Teaching Methods for Students with Autism Module 14

Why is it important to have team collaboration in a school or clinic setting (this includes parents/caregivers. How can true collaboration occur, what are obstacles that exist, or you have faced in your own experiences.

Solution

Assignment 1, Discussion 15

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course

Date

Team collaboration

Team collaboration is paramount in both school and clinic settings, as it fosters an environment where diverse expertise and perspectives converge to achieve common goals. One significant reason for emphasizing collaboration is the holistic nature of addressing educational and healthcare needs (McLaney et al., 2022). In these settings, individuals with different skill sets, such as teachers, healthcare professionals, parents, and caregivers, each bring unique insights and knowledge that are integral to comprehensive care and education. According to McLaney et al., (2022), true collaboration occurs when all team members actively participate, communicate openly, and respect each other’s contributions. This involves sharing information, brainstorming ideas, and collectively problem-solving to provide the best possible support for students or patients. Additionally, establishing clear roles and responsibilities ensures that everyone understands their part in the collaborative process.

However, several obstacles can impede effective collaboration. One common challenge is a lack of communication or miscommunication among team members, leading to misunderstandings or conflicting approaches (McLaney et al., 2022). Differences in professional backgrounds or organizational cultures can also create barriers to collaboration, as individuals may struggle to find common ground or may prioritize their own objectives over collective goals.  Moreover, time constraints and resource limitations can hinder collaboration efforts, especially in busy school or clinic environments where there is constant pressure to meet deadlines or manage caseloads. Additionally, power dynamics within teams, such as hierarchical structures or unequal distribution of decision-making authority, can inhibit open dialogue and collaboration.

In my own experiences, I have encountered challenges related to communication breakdowns and conflicting priorities among team members. However, I have also witnessed the transformative power of collaboration when individuals are committed to working together towards a shared vision. Overcoming obstacles requires a commitment to building trust, fostering open communication, and valuing the expertise of all team members, including parents and caregivers who play a crucial role in supporting student or patient success.

References

McLaney, E., Morassaei, S., Hughes, L., Davies, R., Campbell, M., & Di Prospero, L. (2022, March). A framework for interprofessional team collaboration in a hospital setting: Advancing team competencies and behaviours. In Healthcare management forum (Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 112-117). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.

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Assignment 3, Final Paper

Student’s Name

Department/Institution

Course

Instructor

Date

The topic under analysis in this paper is issues in language development among children with autism spectrum disorder. Language use among children, developing an understanding of language, and expressing this language in grammar and words are among the most sophisticated developmental skills that this population acquires during their childhood. Besides, language development plays an essential role in long-term academic performance, as well as the ability of children to actively engage in social and economic activities in the future. However, children with autism spectrum disorder present with unique communication challenges. Statistics indicate that more than 63% of children with autism have language impairment (Georgiou & Spanoudis, 2021). This impairment is characterized by the inability to utilize language appropriately in various social contexts. Specifically, this demographic faces challenges in using and understanding nonverbal cues, maintaining eye contact, taking turns in conversations, comprehending other people’s perspectives, staying on topic, and interpreting social situations. Besides, children on the spectrum depict limited verbal communication, which is marked by the inability to communicate their thoughts and feelings verbally, use appropriate vocabulary, and develop sentences. In order to shed more light on this topic, the paper shall discuss various issues in language development, their causes, and the implications of this information for practicing behavior analysts, including myself.

The understanding of issues in language development necessitates comprehending how children learn language first. Skinner provides a formidable analysis of how language development occurs in children. Specifically, Skinner’s theory of language acquisition holds that children learn language through environmental factors, including exposure and reinforcement (Vargas, 2007). Here, they observe and imitate the language that other individuals within their surroundings use.

For instance, consider Pat, a child who asks her mother for an orange when she is feeling hungry. Pat knows that she is hungry, and she knows what she would like to eat. She has previously observed others state what they want and then being provided that item. Pat’s mother gives Pat the orange. Skinner identifies the above concept as operant conditioning (Sturdy & Nicoladis, 2017). Here, children acquire language through operant conditioning by associating different words with their meanings and the consequences that follow their utilization. When caregivers, parents, teachers, or peers provide them with positive reinforcement, including praise or attention after saying a word, the likelihood of repeating that word in the future increases significantly. For example, if a child says “cat” and their parent responds with “Yes, that is a dog! Good job!”, the child is reinforced for using the word “dog” correctly, and this increases the likelihood of using it again whenever they see a dog. The key lesson from this analysis is that the continuation of communication behavior is highly influenced by reinforcement.

