Looking to attend a workshop in February on Autism?

Are you looking to know more about Autism and autism awareness?

Do you have a child diagnosed with autism or work with learners that are diagnosed with autism?

Do you want to know how you can learners in a systematic manner?

Do you want to know how to teach learners appropriate behavior and deal with the current challenging behaviors?

Do you want to know more about how you can help spread autism awareness?

Do you want to connect with parents and teachers that work with children diagnosed with autism?

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, this workshop is for you.

Understanding how and why behavior works is essential to the treatment of autism. When you understand behavior, you get to be a more effective teacher to your child. Come to the workshop and learn more. Please register online and we will contact you with more details.Fee for this workshop is MYR 80. All proceeds will go to reaching out to more families that have children with diagnosed with autism, and teaching parents the skills necessary to be able to sustain a good behavior plan for their child. Proceeds will also go to ongoing teacher training at schools that desire our help in training. Workshop will be held from 10A.M to 1 P.M. Light refreshments will be provided.

Looking forward to see you all there!

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The importance of consequences

Consequences are really important to the way we behave. Everyday, the routine of waking up in the morning, making breakfast and going to work are solely driven by the consequences we get from it. We wake up on time in the morning so we are not late to work, we make breakfast so we are not hungry during the day and we go to work in order for us to get a paycheck at the end of the month so we can pay bills and do fun things. Consequences are so important in our daily life.

Consequences are more important when it comes to teaching a child diagnosed with autism. 

Like mentioned in previous blog posts, children with autism learn differently. It is important to teach children with autism (a) small steps at a time and (b) give them consequences for the desired behavior that they engage in. Giving a child with autism an incorrect consequence or not giving him/her a consequence is detrimental to their learning. 

When teaching a child with autism, consequences have to be black and white. There never should be a grey area. If you are going to give your child a cookie every time he/she brushes his/hers teeth independently, then do it every time. If you are giving your child the cookie sometimes and at other times you are not. It will confuse the child, he/she would not learn the skill as quickly as expected and in some cases might exhibit disruptive behavior during this time. For example if you this month you got your paycheck and next month you did not, I am sure you would not be satisfied with work, your job performance would decline, you would be less motivated to wake up on time for work and you might not perform all your responsibilities up to par. Therefore, making consequences very clear to a child with autism is very very important. I can't stress this enough. 

In addition, after a period of time, once you have noticed the behavior maintain, feel free to fade the rate of the consequence. For example, if you are using positive reinforcement, you can fade the rate in this manner, first you give him/her the cookie every time  then you give it to him/her every other time, every third time, every week, every month, etc. 

Consequences shape our everyday behavior. If consequences were inconsistent, can you imagine what a mess our life would be? Therefore, when giving your children clear consequences, make sure you give them these consequences consistently. Therefore, make sure every family member and teacher is well informed about these consequences. This ensures that the child does not learn to "get away with it" with some people. Children with autism learn very quickly and it is very important to be consistent. If there is a lack of consistency, you might be inadvertently reinforcing or punishing other behaviors. 

Lastly, be very careful with what behavior you are giving a consequence for. Let's review the A-B-C Model:

Example 1:

By ignoring the crying, and teaching your child to ask for a biscuit appropriately your child will learn more appropriate behavior, here's example 2:

Therefore, think about the A-B-C model when teaching a behavior and think about what exactly are you teaching your child. If it helps, create a three column data sheet "Antecedent", "Behavior" and "Consequence" to give yourself a visual on what is exactly happening and what consequences is your child getting access to. 

Consequences shape our behavior and it is very important that we think about the consequences that we are putting in place when teaching a child with autism. Children with autism learn very quickly and they do tend to shape our behavior sometimes. Therefore, take some data, be objective and determine how you are teaching your child !

Please leave any comments or suggestions for me. I would love to hear from you!

Helping your child understand the good and the bad.

Holidays are an amazing time. You spend a ton of time with family, eat good food, laugh, dance and really not worry about all the calories you are consuming. You also are busy and your children may get away with some things.

