early stage internet

projects, including development of online

and iPhone applications. Andrew Baumann

is the President & Ceo of New york Families

for Autistic Children, which develops and

institutes a wide variety of programs and

services for New york families who have a

child with a developmental disability.

The Autism Society is seeking applicants

to fill open positions on its board of

directors. The board has changed from

an elected body to an appointed board.

Qualified applicants should be creative,

understand complex issues, be open to

new and challenging concepts, view change

as necessary and positive, and have the

ability and time to serve the Autism Society.

Additionally, the Autism Society desires

individuals who reflect diversity, including,

but not limited to, age, gender, sexual

orientation, geography, economic status,

disability and ethnicity. To view the full

qualifications and download an application,

please visit: http://tiny.cc/5u57a.

news

Autism society ceo and New Board chair Join New Board member on Pikes Peak climb

Autism Society President and Ceo Lee

grossman and new board chair Jim Ball joined

new board member Bob Cassidy and mary

hansen, Project manager for the 7 Summit

Challenge (see next page), on an exhilarating

but challenging 26-mile climb to (and from)

the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado.

At 14,115 feet, it is one of Colorado’s 54

“fourteeners.” Bob Cassidy is an experienced (l-r) Lee Grossman, Mary Hansen, Bob Cassidy and Jim Ball at

the summitcontinued on page 56

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] autIsM socIety news

mountain climber who, along with climbing

partner Bob dickie iii, is climbing the “Seven

Summits” (the highest mountains of each of

the seven continents) over the next three years

to raise funds and increase awareness for the

Autism Society, Alzheimer’s Association and

Lance Armstrong Foundation. in January 2010,

Bob Cassidy and Bob dickie iii summited mt.

Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the tallest mountain

in Africa. The next scheduled climb is mount

Aconcagua in Argentina in January 2011.

To donate to this extraordinary effort, please

visit http://tiny.cc/4rzxq. Please note that

100 percent of donations will go to the charity

or charities you designate; no portion will be

used for climbing expenses. if you wish to get

involved in a bigger way but don’t have enough

time to climb mountains, you can become part

of the 7 Summit Challenge team from home

by hosting an event to raise awareness and

funds for the Autism Society. The Challenge

will provide the tools and fundraising tips—you

provide the people. For more information,

please visit http://tiny.cc/4rzxq.

news

Autism society Welcomes New senior vP, scott Badesch

The Autism Society is pleased to

announce our new Senior vice President

of development and operations, Scott

Badesch. in his position, Scott is responsible

for oversight of our day-to-day operations as

well as fundraising and development efforts.

Previously, he was the Ceo of the Autism

Society of North Carolina. he worked for

many years for the united Way: as President

& Chief Professional officer of the united

Way of Palm Beach County in Boynton

Beach, Fla.; as President & Chief executive

officer of the united Way of South Carolina;

and as director of Services for the united

Way of Suburban Chicago. he has an m.A.

donate!1 in 110 children born in America today

will have autism. Please help support the Autism Society’s mission of improving the

lives of all affected by autism by texting AuTiSm to 50555 to make a $10

donation.

WhAT‘S NeW AT The AuTiSm SoCieTy

continued from page 55

Sondra Williams at the West Wing

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from the School of Social Services, university

of Chicago, and a B.A. from the university of

illinois, urbana. he and his wife Phyllis have

four children, ages 23, 22, 20 and 14, two of

whom are adopted from South Korea and one

son who lives with autism.

Scott Badesch

news

Autism society Advisory Panel member with Autism meets President obama

A dream came true for Sondra Williams,

a woman with autism and member of the

Autism Society’s Panel of People on the

Spectrum of Autism Advisors. on July 26,

the 20th anniversary of the Americans with

disabilities Act, she stood with one of her

heroes, President Barack obama, and shook

his hand—twice.

“i still think it’s like a dream that’s not really

happening,” said Williams. “The only higher

person than him is god—that’s the only

higher person i haven’t met yet.”

