Home | Archive: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | Helping Children With Autism

Helping Children With Autism

See Part I of Article >>

Alecia teaching students to request snack items using PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System.) They exchange a picture for the item desired.

Today, five students with autism and two neuro-typical peers (children who have average language and cognitive abilities) are enrolled in Alecia Ellis' model demonstration classroom. The two neuro-typical students model "appropriate language and behavior" for the others.

Although fairly new, the classroom has made an impact. Three of Alecia's students with autism entered first grade this year. One five-year-old boy she describes as crying, screaming, and covering his ears all the time has improved significantly. "It was heart-breaking to see him because he was so over-stimulated . . . . He was miserable at school. It was not easy. He spent five years without any effective intervention," she recalls.

They began using principles of ABA, reinforcing calm, attentive behavior. It took about a month for him to be able to come into the classroom, hang up his backpack, and participate without screaming. He would still scream when he was over-stimulated or frustrated because he had no means of verbal communication.

To help him communicate, Alecia used PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System). She explains, "We taught this student to communicate beginning with primary reinforcers such as food. At lunch and snack time we taught him how to request what he wanted to eat . . .. We would start with one picture—the object or food—and then add another icon, which means 'I want.' The child learns to put the pictures on a sentence strip to ask for what he wants. Even though he can't talk, he gives us the sentence strip, points to each picture, and we are his voice. Pretty soon he can create a six-word utterance with the pictures. It takes a lot of work to develop that kind of communication."

In addition to her work for the school district, Alecia teaches courses on language disorders and their assessment at University of Nevada-Las Vegas and San Jose State University. She also lectures on understanding autism around the country and trains speech-language pathologists and others how to use CASL (Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language) and interpret the results.

According to Alecia, children with autism can vary in their ability to communicate, from not talking at all to being very verbal. However, they all have difficulties with their social use of language. Tests in CASL, such as Pragmatic Judgment, Meaning from Context, and Inference, can measure deficiencies in social communication which are often missed on language tests that only assess form and content. "CASL is a great instrument to use with students who have high functioning autism, or Asperger's Syndrome, because you can measure the primary area of deficit," she adds.

Alecia recommends taking the child's whole environment into account and involving parents and caregivers as part of the remediation team. "Parents are an extremely important part of any educational program. They are the child's best experts. By developing a collaborative relationship with families, it will give you a great advantage."

Teaching children with autism how to use PECS helps reduce inappropriate behaviors.

Parents have indeed appreciated Alecia's efforts. On September 22 of this year, FEAT (Families for Effective Autism Treatment) of Nevada presented Alecia with the Outstanding Educator Award. She is touched by the recognition and says, "It was the most wonderful recognition anyone could ever receive."

What qualities are needed most for working with children who have autism? Alecia responds from her own experience, "You must care about children, be dedicated, and ready for extremely hard work." Patience is important, too, "You have to be prepared to accept small successes and to accept that there may not be successes right away. We feel that we've done something phenomenal when a child looks at us and smiles . . . . Or when a kid in the classroom walks up to another and says, 'Hi.' Small successes are big celebrations for us."