Autism Related Links

Reposted from a 2006 (?) article.

In our search for information on autism, (see Krissy’s Story) we have discovered a few websites that have been very helpful for us and we are eager to share them with you. While we do not agree with everything said on any one of these sites, we hope that some of these will be as helpful for you as they have been for us.

www.firstsigns.org
First Signs is a good place to find basic information about autism, diagnosis information, and links to numerous other sites, ranging from helpful to useless. The two we think are most helpful are the M-CHAT assessment for toddlers http://www.firstsigns.org/downloads/Downloads_archive/m-chat.PDF and the Australian Scale For Asperger’s Syndrome http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/Articles/The-Australian-Scale-for-Asperger-s-Syndrome.aspx.

www.behavioranalysts.com
This is Dr. Partington’s site, we have attended a number of his local workshops and have been impressed by both his practical, knowledgeable approach and his heart for the kids he works with. He is a skilled communicator who teaches with many real video examples, so you walk away having really learned something. If he will be in your area, we feel it is well worth your time and money to attend.

www.knospe-aba.com
This is the website for Robert Schramm, author of Educating Towards Recovery, our favorite autism treatment book. Don’t forget to browse our free section below as well, he has graciously allowed us to make several lengthy and very helpful excerpts from his original book available.

http://www.autism.com
This site is the clearinghouse for masses of information about a wide variety of treatment methods. With its emphasis on natural supplements and desire to make information available to parents, we have often referred to this site in our journey with Krissy. I definitely feel that Krissy has benefited from some of their suggestions, particularly the Melatonin and B vitamins, among others. However, not all of their suggestions have been helpful for her, and some have seemed downright odd. Nevertheless, being able to look at the raw data ourselves has been extremely helpful in the decision-making process. The fact that they do not sell any of the products they suggest makes them as unbiased as possible.

www.feat.org
FEAT: Families for Effective Autism Treatment. This link takes you to their main site, which will help you locate your local chapter of FEAT. Your local FEAT should be able to assist you in finding resources in your area.

www.nathhan.com
This began as a local family ministry, and now assists and encourages homeschooling families with special needs children in ways that glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. We enjoyed receiving their magazine for many years, even before we actually were involved with special needs children. Their newest website,www.chask.org has the wonderful focus of finding Christian homes for children with special needs, especially those whose parent’s are given a prenatal diagnoses and encouraged to have an abortion. What a practical way to value life.

FREE STUFF
http://www.mariposaschool.org/sites/default/files/TrainingManual_0.pdf
This massive, 136 page manual covers the basics of VBA in a practical and helpful manner. This is a wonderful free resource! (Many more PDFs are now available here: http://www.mariposaschool.org/learning-materials)

http://www.users.qwest.net/
Yes, this document is replete with typos, however it is a relatively short (38 pages) manual on the nitty-gritty details of how to teach pivotal behaviors to children with autism. One of the most helpful links we have found for getting started, it is extremely readable and easy to understand.

Download generous portions from the must-read book “Educate Toward Recovery” by Robert Schramm MA, BCBA :
-Motivation and Reinforcement
-Seven Steps to Earning Instructional Control with your Child
-What is RDI and how does it compare to Applied Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior

YOU SHARED
This repost was actually triggered by an email from a customer who wanted to add this resource: http://www.peoplefinders.com/article-peoples-resource-guide-to-autism.aspx “which includes a compiled list of autism related resource pages that provide important information about topics such as diagnosis, screening, management and much more. I think it is a great resource for parents like me and I also think it would fit well under your list of important pages.” I agree, it looks very helpful. What else would you add?