Williams, who lives in Columbus, ohio,

is a married mother of four children, all of

whom have been diagnosed with Asperger’s

Syndrome, and a grandmother of two. She

is a self-published author and recently took

up dance lessons. one of the characteristics

Williams respects about the President is the

resilience he showed during the presidential

campaign. “he didn’t let the water ripple

under his feet; he just stood there strong,”

she said. “ To me, i think he really represents

the people … he didn’t come from a lot of

money and wealth.”

continued on page 57


autIsM socIety news [

Williams’ invitation to the White house event

came during the opening keynote at the

Autism Society’s 41st annual conference in

dallas last July , during which Williams, from

her seat in the audience, gathered her courage

and addressed speaker Kareem dale, Special

Assistant to the President for disability Policy.

“if you ever see President obama, would you

please tell him i’m one of his biggest fans and

would like to meet him one day?” she asked

before returning to her seat.

dale’s response was unexpected: “Want to

come meet him later this month?”

Looking back on that moment, Williams

said she thought dale was joking. “i didn’t

mean for him to truly have me see him; i

just wanted him to give him the message,”

she said.

She got the confirmation about four days

before monday’s event that she was due to

meet the President privately—one of only

12 people invited to do so. Friends in her

hometown helped her prepare for the big

day, such as helping her choose the right

new dress. “Normally, i need lots more

time,” she said. “That was fast for me, but i

still did it.”

Waiting to meet with the President in the

West Wing of the White house, Williams

was “very, very, very excited and anxious,

and trying to figure out what was going to

happen,” she said. Then, she was escorted

into a room where she got to meet the

musicians and actors participating in the

ceremony, including Patti LaBelle, someone

she had always liked on television and

soon learned she liked in person. “She’s

just caring and affectionate to all kinds of

people,” Williams said.

While she waited, Williams thought about

her meeting with the President from a

sensory perspective, wondering what he

would smell like, if he would have a nice

voice and if he was very tall.

he was very tall, smelled nice, and was

soft-spoken and calming, she reported later.

“he was just okay with everybody that was

in his space.”

When they met in the West Wing’s map

room, Williams got to tell obama that she

supported him, and the two posed for a

photo. Williams would have liked to speak

with him in more detail about the various

barriers and challenges people with autism

face, but there was not enough time, she said.

She also brought the President a letter

(http://tiny.cc/pc8lw) she wrote to him, a

book she authored called Reflections of Self

and another book written by a friend. “i just

wanted to meet him and give him gifts, so that

when he looks at my book he will remember

my story and know who i am,” she said.

Later, obama shook her hand again while

walking to the podium during the public event.

“hi, again,” Williams remembers him saying.

What resonated with her were obama’s

remarks about his father-in-law who had

multiple sclerosis. he got up to work each

day to provide for his family and attended

every dance recital and sports game,

Williams said.

one of the most exciting parts of the day

for her was witnessing the President sign

an executive order to increase federal

employment of individuals with disabilities.

Williams said she would like to see the AdA

protections expanded to those with social

and behavioral disabilities—those who are

many times “locked out of the loop,” she said.

“As autistics, we don’t always look disabled.”

“There’s still too many people being

institutionalized and held there against their

will,” she added.

meeting the President was one of Sondra’s

biggest dreams. if she could share one

lesson from the experience, she said, it

would be from the President’s famous

campaign chant: “yes, i can.”

President Obama greets attendees at the ADA anniversary event

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“He didn’t let the water ripple under his feet; he just stood there strong,”

she said. “To me, I think he really represents the people … he didn’t

come from a lot of money and wealth.”



] advocacy

advocacy

Autism society Joins White House to commemorate 20-year Anniversary of the Americans with disabilities Act

The Autism Society joined disabilities

advocates from across the nation as the White

house marked the 20th anniversary of the

Americans with disabilities Act on July 26.

Autism Society President and Ceo Lee

grossman and Susan Pieples, president of the

Autism Society of indiana, were invited to the

White house to mark the occasion. Sondra

Williams, a person on the autism spectrum

and member of the Autism Society’s Panel of

People on the Spectrum of Autism Advisors,

also attended the event.

