Triumphs in Early Autism Treatment. the Stories of Seven Best Outcome Cases

Description

"Both parents and professionals who work with young children with autism should read this book." --Temple Grandin, author, Thinking in Pictures (From the Foreword)

"To Miss Molly, before you started with an ABA program, we couldn't sing to you , we couldn't talk too loud, or even play music. Now you are in the drama club, dance classes, and on stage singing at the school talent show!!! I'm so proud of you." --Mother of Molly Martin, featured in Chapter 4

Triumphs in Early Autism Treatment offers a wealth of insight and hope to both parents and clinicians. This book documents the latest research that shows that children who receive Applied Behavioral Analysis treatment consistently progress in skill development.

This groundbreaking treatment has allowed numerous children to reach the "best outcome status," a level of normal intellectual and educational functioning. In essence, they become indistinguishable from their peers in everyday life. A must-read for parents and clinicians, this book is the first to document "best outcome" case studies using exclusively ABA treatment.

Key Features:

• First-hand accounts of the intellectual and behavioral progress of seven autistic children, written in a narrative style by the ABA professionals who conducted the consultations
• Contributors include Audrey Gifford, who is both a professional Behavioral Analyst and a parent of an autistic child who received ABA treatment
• Overview of autism research prior to ABA and an introduction to the development of the method
• Analysis of ABA treatment demonstrating why ABA is the most effective of all treatment methods

Table of Contents

Contributors
Foreword
Preface

Section I: Seven Best Outcome Cases
Diamond in the Rough, Audrey Gifford
Into the light: The Case of Maggie May, Audrey Gifford
Hey look, It's a Train! Rebecca P. F. MacDonald
Good Golly Miss Molly! Audrey Gifford
The Case of Nicholas B.,Glen O. Sallows & Tamlynn D. Graupner
A Parent's Story: Jake and Nick, Justin Leaf, Ronald Leaf, & Jamison Dayharsh Leaf

Section II: An Historical View of Behavioral Treatment of Autism
Autism: The Early Years, Ennio Cipani
A Study in Perseverance: The Emergence of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention, Tristram Smith, Daniel W. Mruzek, and Robert Peyton

Appendices:
Appendix A: Why is Joint Attention Important?
Appendix B: Summary of Joint Attention Curriculum Sequence
Appendix C: Why Artie Can't Learn!
Appendix D: What Do We Know About Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention?

Reviews

"Dr. Cipani's work is a wonderful addition to the literature on early intervention for autism. Seven case histories are presented, in clear and accessible prose, but always backed up by objective documentation of progress made, challenges encountered, and gains achieved by each child, usually over the span of several years. The second part of the work presents an historical overview of how behavioral intervention came to be applied to the education and treatment of children diagnosed with autism, and discusses the important questions that still need to be answered in terms of treatment model variables. This work combines human interest and scholarly precision, and will prove invaluable to both parents and professionals." --Catherine Maurice, PhD, author of Let Me Hear Your Voice

Author Biographies

Ennio Cipani, PhD, a graduate of Florida State University, is a licensed psychologist and a full professor in the Department of Special Education at National University- Fresno. He has published numerous articles, chapters, books, and instructional material (including software) in the areas of child behavior management in homes and schools. Among his latest books are Classroom Management for All Teachers: Evidence-Based Practice (3rd edition, in press), and Functional Behavioral Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment: A Complete System for Education and Mental Health Settings, coauthored with Kevin Schock (Springer Publishing, 2007).