Skinner has also identified various types of language that are crucial for every child to possess as they facilitate fundamental communication. Among these languages include receptive and expressive languages. Receptive language is associated with the ability of the child to comprehend language, particularly words, sentences, and gestures. On the other hand, expressive language relates to the ability of children to leverage language to express their needs, feelings, and thoughts. Skinner argues that these two types of languages are learned through observation and imitation of others in an individual’s environment (Vargas, 2013). For instance, children can learn receptive language skills when they understand various commands from caregivers such as “Give me the ball” and expressive language skills when they imitate and use words they have heard from other people, including saying “ball” when they want to play it.

Verbal behavior is another important concept that has been introduced in Skinner’s theory of language acquisition. Here, Skinner posits that the responses of others in one’s environment play a crucial role in shaping and maintaining verbal behavior which refers to any behavior that involves the use of language to communicate with others (DeSouza et al., 2017). This insinuates that the potential of using language in a certain way is influenced by the consequences of using that language, including receiving attention, praise, and tangible rewards. However, Skinner insists that when teaching language, it is important to teach the function of words rather than just their labels. For instance, teachers should not only teach students, including those with autism to label a picture but also teach them the function of a pen such as writing to increase the understanding of their purpose. Verbal behaviors are further categorized into verbal operants such as tact, mand, echoic, intraverbal, and receptive (Gamba et al., 2015. Tact involves naming and labeling objects, actions, or events when a child gets into direct contact with them. For instance, a child may say “car” when he sees one. Mand, on the other hand, involves the ability of the child to request objects, actions, or events when they desire them. For instance, a child might say, “I want water” when feeling thirsty. Echoic involves repeating words or sounds that a child hears from others while intraverbal relates to the ability of a child to respond to verbal stimuli associated with words or phrases. For instance, responding “apple” when asked “What do you often have for lunch? Receptive is another form of verbal operant that pertains to comprehending and responding to verbal instructions. Nonetheless, as noted earlier, autism predisposes children to language development challenges.

Language development challenges among children with autism spectrum, including difficulties in communicating verbally are precipitated by several factors. Some of these factors are social disadvantages. Short et al. (2019) note that children who grow up in settings characterized by social disadvantages experience limited exposure to rich and varied language input, an aspect that has the potential of hindering language development. Agreeably, children in such an environment are unable to encounter and learn from a wide range of vocabularies, syntactic structures, and linguistic patterns, all of which contribute to the development of language. For example, consider a low-income household where parents often engage in multiple jobs to make ends meet. This reduces the time parents have to interact with their kids verbally and non-verbally through social cues, exacerbating the preexisting language deficits faced by children with autism spectrum disorder. Here, parents tend to be less nurturing and supportive due to family stress and depression, and this affects the quality and quantity of verbal interactions with the child. In the same light, low-income households predispose children to reduced access to educational resources, including books, educational toys, and early childhood programs (Attig & Weinert, 2020). From a critical point of view, educational resources, including the one named above contribute substantially to language development because they provide children with opportunities to engage in language-rich interactions, cognitive stimulation, and literacy experiences. For example, in low-income and underserved communities, schools may lack adequate funding, reducing access to age-appropriate resources for children with autism, and this limits language acquisition.

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References

Attig, M., & Weinert, S. (2020). What impacts early language skills? Effects of social disparities and different process characteristics of the home learning environment in the first 2 years. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 557751.

DeSouza, A. A., Akers, J. S., & Fisher, W. W. (2017). Empirical application of Skinner’s verbal behavior to interventions for children with autism: A review. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 33, 229-259.

Gamba, J., Goyos, C., & Petursdottir, A. I. (2015). The functional independence of mands and tacts: Has it been demonstrated empirically?. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 31, 10-38.

