PRO-ED Series on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Second Edition

Written in a quickly accessible, user-friendly style by qualified and experienced professionals, the books discuss and illustrate numerous practical solutions and strategies for working with learners with autism or other pervasive developmental disorders. The books are similar in format and flexible enough to adapt to particular learning situations. 6” x 9” softcover books.

Social Skills and Social Interactions

Written to enhance the quality and quantity of social interactions of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their peers. Describes social competence and peer-related social behaviors, a multisource functional approach to assessment, and evidence-based practices for fostering peer-related social interactions. Provides a systematic process for educators to assess, plan for, and support students’ social behaviors with peers in the classroom. 64 pages.

Visual Supports

Visual supports are essential components of programs serving students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and can help provide a variety of information that enables these students to better understand and complete tasks with greater independence. Provides information to help educators and families utilize visual displays or cues, such as schedules, boundaries, labels, and consequence maps to help students with ASD achieve improved learning outcomes.

Discrete Trial Training

A method of teaching individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on applied behavior analysis (ABA). Skills are broken into discrete steps and then taught in massed trials. With DTT, steps are taught one at a time, instead of teaching an entire skill all at once. Concepts covered include errorless learning, methods of reinforcement, and how to use behavior momentum. The text explains how to collect, interpret, and use data to make teaching decisions. Finally, the text details a method for evaluating implementation of DTT. 141 pages.

Naturalistic and Incidental Teaching

Provides a primer on naturalistic teaching strategies and incidental teaching in the classrooms of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This book includes information on what these strategies are and how to use them, and related information and literature.

Naturalistic teaching strategies (NaTS) are evidence-based interventions, rooted in applied behavior analysis, that are carried out in loosely structured environments, akin to what occurs in the natural environment at home. Incidental teaching (IT) is a naturalistic teaching method that encourages the involvement of parents, peers, and siblings in instructional activities and treatment. Incidental teaching is designed to facilitate and extend skill generalization and maintenance, and makes systematic use of natural reinforcement. 72 pages.

Functional Behavioral Assessment

Describes a process to develop successful, function-based intervention plans and design maximally effective management programs for children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Functional behavior assessment (FBA) is an information-gathering process to identify environmental variables that produce challenging behaviors. This book presents the foundations of FBA, the steps in the FBA process, data-collection procedures to complete an FBA, and guidelines for developing function-based interventions. 80 pages.

Self-Determination

Offers specific and clearly described strategies for ensuring that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are fully involved in their program plans and outcomes. Research suggests that self-determination, defined as acting as the causal agent in one’s own life, results in more positive outcomes in school, postschool employment, postsecondary education, and community living. However, students with ASD report lower levels of self-determination than their same-age peers. This book is designed for teachers, other direct-support personnel, and families, with the aim of enabling them to support children and youth with ASD in acquiring the skills they need to become more self-determined. 84 pages.

Assistive and Instructional Technology

A guide to using technology in the classrooms of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This book describes the difference between assistive and instructional technology and how they are related. It identifies key features to look for in new technology and provides step-by-step support for using it effectively. This succinct resource describes critical aspects of current technology that result in improved learning outcomes. 71 pages.

Sexuality Education

Provides a framework for comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for the healthy and safe sexual development of learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Comprehensive sexuality education includes traditional sex education topics, such as reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases, and incorporates learning about various relationships, decision-making skills and communication, specific sexual behaviors, and aspects of diversity as related to sexuality, among other topics.

Promotes a behavior analytic approach to teaching CSE to learners with ASD. This approach involves identifying behaviors to be increased and decreased and defining those behaviors in measurable terms. The goals of comprehensive sexuality education for individuals with ASD also include preventing sexual abuse, fostering healthy relationships, preventing and addressing inappropriate behavior, promoting health and hygiene, and improving self-determination. 96 pages.

Self-Management and Cognitive Behavior Interventions

A guide to using cognitive behavior modification (CBM) with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to increase the student’s self-management.

CBM approaches include self-management intervention (SMI) and cognitive behavior intervention (CBI). SMI is synonymous with self-regulation and encompasses a variety of cognitive processes, such as controlling emotions, attending to relevant information, planning future behavior, remaining flexible through unplanned setbacks, and behaving in a way that enhances the likelihood of achieving future goals. SMI is managed by the student and is used to address a wide variety of target behaviors. CBI helps individuals examine their thoughts and emotions and adopt actions that change their thinking as well as their behavior.

Examines specific, research-based cognitive behavior interventions and self-management interventions and explores designing and implementing interventions for students with ASD. 108 pages.