Teaching Technique for Young Autistic Children

Hello to all:

My name is Deborah Adams and I am conducting a study for my doctoral dissertation. My study involves testing a new teaching technique for young children with autism. The new technique involves using a brief, concise sound delivered as a click as part of a reward for responding when his/her name is called. Ten children are needed to participate in this study between the ages of 4-5 years. Each child must have had a formal diagnosis of autism and not have previously received any type of formal sound or auditory processing therapy. An initial interview will be conducted over the telephone to gather further information, particularly if the child is hypersensitive to sounds or noises and also to conduct the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. The study will take place at Nature’s Place Therapy Services, Incorporated and involve five different visits. The first visit will be to administer formal assessments including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Each of the four data collection visits will last 15-30 minutes in length. The total number of visits to Nature’s Place for the study is five. More than one visit can occur in a single day provided that at least two hours have elapsed in between visits. Participating in the study will be of no charge nor will any compensation be offered. If you are interested or you know of someone who also has a child with autism and may be interested, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would be more than happy to answer any questions or provide further information.