Intervening for the students with autistic spectrum disorder

Design and Method The Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) is the ideal approach through which these students are going to get treatment. This is a proven design of treatment of the autistic spectrum disorder because of the teaching involved in the whole process, which looks to sharpen the individual’s communication skills. Factoring in a pre-test-post-test evaluation method will add value to the entire treatment exercise and even make it better. Keywords: Autistic spectrum disorder, TEACCH, pre-test-post-test, communication skills, and Special Education Needs (SEN) students. Introduction Autistic spectrum disorder is a social condition that involves brain development issues, which essentially makes an individual shy away from socializing with other people. Statement of the Problem The main problem herein is trying to administer treatment to the SEN students who are suffering from the autistic spectrum disorder.

How effective is the treatment of the autistic spectrum disorder by using the TEACCH approach combined with the pre-test-post-test method? This is the question that this paper looks to answer and this is vital in the sense that the application of this design and method has to be understood so that a better outcome of successfully treating the students is realized. The effectiveness of the treatment herein will depend on how good the students become on matters pertaining to their communication skills and their ability to stick into social groups with others. It is important noting that autistic spectrum disorder is caused by a number of factors that interact thereby making it almost impossible to pinpoint on one specific issue. There is the issue of genetics, brain development, and the environment that an individual is brought up in and these are the factors associated with this disorder.

This process involves practical aid in making sure the students change their behavior (Romano, 2015). Helping handle issues in their school is significantly helpful. This process is vital because it makes it possible for students to monitor their behavior. Behavioral therapy is also responsible for making sure that the students are able to control their behavior. The TEACCH treatment approach ensures that the parents and teacher of the students suffering from autistic spectrum disorder all take part in improving the children’s state of affairs. It is of great importance that a student with autistic spectrum disorder is understood because the last thing they need, with nature of their condition, is to be blamed and treated harshly (Avramidis, Bayliss, and Burden, 2000). Treating this disorder requires a professional concentrate on the mind of the diseased because that is where the big changes can occur if the treatment goes well.

The application of better parenting skills is vital in the fight against autistic spectrum disorder. This is mainly because a child’s behavior is shaped by how they are brought up. For the students with this disorder, parents have to offer the best they can in terms of their children’s upbringing if they are to stand any chance of getting well and finally communicating and interacting confidently with their peers. To achieve this, parents and teachers have to show their belief in the students. This will enhance the potential in the students to actually interact better and improve their social skills. Stereotyping is very dangerous for these students and, therefore, this is something the parents and teachers have to avoid so that these students can understand that they have their own unique abilities.

Another expected outcome from this treatment is that the students should be able to stick to one routine. This is helpful in the sense that it assists the students in such conditions do not like changes in routine. It also means that they can maintain consistent behavior that is pleasant because as has been previously explained in this paper, the autistic spectrum disorder often makes the students suffering from it exhibit strange and unique behavior. Achieving all this will mean that the TEACCH treatment approach has successfully worked. Measurement A better way to carry out measurement of the effectiveness of the intervention to help the SEN students is by use of Individualized Rating Scale (IRS). This method of measurement is ideal because the SEN students suffering from autistic spectrum disorder exhibit different characteristics and it would only be fair if they are assessed independently (Chui, 2013).

Carrying out the measurements in a generalized manner may not do justice to some students. Dealing with school children is very delicate (Sederholm, 2002) and, therefore, requires experts in the profession of behavior analysis to deal with them. This is a big threat to the parents whose children are in this condition. Limitations In conclusion, there is one major limitation regarding the TEACCH approach to treating, autistic spectrum disorder. Complaints about this approach being too structured have often emerged and this essentially leads to a situation where the students that are treated using this approach get used to specific things and that they cannot respond any other stimuli that they have not been taught through the TEACCH approach. This is a challenge yet to be addressed in totality.