Discussion of family involvement in functional assessment (FA) with individuals who have autism or related disabilities first provides a rationale for family involvement, then reviews the literature and offers guidelines including: recognize, respect, and accommodate families' individuality; create a context for family centered participation; take…

After reviewing articles that discuss educational approaches for young children with autism, this article concludes that engagement is a critical feature, it is not clear that one approach is more effective than another, applied behavior analysis is a common foundation, and approaches may benefit from a more complete consideration of the family…

Describes a model of comprehensive individualized support for young children (ages 24 to 48 months) with severe developmental disabilities, including autism, based on a triad of essential elements: (1) development of functional communication skills; (2) supported participation in socially inclusive environments; and (3) multifaceted family…

This paper describes a center- and community-based training program for autistic preschool-aged children, their families, and community-based service providers in a traditionally underserved section of Appalachia. The program's team training approach focuses on early identification, comprehensive assessment, intensive individualized training,…