For the holidays this year, I got to spend time in Dubai with my amazing family. My cousin has two little boys and her oldest is 4 years old. He is an amazing, intelligent, handsome, and a very smart little boy. He recently welcomed a little brother and has been engaging in behaviors that may be attention seeking. In addition, his routine has changed. There are people visiting, his meal times have shifted, all these people are giving him so much attention and even more attention to his brother. It's very hard for a little kid to understand that his little brother is still a baby. Even harder for him to understand that he is not the only little kid in the home anymore. So what are parents to do? My cousin actually designed a motivational system for her son. It has the seven planets on it, and when he displays "good attitude" the planets moved closer to earth. Once it lands on earth, he gets access to his favorite movie "The Avengers!! ".

This is exactly what a child needs.
1) A visual
2) A set contingency: when you display good behavior you get something you like
3) following through.

In this scenario, the three term contingency is very clear: Antecedent ( He sees a toy that he likes) ------> Behavior ( He asks for it appropriately)---------> Consequence ( You displayed awesome attitude, your planet gets moved closer to earth)

On the contrary, if he/she displayed inappropriate behavior, the planet moves down and he loses access to the avengers movie and does not get access to the toy.

Things to remember and consider when using a motivational system especially for a younger child:

1) First things first, understand the function of the behaviors that are being displayed ( please refer to the previous blog for more information on this). 

 2) Make sure the visual is very clear. It should be kid friendly with very minimal distractors as possible so your child easily sees when he gains or loses something. Visuals are very important.

3)  When your child displays inappropriate behavior and he loses a spot on the motivational system, remember the very next time he displays good behavior, move the planet all the way up so he gets reinforcement for the good behavior he did display. This is because you want the motivational system to be meaningful to him and want that motivational system to be more reinforcing than punishing.

 4) Always magnify learning and shape good behavior in small steps. So if this is the first time your child is using a motivational system, get him access to the preferred item that same day. You are teaching your child an incentive. Therefore, to teach this and in order for them to make a connection with that motivational system, they have to value it. Eventually, once he/she starts learning the set contingencies, you can start fading when he/she gets access to the preferred choices.

5) It's always great to give your child choices. Give him/her three preferred choices to choose from. Display these choices on the motivational system itself.

6) Follow through and be consistent. This is the most important component of using a motivational system. Remember, if you are inconsistent, it will make the inappropriate behavior even stronger. This is because your child will be confused and is learning that at times he is getting access to things he likes by acting out. When this happens, he/she is going to try everything and anything to get access to the things that they like again. So be consistent. When your child displays inappropriate behavior, give them clear consequences. Black and white. There should never be grey areas.

 7) Last but not least. Celebrate success in a big way ! go all out ! make your child the happiest person ever !! :) Here's an example of a visual for a motivational system.

Here's an example of a visual for your child:

As always, please email me if you have any questions :) and wishing everyone a very happy 2013 !!!

Why do we do what we do?

"The function of a behavior refers to the source of environmental reinforcement for it."

Tarbox et al (2009, p. 494)

Everyday and in the very beginning of life, as an infant, we have learned to do things because of the consequences that were put in place. These consequences were put in place based on the environment that we were in. For example: A baby has learned to cry when hungry so he/she will be fed, cleaned or picked up.

Therefore, in applied behavior analysis, behavior is maintained by several functions. In other words, behavior happens for certain reasons and understanding the reason why certain behaviors occur, will help us understand why a person does what he/she does. Behavior could be maintained by the following functions: attention, escape/avoidance,  tangible/activities or automatically maintained. Sometimes, behavior can serve multiple functions. For example, a child might learn to hurt themselves during class to get out of having to complete academic tasks and then also hurt themselves in the playground to get attention from the teachers.


Attention

You tell a joke and your friends laugh. You love your friends laughing at your joke because you absolutely love the attention, so you tell another joke. This joke telling behavior, is maintained by attention. You are more likely to tell a joke in their presence again because you love the attention.

Another example, your child kicks his sibling and his mother gives him attention for this. The child continues to kick his sibling because every time he kicks his sibling, his mother takes away attention from the sibling and giver her attention to the child kicking. His kicking behavior then is maintained by his mother's attention.

It may seem weird that a person would engage in a behavior to deliberately have someone scold them. However, it can occur because for some people it’s better to obtain “bad” attention than no attention at all (Cooper, Heron & Heward, 2007). 

