Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often challenged by social interaction and may require substantial support to interact with peers even in inclusive settings. Having adults support students with ASD during peer interactions, however, may ostracize the student from peers without disabilities. Peer-mediated strategies are needed so…

Visual supports are concrete cues that are paired with, or used in place of, a verbal cue to provide the learner with information about a routine, activity, behavioral expectation, or skill demonstration. Visual supports might include: "pictures," "written words," "objects," "arrangement of the environment,"…

The ability to verbalize--and therefore think and learn abstractly--has conditioned people to see the world in logical patterns. People are trained to do so by the wiring of the neurologically typical (neurotypical) brain and the increasing complexity of the environment that shapes it. Public schools are also designed for students with…

Special education professionals and teachers of students with autism face many behavioral and instructional challenges. In addition to teaching content to a demanding population, teachers are often faced with particular circumscribed and special interests that often take up time and divert attention from the students. It is an educators job to…

It is well known that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate a significant delay in language development that impacts their ability to engage in robust conversations. In this article the authors discuss two specific elements of pivotal response training--motivation and self-initiations--for children with ASD. Specific…

"Bella is a 5-year-old girl with autism who attends a reverse inclusive preschool class. She primarily uses gestures and a communication binder to communicate with others. In addition, she is not toilet trained even though her teachers and her parents have tried numerous attempts over a 3-year period to train her. Bella also has gastrointestinal…

Visually based interventions such as video modeling have been demonstrated to be effective with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This approach has wide utility, is appropriate for use with students of a range of ages and abilities, promotes independent functioning, and can be used to address numerous learner objectives, including…

Public policy and increased acceptance of people with varying abilities have led to the inclusion of children with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in regular early childhood programs and primary schools. To help integrate the children into the classroom, early childhood teachers need effective interventions they can easily…

"Activity schedules" are a promising educational strategy to support transitions for students with autism. An activity schedule is a visual support system that combines photographs, images, or drawings in a sequential format to represent a targeted sequence of the student's day. Activity schedules provide predictability throughout the student's…

The development of language and literacy is the foundation for all other learning. This statement is the guiding philosophy at the Iowa School for the Deaf (ISD). Teachers at ISD believe that intensive, highly structured early intervention and education work best to support cognitive and communication development in their students. However, little…

Autism is a life-long, complex developmental disorder that causes impairment in the way individuals process information. Autism belongs to heterogeneous categories of developmental disabilities where neurological disorders lead to deficits in a child's ability to communicate, understand language, play, develop social skills, and relate to others.…

This article discusses using individualized multimedia activity schedules as a technology-based instruction for young children with autism. The schedules serve as cues that can help students prepare for transitioning to between school activities. The benefits of using Microsoft PowerPoint in the classroom are described, along with implementation…

Joseph, a student with autism in Ms. Mendez's inclusion kindergarten class, experienced difficulty attending during group activities. He spent a significant amount of time looking at his hands and quoting parts of his favorite videos. Attempts to engage Joseph resulted in vocal protests and, at times, mild aggression. Ms. Mendez realized that she…

This booklet is geared towards persons with autism of all ages who would benefit from enhancing their communication systems through the use of aided communication. It recognizes the importance of an effective expressive communication system to aid them in expressing thoughts and maintaining some power and control over decisions in their lives.…

Children with autism spectrum disorders are increasingly being educated in inclusive general education classrooms. For optimal results, teachers need to know as much as possible about autism and the teaching methods and modifications that work best for these students. This is a huge undertaking for time-crunched general education teachers, many of…