Monica Said:

ANY resources about ABA (applied behavioural analysis) or teaching autistic children?

We Answered:

I suggest going to the Autism Society of America, they have tons of info about learning treatment approaches such as ABA, Social Stories, etc ; info about biomedical & dietary approaches such as vitamins, gfcf diet, etc; and complimentary approaches such as music, art or animal therapy . You may want to look into all treatments available, what may work with one person with autism may not always work with another even if their characteristics are the same. They also have information about the charcateristics of Autism, Asperger's, PDD-NOS, and the other Pervasive Developmental Disorders..they also have information about other disorders that have similiar characteristics of autism. They also have a autism search engine you can use to find resources in your community. A local chapter can be a great place for resources and support among other things as well.

You may also want to consider reading these books by Ellen Notbohm: (excerpt from books below) 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew; and Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew. I highly suggest the last 2 books listed they give you a perspective from their point of view such as when speaking to them: eg. idioms, puns, nuances, double entendres, inference, metaphors, allusions, and sarcasm can all confuse them; and receptive and expressive language and vocabulary can be major challenges for them.

If he is found to have a form of autism, I would contact your local school board for an evaluation as well for special ed. /related services, which is no cost to you. They must evaluate him in all areas of his suspected disability such as if he would need speech therapy or occupational therapy among other things. This way he can also start pre-k at the age of 3 to recieve early intervention services. You would want to get yourself familiarized with IDEA and IEP's ( Individuals with Disabilities Education Act & Individualized Education Plan). IDEA protects your childs rights to receive a free and appropiate public eduaction (FAPE) & an IEP is used for anyone who receives special ed and/or related services such as therapy. It's a legal document that outlines how your child will be educated to meet his specific needs.

Also look into a local Center for Autism and Related Diseases (CARD - ours is with a local university). If your son is found to have autism or a related disorder, they can be a fantastic place for resources. You would have to put him into their database and you would have to attend an orientation first. They will come to your house at no charge and work with any person living in your home or any one who may watch him teaching all kind of useful techniques. They also offer a wide range of training classes such as feeding issues, potty training, behaviorial basics, IDEA & IEP's, etc. The classes offered are free as well, once in a great while they may have a special class you may have to pay for but that is far and few between. You can use the search engine at the autism society to find a local CARD center.

If I can be more help please contact me through my profile - good luck .

Beverly Said:

has any one had done research on effectiveness of miller method in teaching autistic children?

We Answered:

There are some links on this web page that you might find helpful:
http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.j…
If you scroll down a little there's info about the Miller Method. Hope it helps a little.

James Said:

What are the challenges of teaching an autistic child?

We Answered:

THere are many challenges for teaching this particular child. One of the first things I will suggest is that you take a course in special ed. children with emphasis on the autistic child. We are now finding more and more children who have this behavioral disorder in our classrooms. I know of a school that has two classrooms of autistic children.
The challenges - staying on a strict schedule with this child is mandatory. Any changes in schedule you will have to prepare this child ahead of time. If you don't you will have a child who can't handle what is coming up.
Don't change anything without preparing him/her first.
You must be consistent with this child.
Different teaching? Somewhat. Talk to your spec. ed. teachers and get more info and how to deal with autistic children.
Knowledge is a GREAT thing!
Good luck to you. You'll do well as you are concerned about all your students - not just one or two.

Rosemary Said:

Any special techniques for teaching autistic children to swim?

We Answered:

I would suggest that you be present for the lessons. That will raise her comfort level. Also, you would be able to translate communications/wants/needs from your daughter to the instructor. Also, I would start by having her learn how to float. And, very importantly, STRESS STRESS STRESS water safety rules each and every time you are in or near the water. Repetition is very good with autistic children. Make a routine of going over the safety rules before she is allowed to go into the water.

Laura Said:

hie wanted to know if anyone has an idea how in demand if at all jobs in teaching autistic children are?

We Answered:

You will have your pick of jobs, trust me! You are very needed in North America.

Jerry Said:

Teaching Autistic Children?

We Answered:

What kind of teacher? Do you want to be a resource teacher, a regular ed teacher who specializes in special ed, a special ed teacher with a room full of autistic kids? No matter how you cut it, you'd be called a special ed teacher. Unless you own your own business and do therapies and such, a psychologist would do that quite often.

I can tell you that every teacher in our local schools have the same salary, whether they teacher regular ed or special ed. You might look at your local school's website. Our district, for example has a 'compensation page' which shows the total compensation based on years with the district etc. A person with a bachelors makes less than one with a masters. So a beginning teacher makes appr $31000, with a masters it would be $33,000. That's in Oklahoma though, and it varies GREATLY from area to area.
http://www.norman.k12.ok.us/site/personn…

Virgil Said:

What profession would it be if I wanted to teach Autistic children music? Is that a Music Therapist?

We Answered:

You should double major in music therapy and recreational therapy or music therapy and psychology. Also, consider working with children with autism...they love and are helped by music...great ambition...good luck