Escape/Avoidance

Not all behaviors occur so the person can “get access” to something. Some behaviors occur because the person wants to get away from something or avoid something (Miltenberger, 2008).

For example, You see a cop on the road while you are speeding, you slow down. The reason why you slow down is because you want to avoid a speeding ticket.

Another great example is that you keep putting off your dentist appointment even though your teeth needs attention because going to the dentist is aversive and you want to avoid going as much as possible. 

Tangible/Activities

Your child cries or screams whenever they want a specific toy (tangible) in the store until you buy it for your child or your child kicks and cries every time he wants to go to the pool (activities) because every time he does this, you take him to the pool.

Automatic

Some behaviors, have no particular environment function. Some behaviors we only do because it feels good when we do it.  It is pleasing to us internally or in other words, they are “self-stimulating” (O’Neill, Horner, Albin, Sprague, Storey, & Newton, 1997) For example, rocking back and forth and twirling our hair while we read a book.


Behaviors always occur for a reason and it is very important to understand the reasons as to why these behaviors occur. Understanding the reasons, will help us determine how to improve a behavior or decrease an undesired behavior.

If you wish to learn more, please sign up for the following workshop on functions of behavior.

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What makes a good ABA instructor?

Parents always ask me this question about ABA instructors and what makes a good one. Like any other professional that sees to your child's needs, an ABA instructor has to be very well qualified.

A good ABA Instructor has to possess the following skills:

1) Acquired vast knowledge of ABA from an accredited university program

2)  Has been trained and supervised by a professional from an accredited university program

3) The supervisor that has supervised the instructor must possess a masters in Applied Behavior Analysis and/or possess a BCBA board certification. 

4) Has worked with children with autism for a minimum of 2 years under the supervision of a     qualified supervisor

5) Has attended workshops on professional development in topics such as : shaping, reinforcement, prompt fading, principles of ABA, extinction, etc

6) Has presented posters or research on current topics in Applied Behavior Analysis or the application of it.

7) Has excellent references.

8) Loves working with children with autism

9) Always makes child centered decisions and constantly consults parents for input

10) Always recruits feedback and attends ongoing training to improve skills

11) Instructor fee:

Based on current market research Instructor's with 1 year experience charge MYR 40 an hour, Instructors with more than 2 years experience can charge up to MYR 70 an hour, a masters holder should charge minimum MYR 100 per hour and max MYR 150 an hour.

I advise parents to please be aware of the above requirements when hiring an instructor. We at Little Steps do help parents with this process as well. We can do the interviewing process for the staff that you choose and can furnish you all the requirements. We also do train staff in a systematic process and provide staff evaluation.

Contact us for more details

Shaping workshop in December in full gear !

We got the place confirmed and the workshop is in full swing !!! We are so excited about this workshop because shaping is a procedure that is very important in teaching any skills that you would like to teach your child in order to make them more independent or introduce them to something that may be aversive to them. Shaping is a great tool and we at Littlesteps are so excited to share all our knowledge with you.  Hands on training will be provided on the day of the workshop, articles on current research will be shared and most importantly we will be able to exchange some ideas on how to teach your child or student skills that are important to their development.

Please fill out the form below to register and payment will be made the day of



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Shaping Workshop

From the previous blog, we now know that shaping is an incredibly useful and important tool to teach your child with ASD skills that are important for their well being. This December 20th 2012, I am happy to be announcing that my team and I will be organizing a Shaping workshop for parents, teachers and caretakers. Below are the details.


Venue  : The Canvas Malaysia
             G6C, Jalan PJU 8/3A, Damansara Perdana, 
             47820 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. 

Price:  MYR80 per person

Time: 10 am to 1pm

Please email for addition details at littlestepsmalaysia@gmail.com. More information will be posted tomorrow. All participants will be required to complete an online registration form. Payment can be made the day of. Thank you !!!

    













                                                               

More than words..

Language  is a very complex skills. Applying language to a social context is even more difficult. For a child with autism, initiating conversation is challenging. This is because they have a language deficit and a social deficit. In other words, children diagnosed with autism have not contacted the reinforcing qualities to engage in a conversation.

