Expert: James Michael Roan - 3/14/2006

Question
I am a Disabilities Manager at a HeadStart program and I am trying to assist a parent in finding appropriate placement for her four year old daughter.

Also I want to provide more training for our teachers about Autism can you offer suggestions, books,etc.

Answer
Hi Camilla;

In autism, we are most concerned about social awareness, social development, and social interactions. I suggest you download off the internet the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.PDF It was normed on 18,000 children in the UK and provides a risk estimate for autism. Also download the scoring instructions at http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat_scoring.PDF

This will help your staff to identify children as soon as possible so they can receive Early Intervention services as soon as possible. Should a child meet the "risk criteria" for autism, then staff should do two things:

1. If you live in the U.S., make a special education referral to the school district in which your student lives. They are responsible for the assessment of children 0-21 years of age, and if they qualify for special education, responsible for education and related therapies.

2. In addition to the special education referral, the parent should take the CHAT to the child's pediatrician and ask for a referral to a multidisciplinary team expert in this area. Again, if they live in the U.S., they can go to the autism unit at a university near you, or a Children's Hospital for a proper assessment.

Camilla, there has been an increasing prevalence rate for autism spectrum disorders in the U.S. Currently the rate is 1 child in 166 is on the spectrum. There is also an increasing trend in children demonstrating a wider diversity of symptoms. Many of those children will not receive a formal diagnosis until later in life, if ever. Those children and a whole host of others, including typically developing children, need and will benefit from early social intervention.

The best curriculum on social development and areas to address come from Michelle Garcia Winner's books at her website: www.socialthinking.com
Ms. Winner is an SLP who has spent a good deal of effort deciphering, in a practical way, the steps children need to take to develop social cognition.

In my opinion, the current greatest researcher on social development is Simon Baron-Cohen. He has two books dealing with his Theory of Mind (ToM)construct, both are equally good to purchase (Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com).

The best source for a completely thorough coverage of all aspects dealing with autism is Educating Children with Autism (National research Council, 2001). I suggest you purchase the PDF version so you can search the text.

I hope this helps you Camilla. I'll help you help others as much as I can. Congratulations for your interest and for helping these children early, when they need it most.

Kind Regards,
James