Georgiou, N., & Spanoudis, G. (2021). Developmental language disorder and autism: commonalities and differences on language. Brain Sciences, 11(5), 589.

Mountford, H. S., Braden, R., Newbury, D. F., & Morgan, A. T. (2022). The genetic and molecular basis of developmental language disorder: A review. Children, 9(5), 586.

Shi, B., Wu, W., Dai, M., Zeng, J., Luo, J., Cai, L., … & Jing, J. (2021). Cognitive, language, and behavioral outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorders exposed to early comprehensive treatment models: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Frontiers in psychiatry, 12, 691148.

Short, K., Eadie, P., & Kemp, L. (2019). Paths to language development in at risk children: a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). BMC pediatrics, 19, 1-17.

Sturdy, C. B., & Nicoladis, E. (2017). How much of language acquisition does operant conditioning explain?. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 299294.

Vargas, E. A. (2007). BF Skinner’s Verbal Behavior: an Introduction. Revista Brasileira de Terapia Comportamental e Cognitiva, 9(2), 1-20.

Vargas, E. A. (2013). The importance of form in Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior and a further step. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 29, 167-183.

Warren, S. F., & Brady, N. C. (2007). The role of maternal responsivity in the development of children with intellectual disabilities. Mental retardation and developmental disabilities research reviews, 13(4), 330-338.

Assignment 1, Module 14 Discussion: What do you think special services in a college setting should and will offer to a student with ASD?

Assignment 1, Module 14 Discussion

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course

Date

What do you think special services in a college setting should and will offer to a student with ASD?

Special services in a college setting for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) should aim to create an inclusive and supportive environment that fosters academic success, personal growth, and social integration. Firstly, comprehensive academic support tailored to the individual needs of students with ASD is essential. This might include specialized tutoring, study skills development, and assistance in navigating coursework requirements. Additionally, access to assistive technology and accommodations such as extended time on exams or quiet study spaces can help mitigate challenges related to sensory sensitivities or executive functioning difficulties (Brown & Coomes, 2016). Beyond academics, colleges should offer social and emotional support to help students with ASD thrive in campus life. According to Brown & Coomes (2016), social skills training and peer mentoring programs can provide opportunities for students to develop interpersonal skills and forge meaningful connections with their peers. Furthermore, counseling services that are knowledgeable about ASD can offer support in managing anxiety, stress, and other mental health concerns that may be heightened in the college environment.

In terms of campus accessibility, colleges should prioritize clear communication and sensory-friendly environments to minimize potential stressors for students with ASD. This might involve providing visual schedules, campus maps, and clear signage to help students navigate campus facilities. Moreover, staff and faculty should receive training in autism awareness and understanding to promote a culture of acceptance and inclusion across the campus community. Looking ahead, as awareness and understanding of ASD continue to evolve, colleges will likely expand and refine their support services for students with ASD. This may involve the development of specialized programs or resource centers dedicated to supporting neurodiverse students, as well as ongoing research to identify best practices for promoting their academic and social success in higher education settings. Ultimately, by offering comprehensive and individualized support, colleges can empower students with ASD to thrive academically and personally during their college experience.

References

Brown, K. R., & Coomes, M. D. (2016). A spectrum of support: Current and best practices for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(6), 465-479.

Assignment 1, Kindergarten Book Review:

Each student will select one children’s book to analyze and use

to promote learning in the classroom.

For this book review, select

a book that is developmentally appropriate for toddlers and supports literacy development for children around the age of 5-6 Educational Rationale, explaining why you chose this text, how and why it appeals to the age group you’ve chosen, which theories your activities draw upon, what your goal for reading it with a young child.

Paragraph 1: Introduction/Overview (5 points)

• Title of the book

• What is this story about? (Plot, main characters)

• Why did you choose your anchor book? What captured your

attention?

• What themes does your book introduce and explore?

• What concepts does this book address?

• What age group would most enjoy this book?

Paragraph 2: Author and Illustrator (5 points)

Author

• Who is this author? Tell something about their background.

Illustrator

Who is the illustrator?

• Is he/she an experienced illustrator of children’s books

• What medium has the illustrator chosen to use?

