Autism Education, Autism School Information Resources

In 1975, Congress enacted the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to ensure that children with disabilities have the opportunity to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) just like other children.  Children with autism may not be able to access the regular school curriculum.  However, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is created by the school's IEP team in order for the child to be successful in his or her own curriculum.  The IEP team will discuss your child's strengths and weaknesses in order to determine what goals are appropriate for your child.  The goals on the IEP will drive your child's placement and autism education.

In addition to the IEP, there are many autism educational methods to support children with autism.  Some parents have had good success utilizing additional methods (reference the Education category for details).  New autism educational methods are emerging each year and it is important to review each of the methods listed to see which method(s) may be appropriate for your child.

Autism Education Resources (more on The AEX)

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is a one-on-one behavioral modification teaching method which incorporates teaching the child how to imitate in order to learn language and behave appropriately by using a reward system.  Many schools incorporate ABA into their classroom teaching and many parents hire a trained ABA specialist to oversee their home programs.
• Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) uses rapid-fire prompting to initiate a child's response through the use of a low-tech alphabet board for spelled communication,  RPM, created by Soma Mukhopadhyay, is used to activate the reasoning part of the brain so that the child becomes engaged in learning.
• Verbal Behavior (VB) is an autism education method that teaches communication using the principles of behavior modification and the theories of behaviorist B.F. Skinner.  At its core, VB teaches children to make simple requests through language, picture exchange and pointing to a desired object.  VB emphasizes the relationship building part of communication, rather than the rote, repetitive table style learning of ABA.
• Floor Time (FT) is an approach that focuses on building children's emotional development through social interactions.  FT challenges your child to be creative and spontaneous by having you get down on the floor and enter their world through interactive play.  The creator, Dr. Stanley Greenspan, believes that this process will help develop all areas of learning by building on your child's strengths and interests in a fun and inviting way.
• Educational Software and Applications  In addition to all of the autism educational methods available to autism parents and teachers, there is also a growing number of educational software programs and applications becoming available.  Some autism educational software is stand alone, while other types of software provide connectivity to online databases so that you and your child's teacher can track progress.  In addition, there is a wealth of mobile apps available to support autism needs.

The Autism Exchange (AEX) Provides Comprehensive Autistic Education Info

We hope that you find our AEX resources to be helpful.  We believe in sharing knowledge that can help guide parents to better care for their loved ones.  If you are interested in receiving the full benefits of The Autism Exchange, including discounts on supplements, products, and practitioner consults, please check out our Discount Club.