Vera Bernard-Opitz: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Structured Teaching and Experience-Based Program for Therapists, Teachers, and Parents

Excerpt

Over the past several decades, the quantity of information about autism spectrum disorders and treatment methods has increased exponentially. A number of clinical and research efforts have resulted in readily available written documents about recommended evidence based practices for meeting the needs of children with ASD. Although evidence based intervention methods for children with ASD have been identified, there continues to be a need for better understanding of how to match the most effective interventions to specific child characteristics. An integrated curriculum, called the STEP, has been developed by Vera Bernardt-Opitzs to provide a comprehensive treatment guide that integrates research knowledge into a practical, useful intervention program. The most striking feature of the book is that it introduces an integrated approach using the state of the art treatments which include applied behavior analysis, precision teaching, experience based interventions, and visual approaches to assist children with ASD at varying developmental levels. The book manages the complexities of presenting these different intervention approaches in a clear and concise manner for beginning and experienced practitioners interested in treatment. Its scope is comprehensive, combining a wealth of experience and expertise about the key aspects of the different intervention approaches. Thus, rather than the “one size fits all” approach, the author tries to reach the heterogeneous group of children with ASD by prescribing a continuum of evidence based methods. …