In general, children with autism find it more reinforcing to engage in self-stimulatory and repetitive behaviors such as spinning a toy non-contextually, engaging in body rocking, hand-flapping etc. Because of this, teaching your child appropriate language and behavior is so important. We want to help our children look more like their peers and engage in social behavior just like how we do.

In addition, some children diagnosed with autism have a limited verbal repertoire and some children are non-verbal. These children have a long history of gesturing for what they want when they want it. And guess what we do as parents and teachers? We give them access to these things as soon as they gesture for it. What's wrong with this? The problem here is that your child is learning that his/her gestures are getting him/her access to what they want. Therefore, why talk when I can tug at your hand and show you what I want?

Parents always have a concern that their child has had a long history of gesturing. Thus, if they change their behavior, they are afraid their child will engage in tantrum behavior. So parents want to avoid that and "give in". So what do we do now? How does a parent prevent "giving in"?

1) Don't be afraid: You are your child's number one advocate. You are the only person that can teach your child what is appropriate and what is not. I always ask parents this " What if your child was not diagnosed with autism? Will you be teaching him appropriate behavior?" and the answer I always get is "yes". So my rationale is that autism or no autism, you child is capable of learning. He/she deserves the right to learn and this requires you to be a warrior. A warrior is someone who is brave and not afraid to address change. Therefore, don't be afraid. You are a warrior and you can do this. :)

2) Magnify teaching and start small:  If your child is non-verbal or has limited language repertoire, start small. We do not want to frustrate our child and make language punishing. The first steps to teaching language is to teach small sounds that you know they can make. Some example are "m," "aah," "oo," etc.

3)  Now we will use "incidental teaching" to teach language. Incidental teaching is defined as a method for increasing expressive language by observing what your child initiates for in their environment and we are required to respond in a way that requires language or more language from your child.

Here are the steps we will use:

• The child initiates
• We ask the child to elaborate & prevents access to the item
• The child eloborates
• The child gains access to what he/she wants

Here is an example:

• The child initiates for a cookie by gesturing
• The adult looks at the child and request an elaboration  "cookie" & prevents access to the item
• The child says "cookie"
• The child gains access to the cookie

Initially, your child might engage in tantrum behavior or other behaviors of concern, so when this happens, remember to lower the expectation for your child.  By doing this, you are setting your child up for success. Do not give your child access to any preferred item when he/she is engaging in tantrum behavior. This is very important. You do not want to teach your child that when your child engages in inappropriate behavior, he/she will gain access to the preferred item.

So this is a suggestion as to what you do if and when your child is engaging in tantrum behavior.

• The child initiates for a cookie by gesturing
• The adult looks at the child and request an eloboration "cookie"
• The child tantrums or starts crying

At this point, go back to a word or sound that your child knows, say "coo" or "o". If your child is still engaging in tantrum behavior, do not let your child escape this situation. Wait till your child is quiet or is not engaging in tantrum behavior, offer your the cookie again and expect only eye contact. When eye contact is given, give him/her access to a small piece of cookie. Remember, he/she only gains access to the whole cookie when he/her emits a sound or language. Also, remember WE DO NOT WANT TO PUNISH LANGUAGE.  Now, if your child has been engaging in tantrum behavior for awhile, but now has calmed down and has given you eye contact and gained access to the small piece of cookie, let him/her go play for awhile come back to teaching later.

The next initiation for the cookie, expect language even if it is a sound, and when your child finally emits the sound/language, give him/her that whole cookie and celebrate that success ( give him two cookies if you'd like!)  You always want to end with success and you want to make it clear to your child the expectations you have for him/her. You do not want to punish learning or language. Always keep that in mind. Start small and build up on that, so your child can be successful.

Raise the bar when you observe an environment  that is going to co-operate with you and lower the bar when you observe that the environment is not co-operating with you.

Practice makes perfect, therefore with more practice, learning occurs more frequently and your child is slowly learning a new repertoire of behavior.

