73 Educational Intervention:

The Committee of Educational Interventions for Children with Autism, which was formed by the National Research Council, created eight recommendations from a wide range of information. They reviewed articles and met with professionals who work with individuals with autism. From this information, a large list of recommendations and conclusions was compiled. This list is a summary of the key recommendations that would pertain to the education world. The complete conclusion and recommendations can be found in the book Educating Children with Autism.

1. The committee recommends that children with any autistic spectrum disorder –(autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, atypical autism, PDDNOS, childhood disintegrative disorder), regardless of level of severity or function, be eligible for special education services within the category of autism.
2. The committee recommends that families’ participation should be supported in education through consistent presentation of information by local school systems, through ongoing consultation and individualized problem solving, and through the opportunity to learn techniques for teaching their children new skills and reducing behavioral problems. Although families should not be expected to provide the majority of educational programming for their child, the parents’ concerns and perspectives should actively help shape educational planning.
3. The committee recommends that ongoing measurement of treatment objectives and progress be documented frequently across a range of skill areas in order to determine whether a child is benefiting from a particular intervention and that the intervention be adjusted accordingly. Appropriate objectives should be observable, measurable behaviors and skills. These objectives should be able to be accomplished within a year and be anticipated to affect a child’s participation in education, the community, and family life.
4. The committee recommends that educational services begin as soon as a child is suspected of having an autistic spectrum disorder. Those services should include a minimum of 25 hours a week, 12 months a year, in which the child is engaged in systematically planned and developmentally appropriate educational activity toward identified objectives. What constitutes these hours, however, will vary according to a child’s chronological age, developmental level, specific strengths and weaknesses, and family needs. Each child must receive enough individualized attention on a daily basis so that adequate implementation of objectives can be carried out effectively.
   The priorities of focus include functional communication, social instruction delivered throughout the day in various settings, cognitive development and play skills, and proactive approaches to behavior problems. To the extent that it leads to the acquisition of children’s educational goals, young children with an autistic spectrum disorder should receive specialized instruction in a setting in which ongoing interactions occur with typically developing children.
5. The committee recommends that coordination across services and funding at federal and state levels should be encouraged through several mechanisms: the creation of a federal joint agency task force on autistic spectrum disorders; state monitoring of coordination among service delivery systems; minimum standards for personnel in educational and early intervention settings for children with autistic spectrum disorders; and the availability of ombudspersons within school systems who are knowledgeable about autistic spectrum disorders and are independent of the school program. Coordinated, systematic strategies should be developed to fund the interventions that are necessary in local communities for children under age 3 years and in local schools so that this cost is not borne totally by parents or local school systems.
6. The committee recommends that the relevant state and federal agencies, including the Office of Special Education Programs, should accelerate their personnel preparation funds for 5 years for those who work with, and are responsible for, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. These efforts should be part of a large effort to coordinate and collaborate with the already established infrastructure for special education, including regional resource centers and technical assistance programs.

Resources

Obtained from National Research Council (2001). Educating Children with Autism. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. Available online at: www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10017