A study led by Manchester University will be conducted to determine whether an intervention with parents and teachers can help children with autism transfer newly acquired social communication skills from home into school.
A part of autism is that kids with the disorder have difficulty transferring new skills from one context to another and that present a challenge for all involved. The study, which is aimed at 2-11 year olds, will look to extend the parent-child therapeutic model to work in education in parallel to working in the home.
One researcher said, “This project is an exciting opportunity for us to test an extension of our approach using video feedback with parents of young children with autism to include similar training of professionals working with the children in their education setting. If this kind of integrated approach proves to add value for children’s development, then it will have important implications for service delivery in the future. The trial also gives us a unique opportunity to investigate how these children generalize skills across contexts – an important and fundamental question in the developmental science of autism.”
The study is in its beginning stages and will take a few years for results to start rolling in.
One parent taking part in the study said, “I realize the importance of understanding what he understands and making my communication directly relevant to the context of the interaction. It’s a real partnership where we discuss the meaning of his communication and I always go away understanding him so much better with insight.”
Check back in a few years to see the results of this study, especially if your child has autism.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