You can use incidental teaching for learners that are more sophisticated in acquiring language. Here's an example of that: 

• The child initiates for a cookie by saying "I want cookie"
• The adult looks at the child and request more language  "Mommy, can I have a cookie please?" & prevents access to the cookie
• The child says "Mommy, can I have a cookie please?"
• The child gains access to the cookie

Remember, language is an important part of our life and we want to continue teaching our children language daily and keep embedding it in their behavior repertoire. Be your child's language warrior and you will see with the right contingencies, your child will start learning what they are supposed to be learning. Last but not least, I can't stress this enough, make learning fun. This is something new your child is going to be doing and the last thing you want is to make learning  language feel like a challenging process. 

I hope this was not too much information for you, if you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will try my best to help as much as I can. Thank you !!






 

The way we operate

During my time in Malaysia, I have been asked this question " What ABA model do you operate from?- is it Lovaas? is it the UCLA model?  is it the early autism partnership model?"

I am very confused by this. I guess my confusion lies here: Applied Behavior Analysis is a science, shouldn't a form of science be the same thing? Shouldn't we all operate from the same model just like any other form of science?

Of course I understand having worked at a PCDI dissemination site, we utilized the technology of activity schedules widely ( the founders of the school created the technology of activity schedules.)  However, we still operate from the science of Applied Behavior Analysis. We still operate from a technology that has shown reliable, valid and evidence based results that are effective.

Lovaas, Sunberg, Jack Michael, Brian Iwata, and Thomas Freeman are all scientist that have studied the literature extensively, conducted research, published research and reported their findings. All of them have contributed to the field of ABA widely. Just like any other scientist that studies specific things in molecular biology , these scientist have also concentrated in the research of specific things as well. For example, Dr. Ivar Lovaas he was an amazing and knowledgeable man, the Lovaas approach states clearly that it is based on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis.  Dr Lovaas, focused more on incidental teaching in the child's natural environment and discrete trial teaching. But if you go on the website and read more, he envelopes the science of applied behavior analysis in his implementation of ABA. The Lovaas approach does use prompting strategies, functional communications, etc.Another example, Jack Michael, he concentrates his research on verbal behavior and Iwata researches on the functions of behavior. This does not mean we primary should follow their model of reported findings and just do what they do specifically. This means, we learn from what they have learned and try to replicate their findings if need be, using all the technology that we have in place based on ABA. Lovaas has contributed so much to the the field and his work is being replicated everywhere in great ABA programs. So what does this all mean? What should an ABA program look like? A great ABA program does not follow any specific model, it does not use just some strategies, and it must be individualized to the child's current needs. A good ABA program follows the science of Applied Behavior Analysis.

Therefore, when asked these days what model I follow, I try to be respectful enough and say I don't. However, we do follow the science of Applied Behavior Analysis and any program implementing teaching procedures using ABA should follow and be committed to the 'Seven dimensions of Applied Behavior Analysis' ( Baer, Wolf, and Risley, 1968).

The dimensions are:

1) Applied: this means that when choosing a behavior, the behavior chosen should be socially significant and have socially valid importance to the individual

2) Behavioral: behavior that is chosen should be measurable and documents that is was the individual behavior that was changed.

3) Analytic: a functional relation should be demonstrated. In other words, the intervention chosen should show experimental control over the occurrence and non-occurrence of the behavior.

4) Technological: the written procedures in the individualized program for the child or the written description of the procedures in a study should be written clearly so that others can understand it and replicate it.

5) Conceptually systematic: all the interventions that are being used should be derived from the basic principles of behavior.

6) Effective: The intervention chosen  or the program chosen for your child should improve behavior to produce pratical results for your child.

7) Generality: the intervention produces behavior that we can see across different environments and spread to other behaviors. Your child behavior should generalize to different settings, people and materials.


The seven dimensions should serve as the primary "model" when evaluating a good ABA program.
There should not be any other "model". There should always be great science in ABA and only then will your child benefit fully.

I hope this helps you pick a good ABA program for your child.

As usual, email me with questions if any :)

One step at a time...

Before starting any ABA intervention with your child, it's good to have a mind set. It's good to have a mantra to tell yourself in order to be grounded and in order to never give up. It's always good to hold on to a set of rules for yourself.