Williams received the invitation to attend the

anniversary celebration at the Autism Society’s

41st National Conference in dallas earlier

in July. After asking about crisis situations

during a keynote session, Williams stated her

support for the President and was offered the

opportunity to meet him. Autism Society staff

also attended events at the u.S. Congress,

hosted by house Speaker Nancy Pelosi (d-

CA) and Senator Tom harkin (d-iA).

The Americans with disabilities Act

is designed to protect individuals from

discrimination in employment, state and

local government, public accommodations,

commercial facilities, transportation and

telecommunications. The Act defines

individuals with a disability as those with

physical or mental impairments that

substantially limit one or more major life

activities, according to its website,

www.ada.gov.

advocacy

Autism society and Amc Join disability Advocates to inspire employment Policy change

on July 29, the Autism Society co-

sponsored a briefing on Capitol hill

called “Promoting employment First:

innovations in Policy and Practice to

Achieve integrated employment with

Livable Wages for Citizens with Significant

disabilities.” This information session was

co-sponsored by disability advocacy group

TASh and the Collaboration to Promote

Self-determination (CPSd), a network of

national organizations, including the Autism

Society, that promotes opportunities for

people with disabilities.

one of the featured speakers was Nancy

Ward, a TASh board member and self-

advocate who used to work in a sheltered

workshop. A sheltered workshop is a

segregated workplace environment that

specifically employs people with disabilities.

“in a segregated setting, people do not

believe in you, so therefore you don’t

think you’re capable of doing things,” said

Ward, who responded to this lack of faith

by conducting herself inappropriately

in the workplace. Ward eventually quit

after being asked to train a new employee

who was hired to be her supervisor. She

then got a reference desk position at a

new organization. Ward’s new colleagues

believed in her, and their support turned her

into a different person.

“if we looked at Nancy’s story as a policy

challenge, it would beg the question ‘what

should be the proper set of supports that

Nancy should have had available?’” said

another panel member, michael Callahan,

a TASh board member. Callahan is the

president of marc gold and Associates,

a network of training consultants who

specialize in employment and community

participation for individuals with disabilities.

other speakers of the briefing included

TASh executive director Barb Trader;

Curt decker, executive director of the

National disability rights Network; and

Keith Wiedenkeller, senior vice president of

human resources and chief people officer of

AmC entertainment.

advocacy

Autism society Applauds u.s. House support of the trAiN Act

on September 23, the u.S. house of representatives passed the Training and research for

Autism improvement Nationwide Act (h.r. 5756), a bill that would provide training initiatives,

vital assistance and education for adults and children with autism and other disabilities, and

their families.

“The TrAiN Act will go a long way toward improving the lives of those affected by autism in

terms of providing critical support and services,” said Autism Society vice President of Public

Policy Jeff Sell. “Now, it’s on to the Senate to finish the mission and get a bill to President

obama.”

The TrAiN Act would authorize grants to the national network of university Centers for

excellence in developmental disabilities (uCedd) to provide interdisciplinary training,




advocacy [


continuing education, technical assistance and information in order to improve services for

those with autism and developmental disabilities. The bill also provides additional funds

for uCedds to partner with minority-serving institutions to provide services, and conduct

research and education focused on autism communities from racial and ethnic minority

populations.

The bill also looks to address the unmet needs of individuals on the autism spectrum, a

population of 1.5 million and growing, many of whom lack the necessary support to be able to

work and live independently. With 1 in 110 individuals born with autism in America, it is urgent

that the Senate pass this bill now to ensure the autism community receives the additional

resources so clearly needed.

The bipartisan TrAiN Act was introduced by reps. mike doyle (d-Pa.) and Chris Smith

(r-NJ) on July 15. it was approved by the house Subcommittee on health on July 22 and

unanimously approved by the house energy and Commerce Committee on July 22. The

TrAiN Act was originally included in the house version of the America’s Affordable health

Choices Act of 2009, but was rejected from the final health-care reform law. The next step is

for the bill to be approved in the Senate.

advocacy

momentum Builds in congress to overhaul u.s. chemicals Policy

on July 22, Congressmen Bobby rush

(d-iL) and henry Waxman (d-CA)

introduced a groundbreaking bill to overhaul

u.S. chemicals policy in the house energy

& Commerce Committee. The “Toxic

Chemicals Safety Act of 2010” is intended

to overhaul the 1976 Toxic Substances

Control Act (TSCA), which has failed to

regulate chemicals in consumer products—

even those that have known links to cancer,

learning disabilities, asthma, reproductive

disorders and other serious health

problems. The Autism Society, with the

Safer Chemicals, healthy Families Coalition,

applauds this initiative in hopes that it will

bring about changes to improve the quality

of life for individuals with autism and protect

all from exposure to environmental toxins.

