Comparing behavioral and theoretical models of autism intervention

Autism spectrum disorder is a serious affliction that has increased in prevalence in recent years. It is estimated that one out of every 150 children born in the United States is autistic. It is unclear whether the disorder is diagnosed more often or if the rate of occurrence has actually increased dramatically. Whatever the case, autism has emerged as a serious health issue. The purpose of this discussion is to Compare and contrast two theoretical models of intervention in Autism.

Behavioral model of Intervention

Behavioral interventions designed to treat autism are amongst the most studied and best tested interventions for those suffering from the disorder. According to a book entitled, Autism Spectrum Disorders this particular type of intervention results in a broad range of benefits. These benefits include increased communication with others, that ability to perform self-care, greater engagement with peers and family members as it pertains to leisure activities, acquiring vocational skills, receiving an education and better management of the behaviors associated with autism such as tantrums. The author explains that From a behavioral perspective, individuals with autism have biological impairments that reduce their ability and motivation to learn in ways that typically developing children and adults do. In particular, individuals with autism have little skill or interest in playing creatively, conversing, modeling other people's actions, exploring their environments, attending to teachers' instructions, or reading books on topics that are unfamiliar to them. As a result, a primary goal of behavioral treatment is to provide learning situations that enable individuals with autism to experience success and that motivate them to continue learning (Hollander, 2003-page 369)."

Autistic individuals that are to receive behavioral interventions must first undergo an assessment. According to the author the autistic individual is expected to have an interdisciplinary evaluation to diagnose the disorder. The evaluation is also designed to make certain that the individual does not have a medical problem that is not autism. The evaluation also makes certain that the individual does not have hearing loss and their skill level is evaluated. During the assessment the individual is observed so that the clinician can have a better understanding on the condition of the individual and their behaviors. There are three primary reasons why the assessments are performed;

1. Determine the behaviors that need to be treated also known as targeted behaviors. These behaviors are usually found to be behavioral excesses of behavioral deficits (Hollander, 2003). Behavioral excesses are behaviors that are performed to frequently and they usually include stereotypes and tantrums. Behavioral deficits are inclusive of behaviors that should be performed often but are not (Hollander, 2003). For an individual with autism these deficit behaviors usually include lack of communication and play.

2. Identify how events affect behavior in the individual; this is referred to as functional analysis. In most cases the functional analysis concentrates on events such as antecedents, consequences and establishing operations. Antecedents are triggers or events that happen right before a certain behavior (Hollander, 2003).

Consequences, on the other hand, are events that occur following the display of a certain behavior. The author points out that consequences are likely to increase or decrease the behavior occurring again. Finally, the establishing operations are events that modify the impact of antecedents and consequences (Hollander, 2003).

3. Identifying the skills the person being treated needs to obtain so that they can engage in new behaviors.

4. Determine which interventions would be beneficial to the individual

Once the assessment of the individual is complete and it is determined that behavioral intervention would be beneficial to the individual, the intervention can begin. The interventions usually begin in early childhood and there are centers throughout the country that specialize in behavioral interventions. In many cases the interventions involve engaging in behaviors repetitively as a way to retrain or redirect the brain. The therapy often involves showing the autistic child how to play and perform certain skills. It also attempts to emphasize the importance of communication.

This point is emphasized by focusing on improving eye contact and asking for what they need.

Overall many children with autism have benefited greatly from behavioral interventions. Because autistic children often display behaviors that are disruptive, behavioral therapies are often viewed as a way to reduce these disruptive behaviors so that the individual can better function in daily life. In addition behavioral interventions allow the autistic person to better communicate with the people around them. Communication is extremely important because it allows the autistic individual to make contact with the outside world and develop the skill sets they will need to survive.

Conclusion

The purpose of this discussion was to compare and contrast two theoretical models of intervention in Autism. The two models that we reviewed were behavioral and educational. The research suggests that behavioral interventions are amongst the most studied and most effective interventions for those suffering from autism. Behavioral interventions are beneficial because they increase communication, skills and peer interaction. The research also found that educational interventions can be beneficial to those with autism. The types of educational interventions discussed included conductive education and gentle teaching. Both of these types of interventions may be able to offer some benefit to autistic individuals. Overall it appears that any type of intervention is more likely to be successful if it occurs before the age of five.