Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/20186
Early intervention Dominic, 5, sits inside a tiny room for some one-on-one time with Elizabeth Milan, a psy- chology graduate student at CSU Fresno. He converses with her just like any child his age, but flaps his arms once in a while when he’s excited. “Grab the dice,” says Milan when this hap- pens. The youngster holds on to the dice and calms himself as he continues the conversation. His occasional “stimming,” or flapping, is barely noticeable to the casual observer. But when he first arrived for therapy at the Central California Autism Center (CCAC) at the college campus, it was a different story. He would “stim” or engage in repeti- tive, self-stimulating body move- ments constantly. He had difficulty paying attention and interacting with his peers because he lacked communication and social skills. Amazingly, after intensive therapy at the CCAC, Dominic has lost his autism diagnosis. “We can’t say that he is cured, also lost their diagnosis, she says proudly. Adams, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, joined the Fresno State faculty in 2006 as an as- sistant professor in the Psychology Depart- ment. Prior to that, she spent a decade working with children who have autism in a variety of settings, including university programs and school districts. As the director of CCAC, she conducts research in autism and trains students at Fresno State in using Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), so they can provide early intervention to autistic children. Adams and her cohort of trained students work intensively with preschoolers as young as age 3 who have been diagnosed with autism. “With autism, the earlier the in- Amanda Adams CSU Fresno but we might say he’s in recovery from autism,” says Amanda Adams, the California Faculty Association member who founded the pro- gram three years ago and oversees its opera- tion. “After intensive work with us, he no lon- ger qualifies for an autism diagnosis.” Five other graduates of the program have tervention, the better,” says Adams. “Research has shown that early de- tection and behavioral intervention are the most important things when it comes to treatment. It’s im- portant to do screening right away. Parents may fear a false positive, but even if these kids went into treatment with- out being autistic, it’s like going into a super- powered preschool program. And no harm can come of that.” Some children spend eight hours a day at the clinic to learn language, communication and emotional recognition. Children “copy and model” their student therapists while playing games, using manipulatives, answer- ing questions and other interactions. It seems like fun and games, but they are learning how to communicate, take turns, and “read” emo- tions and moods in others. There are no sen- sory break areas here; instead therapists try to “redirect” a child in positive ways before that child has a meltdown. “Eight hours a day may seem like a lot of time here for a very young child, but research shows that up to 40 hours a week of interven- tion delivers the best outcome,” says Adams. “Our goal is to help them catch up, and we can’t waste time.” The program offers treatment for children on all levels of the autism spectrum using ABA, which grew out of the work of psycholo- gist B.F. Skinner and uses reinforcement to en- courage learning. Therapists break down skills ranging from simple to complex into repeated practice, usually in a one-on-one setting. When a child performs a task well, he or she is rewarded with a cracker or other incentive, such as being able to use the computer or play with a puzzle. LEFT: Student Elizabeth Milan works with Dominic at the Central California Autism Center at CSU Fresno. 18 California Educator | NOVEMBER 2010