Social/Relationships
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Relationship Development Intervention |
This treatment approach is designed to build affective relationships
between caregivers and the autistic child.
Overall Philosophy:
Floor Time is both a philosophy and an approach. The goals
of floor time are encouraging attention and intimacy, two-way communication,
expression, and the use of feelings and ideas, and logical thoughts.
This treatment is much like play therapy in that it builds an increasing
larger circle of interaction between a child and an adult in a
developmentally-based sequence. .
Time Required for Treatment:
Therapy consists of 6 to 8 30-minute sessions of child-guided "play" each
day. Parents are taught to do the therapy at home.
Treatment Cost:
Minimal, as treatment is mainly done by the parents.
Who Directs the Treatment?
Parents, Caregivers, other family members, Speech Therapists,
Occupational Therapists, and Teachers
Where does the Treatment take Place?
In the home.
Training Material Needed:
How Success is Defined:
Program has four goals: to encourage attention and intimacy, to
establish two-way communications, to encourage the use of feeling
and expression of ideas, and to help the autistic child to become
a logical thinker. Floor Time does not treat the child with autism
in separate pieces for speech development or motor development
but rather addresses the emotional development, in contrast to
other approaches which tend to focus on cognitive development.
It is frequently used for a child's daily playtime in conjunction
with other methods such as ABA.
Main concern:
There is no scientific evidence
to support the use of this therapy.
Web Site: www.Floortime.org
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A behavioral intervention that suits one child (or his/her parent)
won't necessarily work for another. Many treatment centers now
mix techniques from different approaches. One of the newest of
these approaches developed just a few years ago is Relationship
Development Intervention (RDI).
Overall Philosophy:
RDI is rooted in the belief that building dynamic intelligence
competencies is the key to improving the quality of life of those
with ASD. The program's core philosophy is that individuals with
autism spectrum disorders can participate in authentic emotional
relationships if they are exposed to them in a gradual, systematic
way.
Popularity:
RDI's website cites adoption by this procedure by thousands of
families around the world, with Dozens of clinicians in the the
U.S., Canada, and Autraila.
Time Required for Treatment:
Not determined
Treatment Cost:
Not determined
Who Directs the Treatment:
RDI-certified Certified Consultants use information from the
Relationship Development Assessment to develop clear, specific,
developmentally appropriate treatment objectives and customized
activities. Parents and other caregivers.
Where does the Treatment take Place:
Home and other natural settings.
Training Material Needed:
Several workshops are offered where participants get a good background
about the RDI. Program, plus learn the latest essential elements
in starting an RDI. Lifestyle to benefit your entire family:
How
Success is Defined:
The key to this intervention is targeting the capacity for social
relatedness, which is often delayed to an infant or toddler level,
even among very cognitively capable individuals on the autism
spectrum.
Web Site: www.rdiconnect.com
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Emerging research strongly suggests that child centered, relationship based intervention is very effective in helping young children with autism spectrum disorders gain language and social skills.
Overall Philosophy:
Created by Richard Solomon, MD and based on the DIR® (Developmental,
Individualized, Relationship-based) theory of Stanley Greenspan,
MD, the program emphasizes the importance of helping parents become
their child’s best P.L.A.Y. partner. It is believed that
the P.L.A.Y. Project is most effective for young children with
autism 18 months to 6 years. Although older children can benefit
from the therapy progress tends to be at a slower rate. The DIR
model is based on play “following the child’s lead” and
getting down on the floor to meet the child at his/her level, where
as the PLAY Project is a much more structured version built on
a seven step skill sequence.
Popularity:
The P.L.A.Y Project follows the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
recommendations for the education of young children with autism
spectrum disorders. NAS recommends; interventions begin early
(18 mo – 5 years), intensive interventions 25 hours per
week, that the teacher/play partner to child ratio be 1:1 or
1:2, that interventions are engaging and have a strategy to build
social skills and language.
Where
Does the Treatment take Place?
This is generally a home based/natural environment program, although
the therapy can take place in a clinical or school setting.
Time Required:
Approximately 2 hours a day
Treatment Cost:
Cost depends on the level of trainings attended, home consultations,
etc.
Training Materials Needed:
Natural environment toys
How is Success Defined?
By the improved social and emotional interactions of the child
as well as increased problem-solving skills.
Web
Site:
www.playproject.org
Comments:
Emerging research strongly suggests that child centered, relationship
based intervention is very effective in helping young children
with autistic spectrum disorders gain language and social skills.
Reference: The P.L.A.Y. Project web site
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Social Stories is a supplemental tool (to be used in conjunction
with another treatment) designed to help children with autism learn
about particular social situations through a story format. These
stories are usually fairly short (often three to five sentences)
and are designed to give enough information to the child so that
he/she could know how to handle himself in what was a difficult
situation for the child.
Overall Philosophy:
A social story is defined by a specific format and guidelines
and objectively describes a person, skill, event, concept or
social situation. The goal is to share relevant information,
including, where and when a situation takes place, who is involved,
what is occurring, and why.
Popularity:
Popularity of social stories has grown over the past decade
Time Required for Treatment:
Treatment Cost:
Free if written by parent or teacher. Social stories books cost between $19.00
and $35.00.
Who Directs the Treatment?
Social stories can be written by anyone with knowledge; a parent, teacher,
or service providerand are customized to the individual needs of the child.
Where does the Treatment take Place?
Home, school, any setting where a story can be read to the autistic child.
Training Material Needed:
Social stories may be accompanied by pictures, photographs, or music.
How Success is Defined:
Social stories are typically prepared in response to troubling situations,
but they might arise prior to the incident.
Main concern:
The treatment assumes an understanding and a willingness to listen
to the story for it to be effective
Web Sites:
www.thegraycenter.org
www.socialstories.com
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Overall Philosophy:
The Son-Rise Program created an educational treatment modality
which included joining children instead of going against them.
The program places parents as key teachers, therapists and directors
of their own programs based in the home. The Son-Rise Program
believes that respect and deep caring would be the most important
factor impacting a child's motivation to learn, and from the
beginning has made love and acceptance a meaningful part of every
teaching process.
Popularity:
Approximate number of children on the autistic spectrum that
participated in this treatment from 1995 to 2004 (the past
ten years): 2500
Time
Required for Treatment:
The recommended number of hours for a home-based Son-Rise Program
is determined by the child's individual level of challenge and
the family's current situation.
Treatment Cost:
$1995.00 for the Son-Rise Start-Up, a five-day training program
which delivers comprehensive instruction in the core fundamentals
of The Son-Rise Program. Scholarships are based on a family's
current financial situation.
Who
Directs the Treatment?
The child's parents.
Where
does the Treatment take Place?
The initial training program, The Son-Rise Program Start-Up, takes
place at The Autism Treatment Center of America™ in Sheffield,
Massachusetts, as well as one international location each year.
Parents then work with their children in their home.
Training
Materials Available:
Many books and audio tapes, as well as the Son-Rise Program Start-Up
Manual (manual given during Start-Up Program)
Web Site: www.autismtreatmentcenter.org