Kathy and Calvin's Home Page

- from a listserve:

When my son was younger, we had a speech therapist who followed Stanley Greenspan's Play Therapy. We also were doing ABA (Lovaas style) at the time. Now we are doing VB.

As I understand these methods there is one major difference...in any ABA program, it is very important that the therapist have instructional control...that doesn't mean tying the kid to a chair, but it does mean that the therapist is in control of what is being taught and is also in control of the child behaviorally.

On the other hand, Greenspan's play therapy is CHILD LED....that's the term he uses. In this therapy, you let the CHILD determine what happens...for instance...if he picks up a ball, you start talking about the ball, if he picks up a shoe, maybe you start talking about the shoe - or playing with it, etc. If he had behaviors, the therapist would try to talk to him, saying, "I know you're mad", "Tell me why you're mad", "say, I'm mad because you took my ball"...lots of stress on "affect" and following the child's lead.

Training, training, training -- data, data, data -- analyze, analyze, analyze -- fun, fun, fun --creative, creative, creative -- positive, positive, positive -- compassionate, compassionate, compassionate -- motivation, motivation, motivation -- it's never the kid's fault he/she is not learning, you need to be better at teaching.

One big-ol' ABA misconception: ABA is Lovaas Discrete Trial

I think one very common misconception, especially with Oregon Department of Education (ODE) folks, is that ABA is synonymous with discrete trial teaching (Lovaas). ABA is a methodology that can be applied everywhere, with anyone, at any time. It involves noting responses to an instruction while keeping in mind the motivation aspect of the subject's response (something is motivating to the child when it increases the appropriate response when that motivating thing is given to the child). Behaviors are strengthened by positive reinforcement and diminished by non-reinforcement or replacement by something else. It is effective because you constantly monitor the program by collecting objective data and analyzing it - then modify interventions based upon the data.

Ever wonder how a parent and school official don't see eye to eye on resources and your child? Well, let's say it can have a lot to do with perspective. I have no idea of how parents (especially ones that advocate hard) and teachers and administrators (especially as resources are dwindling and unions are stratifying the benefits between overwhelmed newbie teachers and teachers with seniority).

Here is an analogy:

Watering your lawn

A School Official's View

When you need another way to say "good job" there are many creative ways. Here are just a few examples:

• Right on!
• You're so smart!
• Nice going.

(http://www2.addr.com/~me-list/)

1. Give "go play" and pull child back to you by back of shirt. Do several times. It usually builds a smile and a lot of times when you don't grab the shirt the child will back up to you to do so.
2. "I'm gonna eat your toes!" take child's foot toward your mouth with pretend chomp with sounds-- every kid i work with likes this one. Doesn't seem to make a difference in child has rec. language or not--just the anticipation. after first or second time of trying to pull away with laughter, child usually gives you other foot.
3. Say "do this" and make roar sound. When child does, act terrified and fall off chair. May take a few do thises but most kids love the idea of making you react.
4. Instructor head into child stomach, tickly burrowing of head--real laughter zone.
5. Wind up your hand like its a toy til your wrist hurts (almost)--use cranking sound effects-then let it go and flap your hand wildly over the table and child in flip flop motion.
6. Fall asleep and snore loudly on child's lap then wake up suddenly for the school bell--ding ding ding.

This set of legal briefs was contributed by attorney Mary Jane White. She wrote:

"This will be helpful for families to download and take to their local counsel--a good personal injury trial lawyer could read this stuff and begin to make a very credible case of it. You can find a good trial lawyer by looking at the IDELR, Individuals With Disabilities Law Reporter (in the law school library) and seeing who is representing parents in your state. The names of the lawyers and their cities are given at the beginning of each case--a reference librarian at the law library can help you learn where to look. If you can't find a good special education lawyer, contact a member of ATLA, Association of Trial Lawyers of America--these are the plaintiffs' trial bar--the really good litigators, which is what you need."

Some terminology:

Story

Parents of children with autism, wanting to do everything possible for their sons and daughters, will often consider a variety of therapies and treatments.

"We would like those teaching methods that have proved to be effective for [my child], be used rather than those that have proven to be ineffective,

We would like the application of evidenced instructional methodology be used in the manner that the original researchers intended, unless the modifications have been checked against a baseline to establish that the modifications increase the effectiveness of the method,

Click Here for story

A great article from the Wrightslaw people. I found it interesting that Pam is a Social Worker (something we really don't have here in Oregon) and her husband is an attorney.

This article gets to the heart of the discourse between parents and school officials: where's the motivation? Parents are motivated to get their child to learn (God forbid that we want an optimal education for our kids). Teachers? Well, read the article....

Department of Education, under pressure from state legislatures, plans to ease some provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The provisions include some regarding teacher certification and also new flexible regulations on participation rates for testing. The new policies will be announced Monday, March 15.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/14/education/14CHIL.html
(dealing with both subjects) and