Educational Strategies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

By Julie Ivey, Frances Karnes and Kristen Stephens

This new series offers timesaving books on critical topics for educating students with autism spectrum disorders. The four books in this series are filled with practical information and advice, thus making them an ideal resource for classroom teachers, pre-service teachers, and graduate students.

Focusing on educational and instructional strategies that are successful with students with autism spectrum disorders, this book profiles the most current, research-based interventions that can be implemented by teachers in a classroom setting.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Apr 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781593637828

Book preview

THE PRACTICAL STRATEGIES SERIES IN AUTISM EDUCATION

series editors

FRANCES A. KARNES & KRISTEN R. STEPHENS

Educational Strategies

for Children With Autism

Spectrum Disorders

Julie K. Ivey, Ph.D.

PRUFROCK PRESS INC.

Copyright ©2009 by Frances A. Karnes

and Kristen R. Stephens-Kozak

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN-13:978-1-59363-782-8

At the time of this book’s publication, all facts and figures cited are the most current available. All telephone numbers, addresses, and Web site URLs are accurate and active. All publications, organizations, Web sites, and other resources exist as described in the book, and all have been verified. The author and Prufrock Press Inc. make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by organizations or content found at Web sites, and we are not responsible for any changes that occur after this book’s publication. If you find an error, please contact Prufrock Press Inc.

Contents

Series Preface

Introduction

Strategies

General Techniques for Teachers

Conclusion

Resources

References

About the Author

Series Preface

The Practical Strategies Series in Autism offers teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, and other interested parties up-to-date information on a variety of issues pertaining to the characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and education of students with autism spectrum disorders. Each guide addresses a focused topic and is written by an individual with authority on the issue. Several guides have been published. Among the titles are:

An Introduction to Children With Autism

Diagnosis and Treatment of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Educational Strategies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

For a current listing of available guides within the series, please contact Prufrock Press at 800-998-2208 or visit http://www.prufrock.com.

Introduction

The word autism is derived from the Greek word autos meaning self. Although cases of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) had been documented in the 18th century, Dr. Leo Kanner (1943) and Dr. Hans Asperger (1944/1991), independently of one another, were the first to systematically study the disorder in the 1940s. Today, autism and Asperger’s syndrome have been combined with other disorders to fall under the continuum of autism spectrum disorders. This spectrum includes Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, and Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Individuals with ASD exhibit a continuum of severity, ranging from mild to severe. In accordance with Drs. Kanner and Asperger, the current definition of an Autistic Disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychological Association, 1994) is (1) a qualitative impairment in social interaction; (2) a qualitative impairment in communication; and (3) restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. These three impairments are often referred to as the triad or triangle of autistic disorders.

The impairment in social interactions can be seen by a lack of nonverbal behaviors such as eye contact, facial expressions, body postures, and typical social gestures. This impairment also is