Reflection on Intervention used with Autism Students

Abstract

Any disabling condition affects student's ability to learn skills in relation to their academic progress and social interactions. Autism is one of the disabling conditions that is not physical but disables the developmental ability of children's brain. Effective interventions are vital to enhance the learning skills of student with autism. This paper aims to develop a reflection on the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) intervention process used to treat a student with autism.

Table of Contents

Abstract2

Introduction4

Discussion5

Development of Autism5

Causes and Symptoms6

Intervention with Autism Student7

Assessment of Student with Autism7

Intervention Based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)8

Planning and Ongoing Assessment9

ABA Techniques and Results10

Conclusion11

References12

Reflection on Intervention used with Autism Students

Introduction

Today disability is an important issue for most of the healthcare and government organizations who have attempted to combat with it. There is no doubt about the fact that disability is usually measured through surveys and census that always bring dissimilar statistics for disabled people. In addition, these surveys and census also provide a better understanding about the prevalence of disability at the local as well as national level (Bury, 2001). Autism is recognized as a disabling condition based on complex disorders in the development of brain. It is essential to know that brain disorders are categorized in accordance with the degree and difficulty level of the disorder. However, Autism is mainly categorized in social interactions, verbal as well as non-verbal communication and recurring behaviors. The most important thing to know is that 1 out of 50 boys is diagnosed with autism. Similarly, the situation is similar for girls as well where 1 out of 252 girls are also diagnosed with autism in America (Matson, 2008).

As far as treatment and interventions are concerned, it can be seen that there are various model of treatment for children with autism and other special needs. However, it is important to know that every autistic student differs in his/her conditions and can be treated through different interventions. Researchers also clam that there is no definite treatment for autism and therapies and interventions are most appropriate option to reduce certain symptoms in any school-going children. In fact, role of interventions cannot be avoided to handle or manage any disabling condition. This means, effective interventions significantly increase the opportunity to enable an autistic child to become a productive member of society (Zager, 2005).

Discussion

Development of Autism

Most of the psychological researchers believe that educational, behavioral and biomedical interventions have proved to be more effective for the improvements in a student suffering with autism. However, in order to develop better understanding of the topic, it is essential to understand the Autism. In fact, Autism was first discovered by Leo Kanner in 1940s who was a psychiatrist. Kanner found a disorder caused by an emotionally unavailable mother. In addition, Kanner's research has received a widespread attention and remained a most debatable issue during 1970s where researchers agreed at one point that autism is a brain-based disorder of undetermined origin. Educational implications and theories of how to help ...