“The Autism Society has been the

leading autism organization exploring the

interaction between environmental toxins

and autism spectrum disorders,” Autism

Society President and Ceo Lee grossman

said. “We applaud reforming the Toxic

Substances Control Act and hope this

legislation will eventually bring about more

stringent safety review of chemicals to

improve the quality of life for all individuals.”

“Today’s legislation will reduce chronic

disease in this country, a burden that

scientists have increasingly linked to toxic

chemicals found in our homes and places

of work,” said Andy igrejas, director of

Safer Chemicals, healthy Families, a

coalition of 250 environmental and public

health groups, of which the Autism Society

is a founding member. “it will also give

American manufacturers and retailers

the tools they need to compete in a world


you can start your own challenge... walk, run, or bike

for autism! Join with others to volunteer or

support autism events being held in your area or across the nation.

Together, through 1power4Autism, everyone can make a difference!

visit www.autism-society.org/site/1Power_landingPage to

turn on your power.

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] advocacy & conferences

demanding safer products. We applaud

Chairman rush and Chairman Waxman for

leading the way.”

The house legislation would significantly

strengthen public health protections

from toxic chemicals. For the first time,

the chemical industry would be required

to demonstrate that chemicals are safe,

rather than the ePA having to prove they are

unsafe. in a major shift, the legislation would

require chemical manufacturers to provide

basic health and safety information for all

chemicals as a condition for them remaining

on or entering the market, and to make that

information public.

other elements of the legislation would

require:

• Chemicals to meet a health standard to

enter or remain on the market.

• EPA to identify and restrict the most

toxic chemicals that build up in our

food chain and in our bodies, such as

brominated flame retardants.

• Populations most vulnerable to toxic

chemicals, including pregnant women,

infants and children, and those living

in environmental “hot spots,” to have

extra protections from toxic chemicals.

• EPA to rely on the National Academy

of Sciences’ recommendations to

incorporate the best and latest science

when determining the safety of

chemicals.

This bill follows a similar bill introduced in

the Senate in April by Senator Lautenburg

(d-NJ) called the “Safe Chemicals Act

of 2010.” For the past several months,

Congressmen rush and Waxman have been

meeting with key stakeholders, including

industry representatives, health and

environmental advocates, and the ePA, to

come up with a balanced bill.

conferences

save the date for the Autism society’s 2011 conference

The Autism Society’s 42nd National Conference & exposition will be held in orlando, Florida,

at the gaylord Palms hotel and Conference Center (the site of our 2008 conference) July 6-9,

2011.

The Call for Papers is now open. visit the conference website now for more information at

www.autism-society.org/conference. exhibit sales have begun; for more information, contact

meg ellacott at (302) 260-9487 or [email protected].

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chaPter news [

chaPter news

Autism society Announces New chapter relations chair

National Board Chair Jim Ball has appointed

L. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan to chair the

board’s Chapter relations Committee.

A national board member, Lynn is a

professor at the university of St. Thomas

in minneapolis, where she coordinates

the Autism Spectrum disorders graduate

Certificate and master of Arts Program. She

succeeds Liz Freeman Floyd, who recently

resigned from the national board and the

Chapter relations Committee to devote

more time to her doctoral studies. We thank

Liz for her hard work and dedication as

chair of this very important committee, and

welcome Lynn to her new position. Since

Lynn is already a member of the committee,

we are confident that she will make a

seamless transition to her new role.

chaPter news

Autism society Broward Hosts surfing with the stars Program

“Life is about riding the waves, hanging 10

and sharing beautiful sunny South Florida

days for more than two dozen kids and

adults with autism as they participate in

the Autism Society Broward Surfing with

the Stars program,” says Stacey hoaglund,

board member of the Autism Society

Broward County. on August 22, 2010,

individuals across the autism spectrum

came out to enjoy a day of surfing. Some

refused to enter the water, but by the end

of the day they were riding the waves in

style. The day began with a quick run along

the beach, splashing around in the surf

and familiarizing the participants with the

boards while still on the sand.

