Many children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the USA. Autism transits into adolescence and adulthood, which has triggered a sharp interest in today’s subject. Teens and adults with autism spectrum disorder face a lot of challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities in life. However, current research suggests that people with ASD now have similar opportunities as those without ASD.
Dr. Curtis Cripe – How do you identify a person with ASD?
Dr. Curtis Cripe is the Director of Research and Development of the NTL Group in the USA. He has years of valuable experience in academics and multidisciplinary areas like child neurodevelopment, bio-engineering, aerospace, and others. According to him, when you want to identify someone with ASD, you will find that it is often hard for you to do so.
When it comes to the looks that set them apart from others, teens and kids might communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from other people. The abilities of people with autism can vary intensely. For instance, some people with autism might have advanced skills in conversation, while others may be non-verbal. Some people with autism require help with their daily lives, while others might not need any sort of support or help at all.
Treatment with the behavioral approach
The behavioral approach concentrates on transforming behaviors by comprehending what takes place before and after their behavior. Today, this approach has been accepted widely by educators and professionals in the healthcare industry. These approaches have the optimal evidence for treating ASD symptoms. They are adopted in several treatment clinics and schools.
Applied Behavior Analysis is one notable behavioral treatment for teens and adults with ASD. This technique encourages the desired behavior and discourages the behavior that is not desired in the teen or adult. It is adopted for enhancing a number of skills, and the progress of the person is tracked and evaluated.
Teaching styles
Examples of its teaching styles are Discrete Trial Training or DTT and Pivotal Response Training or RPT. In the first approach, step-by-step instructions are used to teach the person the desired behavior or the right response. The lessons need to be broken down simply, and the person is rewarded when the desired response or answer is given. The answers or the undesired behavior are ignored.
The second technique generally takes place in a more natural setting than a clinical setting. This technique aims to boost some pivotal skills that help the individual learn other skills. One example of the above is to start communication with other people.
According to Dr. Curtis Cripe, the screening for ASD is challenging as there are no medical tests for determining the above. In order to make the correct diagnosis, doctors generally look into the developmental and behavior history of the child to determine whether he/she has ASD or not. Mostly, kids are detected with ASD at 18 months or even younger.