The first rule:

1)  Learning always has to be magnified

Autism affects each child differently. Each child learns differently. Therefore, based on your child's skills, learning should always be magnified. All those little steps you teach should be reinforced leading up to the final step of learning. For example: If your child can only say a few sounds, don't teach your child a sentence. First teach him sounds that you think would be important for him to know in order for him to communicate. Then, build on those sounds to eventually make words. Once he has words in his repertoire, build up to a two word sentence, a three word sentence and so on. With any skill you teach your child, you want your child to be motivated to learn. If you are teaching too much too soon, the teaching interaction might become punishing, and your child would not be motivated to learn.

2) We have to build on behavior that is already in the child's repertoire

Just like the previous example, don't teach your child to talk in sentences, when your child is finding it challenging to produce a sound or even imitate what you model. First build on imitation of sounds he knows, then build those sounds into words, sentences and so on. Shaping procedures are great for this and I will write more on shaping soon !

3) Only teach observable behavior

During my time in Malaysia, I have heard many say "it boosted his confidence" or "it makes him happy, that's why he flaps his hands". These opinions are merely assumptions. We do not know if it really makes him happy or if it does boost his confidence. It may, but we can't measure happiness and certainly can't measure confidence. What you can measure is the duration your child is engaged independently in his schedule, the number of times your child engaged in head banging, the variety of awesome food your child is consuming and because you have taught him appropriate social interaction, the number of times your child initiates for hugs. This is the hardest task for a parent. I can't imagine because I do not have kids of my own. But if I did, I imagine this part will be the hardest and the most difficult emotionally. However, seeing behavior in observable terms, helps you become a better teacher for your child. It helps you make good decisions and teach appropriate behavior so your child can become more independent and look more like his/her peers.

Now finally, the mantra that a parent should follow is this "Magnify and teach observable behavior so learning is fun".

Key words: Magnify, Teach, Observable = FUN.

Teaching your child should be a really fun process. It should be a time where you and your child spend together and learn things from each other. Your child should be motivated to learn, and you should be motivated to teach. Teaching should never be a struggle. It should always be a shaping process. It should always be little steps at a time...

What is Autism?

Autism is defined behaviorally by symptoms that appear prior to age 3. According to the Diagnostic Statistical Manual ( IV) the criteria for diagnosing Autism are abnormal or delayed development in 3 areas:

1) Impairment and delays in Social Interaction (Social Skills)
2) Qualitative impairment and delays in communication ( Language)
3) Restrictive, repetitive and stereotyped patterns in behavior ( Behavior Repertoire)

Under these three categories there are sub categories as described below. In order to meet the criteria for autism, there has to be a total of of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and
(3), with at least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3):

A total of 6 or more items is required to meet the criteria for Autism in

 1) Impairment and delays in Social Interaction (Social Skills) ( at least 2 from this category)

(a) marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors, such as eye-to-eye gaze,
facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction (e.g., not reponding to name everytime her/his name is called, does not make eye contact)

(b) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level. (e.g., your child tends to play by himself/herself in a situation where there are other children present or engage in tantrum behavior when peers initiate play)

(c) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other
people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing,lack in joint attention, or pointing out objects of interest)

(d) lack of social or emotional reciprocity (e.g., does not like hug, tickles, or show empathy when another child is crying)


 2) Qualitative impairment and delays in communication ( Language) (at least 1 from this category)

(a) delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt
to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)

(b) in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a
conversation with others

(c) stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language (e.g., saying the same word, scripting from movies, making unusual sounds)

(d) lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to
developmental level


3) Restrictive, repetitive and stereotyped patterns in behavior ( Behavior Repertoire) (at least 1 from this category)

(a) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that
is abnormal either in intensity or focus (e.g., lining up objects, spinning object in the same way, not playing with toys appropriately)

(b) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals (e.g., engages in tantrum behavior when going from one place to the next)

(c) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting or complex
whole-body movements)

(d) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects (e.g., constantly playing with the same toy in the same way)

If you read this and think your child has autism, please contact your local pediatrician immediately. Your pediatrician can refer you to someone who can conduct a formal assessment and refer you to a provider that can provide effective treatment. The earlier intervention is sought, the more likely your child will improve. There is no cure for autism but with effective treatment and intervention, your child's autism can improve and in some cases the diagnosis can be taken away.