The program has been in existence for

two years and will be held again in the

spring. Since it is continuously evolving,

participants can come and go as they

please, which allows the program to benefit

the hundreds of children and adults with

autism in the South Florida community.

There is a host of supporters of this event,

including volunteers from hang Loose Surf

School, inc., Nova Southeastern university’s

Center for Autism and related disabilities,

the city of hollywood ocean rescue Beach

Patrol, B-C Surf and Sport, the Surfrider

Foundation-Broward County Chapter,

Andra’s hand and the east Coast Surfing

Association-Broward County Chapter.

Without the help and support of each of

these vitally important organizations, the

program would not be the success it is

today.

The days are filled with more than surfing.

There are kayaks, paddle boards and sand

toys for all to enjoy. everyone who attends

can find something that will trigger an area

of interest, and hopefully develop a passion

and respect for the water.

Although there are other surfing programs

throughout the state of Florida, Autism

Society Broward wanted to offer more for

its families. Because kids and adults with

autism struggle with developing social

relationships, the Society found a way to

extend this program so that friendships

around a common interest can be forged.

Community support of the program has

been astounding. Since the program’s

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L. Lynn Stansberry Brusnahan


Surfers enjoy a beautiful day

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] chaPter news


IndeX of advertIsers

The Autism Society thanks all of our advertisers for advertising in this issue of the Autism Advocate. When contacting any of our advertisers, please tell them you saw their ad in the Autism Advocate.

Advertiser pageASd Visual Aids BC

Autism Asperger publishing 11

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Bob’s Red mill 2

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The daniel Jordan fiddle foundation 45

discovery Toys 25

Emfinders 45

gogoJuice 27

got Autism llC 19

heartSpring 5

kennedy kreiger institute 31

The glenholme School 39

The help group 33, 41

Tuned into learning 35

UNCSchoolofMed 33

inception in october 2008, numerous

private and public organizations have

stepped forward to sponsor the clinics.

Along with community support come

awareness and appreciation for the

accomplishments of people with autism.

Through this program, the entire South

Florida community will understand what

individuals with autism can accomplish

despite sometimes tremendous obstacles.

For information on how to develop a surfing

program in your area, please contact Autism

Society Broward at www.asabroward.org.

chaPter news

chapter Leader Presents at cec conference in Latvia

Bonnie Kimpling-Kelly, president of

the Autism Society of Northwest ohio,

presented at the Council for exceptional

Children (CeC) international Conference

for inclusion in riga, Latvia, last June. in

November 2008, she visited the russian

Federation as part of a special education

delegation. during her trip, she brought

80 copies of the Autism Advocate to give to

professionals in moscow and St. Petersburg.

The magazine was so well received that

when she was invited to Latvia, she brought

gifts of the Advocate again.

Along with Julie Bloem malewska and Anita

Jo Kliewer-mal’akhim, Bonnie presented

“Navigating Academic Transitions with

Students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum

disorder.” As a part of the presentation, she

distributed over 60 copies of the Advocate

to attendees within an hour and a half. A

number of attendees also signed up to

receive copies of her presentation after the

conference.

Clearly, interest in autism and other

related disorders is not limited to the u.S.,

as over 60 countries were represented

at this international conference to

promote the practice of inclusion. There

is growing interest worldwide to adopt

inclusive practices and explore the latest

research, best practices and innovation

in making the world a better place for

all children, regardless of ability. more

than 500 educational practitioners,

researchers, policymakers and activists

were in attendance, including dr. elena

Kozhevnikova, director of the early

intervention institute of St. Petersburg, who

Bonnie and her colleagues had met on their

trip to russia. They were able to schedule a

meeting in St. Petersburg with her after the

conference to discuss educational needs and

the need for a teacher training program in

russia.

Bonnie Kimpling-Kelly holding an Autism Advocate

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