• In what ways do the illustrations support the text?

• Are the pictures accurate and consistent with the text?

Paragraph 3: (10 points)

Promoting Anti Bias and Problem Solving (if applicable)

• Do the stories promote understanding of our diverse society?

·      Are race, gender, or other cultural stereotypes avoided?

Explain how?

• Will this story encourage discussion? If so, what type?

•Does the story provide opportunities to see problems solved in a productive manner?

Literacy Development 

• Is there opportunity to build new vocabulary? What words and how?

• What techniques might the reader use to support and assess comprehension?

• What type of questions might you use with this story?

• What components of the “Big Five” ( phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension) can be supported through the reading of this story? i.e. Does the text flow smoothly, providing demonstration of fluenicy?

Paragraph 4:Educational Rational (10 points)

• How and why it appeals to the age group you’ve chosen,

• Which theories do your activities draw upon?

• What is your vision and hopes for integrating the text into the classroom?

• How you will make accommodations for children with diverse needs?

Solution

Book Review: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course

Date

Introduction/Overview

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is a delightful story about a small caterpillar that eats its way through a variety of foods before undergoing a transformation into a beautiful butterfly. The plot is simple and charming, following the caterpillar’s growth over several days as it consumes more and more food. What caught my attention about this book is its vibrant illustrations and its engaging way of teaching concepts such as counting and the days of the week. The story also introduces themes of growth and transformation, which are relatable to young children as they are in a constant state of growth themselves. In addition, it addresses concepts such as numbers, healthy eating, and the passage of time, making it educational while remaining enjoyable. This book is perfect for children aged 5-6, who are in the early stages of literacy development and are beginning to grasp the basics of numbers and time.

Author and Illustrator 

Eric Carle, the author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is a well-known figure in children’s literature. He is renowned for his distinctive collage-style artwork and engaging, simple narratives that appeal to young readers. Carle’s background in graphic design and advertising plays a significant role in his ability to create visually captivating books for children. His use of hand-painted, textured paper in the illustrations of this book creates an eye-catching and unique visual experience that captures the attention of toddlers. The illustrations not only complement the text but also serve as an essential tool for comprehension, as they visually represent the caterpillar’s growth, the types of food he eats, and the progression of time. These visuals accurately align with the text and help to reinforce the concepts of size, quantity, and transformation.

Promoting Anti-Bias, Problem Solving, and Literacy Development

Although The Very Hungry Caterpillar does not directly tackle issues of diversity, race, or cultural stereotypes, it promotes the universal theme of growth and change, encouraging children to appreciate the natural world. While the story doesn’t address cultural biases, it can inspire discussions about nature, life cycles, and the beauty of transformation. This can lead to productive conversations about change and problem-solving. In terms of literacy development, the book offers a wealth of opportunities for building vocabulary, especially with words like “cocoon,” “butterfly,” and the days of the week. Repetition and the rhythmic flow of the text can support phonemic awareness and fluency, while teachers can encourage comprehension through interactive techniques such as picture walks and read-alouds. Some questions to prompt discussion and assess comprehension include: “What happens when the caterpillar eats too much?” or “Why does the caterpillar change at the end?” The book supports several elements of literacy, including phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Educational Rationale

This book appeals to children aged 5-6 because it combines simple, repetitive text with bright and engaging illustrations. Children at this stage of development are eager to learn about the world, and the story provides a great way to introduce basic concepts like numbers, days of the week, and the life cycle of a butterfly. The activities related to this book can draw on Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, specifically the preoperational stage, where children develop language and memory through interaction. Additionally, Vygotsky’s social development theory, which highlights the importance of learning through social interaction, can be applied when the story is used in group settings, encouraging dialogue and peer learning. My vision for using this book in the classroom includes integrating it into a unit on nature and life cycles, where children can act out the stages of the caterpillar’s transformation or sequence the events using hands-on materials. For children with diverse needs, I would provide visual aids like picture cards to help them follow along, and for those with auditory challenges, I would use tactile materials like a felt board to tell the story. Repeated readings and group discussions would help children with learning differences build confidence and comprehension. My hope is that this book will not only enhance literacy skills but also foster a love of reading and learning about the world.