In choosing a treatment, feel empowered as a parent to take your time and do some research to see what is out there. Like I always say, the best treatments are the ones that report all their outcomes and evidence. Some treatments do report outcomes and evidence but they may not be socially valid, reliable or make any behavior improvements over time.

Please make yourself aware and be aware of fad treatments. Fad treatments claim to "Cure" autism and make your child better. Till date, there is no known cause for autism. There is no cure for autism. Choosing an effective program that is based on improving behavior is they way to go. I hope you feel empowered as a parent to make valid and reliable decisions on a treatment.

Here are two great links to help you think about some treatments out there and also links to help you with your questions on vaccinations, gluten free diets, etc

A Parent's Guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders

Suggested Links to Research Studies 

Vaccinations and Autism

Gluten and Casein Free Diets & Autism

Malaysian Parent Support Group

Autism Workshop Folks !

Hi Everyone!

I have been asked to do a small informational autism workshop for parents here in Subang Jaya.

Below are the details !

	Autism Workshop Helping my child with Autism.
	Topics that will be covered:  l  Brief Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (A.B.A) l  Relationship Building l  Managing Contingencies using Applied Behavior Analysis l  Increasing your child's independence at home

Autism affects 1:600 children in Malaysia. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects over tens of millions worldwide. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) has been much supported and is widely used in many parts of the world. In general, ABA involves breaking down teaching objectives into the smallest unit and teaching these units one by one.

This workshop will cover topics in the science of Applied Behaviour Analysis and help parents learn more about how they can become effective teachers for their children. Tina Dass is obtaining her M.A in Applied Behaviour Analysis from the United States and has worked with children diagnosed with autism in the United States for 6 years under the guidance of Dr. Kevin Brothers and PhD Candidate Sandra Gomes.

This workshop will be useful for therapists, teachers, caretakers and parents with children with autism.

Workshop Details:

Date:     13^th October 2012
Time:    9 am to 12 pm
Venue:                  1^st Floor, D'Tandoor Restaurant Subang Jaya, No. 7, Jalan SS 15/5A, Subang Jaya 47500 Selangor.

Price:

Early bird price is MYR 100 per person ( by September 25th)
Regular price MYR 130

Prices includes: Coffee/tea with snacks & a workshop packet.

Registration and payment may be made in the following ways: 

1. Scan/Email registration form along with payment receipt to littlestepsmalaysia@gmail.com
2. Payment can be made via transfer/cash/cheque deposit made payable to “Sheila Dass A/P Ranjit Dass” Maybank Account : 112308038289

Please do not hesitate to contact Tina/Sheila by phone 010-221 4028/016 283 7529 or by email littlestepsmalaysia@gmail.com for enquiries.

Registration forms and payment must be received by October 5^th 2012 

 

You can do anything you set your heart to.

Autism affects 1:600 children in Malaysia. 

Autism is a lifelong disability.

By way of comparison, more children are diagnosed with autism each year than with juvenile diabetes, AIDS or cancer, combined. ASD affects over tens of millions worldwide. This is such an alarming statistic. We have to do more for our children here in Malaysia.What can you do if you are a parent?

Educate yourself. Educate yourself about all the services available for your child. Unfortunately in Malaysia there are no government funding and no school systems that support the needs for a child diagnosed with autism. The best way to reach out is through research and empirical evidence.

After spending four beautiful years at Somerset Hills Learning Institute, my director told me to be proud of myself. And I looked at him with tears in my eyes and a breaking heart to leave all my kiddies that I love, and smiled. He added, "It's true, for the past for years, you have made a measurable difference in children's life. And that is something you should be very proud of". My director is a wonderful man. He started his school in the basement of a church with 4 children, 4 teachers and him. From a school of 4 children, he built a school with 30 children, with amazing, wonderful teachers. I realize this, a great program makes measurable differences in a child's life. This means that change is evident through data, observation and in a child's smile. He built a great school with a great mission, to "change the face of autism" and it continues. He is truly an inspiration.

Before I left my life in America, I had the opportunity to see one of our students graduate. He is 21, he is working and he is a tax paying citizen. How wonderful. Below is the link, so please check it out and let us all be inspired to increase autism awareness in Malaysia.

http://www.somerset-hills.org/home.html