Free Download: Trace the Train Track

http://www.positivelyautism.com/free/finemotor_tracing.html

A fine motor skill development activity from www.PositivelyAutism.com featuring "Travis the Train."

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Tracing & Cutting (Right Start)

Antecedent Strategy: Priming

Priming is a strategy that parents can use at home to help their children prepare for upcoming activities. As an antecedent intervention, priming is a research-supported intervention method for students with autism. The idea behind priming is to preview activities or information with a student before the student participates in that activity. Priming consists of three components: (1) it is conducted prior to an activitiy and should use the same materials, (2) priming should be a low-demand situation, focusing on tasks that are easy for the student, and (3) priming should incorporate frequent opportunities for reinforcement.

Since we know that many students with autism are more comfortable with routines and things that are familiar to them, one goal of priming is to help the student become more familiar and comfortable with activities that will be presented as school, an ABA clinic, a playgroup, or other settings.

Examples of priming including reading a book at home with a child that the child’s teacher will be reading at school that week or looking at pictures and talking about the zoo before a field trip. When choosing what to use priming with at home, look at the areas of school where the child shows the most problem behavior, difficulty paying attention, or academic difficulty. Going back to our above example, if a child has difficulty in circle time, parents could read the books and sing the songs with the child at home to prepare for doing these activities at school.

Here's a guide to priming with helpful examples: http://www.txautism.net/docs/Guide/Interventions/Priming.pdf


References/Articles

"Priming as a Method of Coordinating Educational Services for Students with Autism" by L. K. Koegel, R. L. Koegel, W. Frea, and I. Green-Hopkins. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, Volume 34 (2003).

"Including Children With Autism in General Education Classrooms: A Review of Effective Strategies" by J. K. Harrower and G. Dunlap. Behavior Modification, Volume 25, Issue 5 (2001).

"Teaching Preschool Age Autistic Children to Make Spontaneous Initiations to Peers Using Priming" by K. Zanolli, D. Daggett, and T. Adams. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Volume 26, Issue 4 (1996)

Antecedent Strategy: Transition Warnings

Transition warnings provide a warning of an upcoming transition (change to a new activity, having to stop watching a video to eat dinner, going to the store, going outside to recess, etc.).

A transition warning can be as simple as telling a child, “In 5 minutes, we will be putting away your cars to take a bath.” I unusually give a 5-minute and a 1-minute warning.

Another option to help a child know when the transition is coming is to use a visual timer, as pictured below.

Transition warnings can also be used with schedules by telling the child when the next item on the schedule is coming.

For more information about transition warnings, you can view this video from Autism Spot.

Antecedent Strategy: Schedules

A visual schedule is a visual representation of tasks to be completed. A series of tasks, events, or activities can be presented in one or more of the following ways:
•Photographs
•Drawings
•Icons
•Objects
•Text

As many individuals with autism learn much better with visual than with auditory input, visual schedules may be considered an effective method for teaching and communicating with students with autism. A picture schedule may be used to communicate a series of events that must be completed (such as a math worksheet, reading a book, then outside play), a daily schedule (such as breakfast, school, homework, outside play, dinner, bath, and bed), a school schedule (math, literature, science, P.E.), a reinforcement contingency (first work, then play), etc.

For more information about using schedules, please visit the past issues of our newsletter and view the video below:

Examples of Antecedent Strategies

In August, Positively Autism is continuing our series on using antecendent interventions to prevent problem behaviors. If you're new to Positively Autism, pleaes read our July newsletter issue to get a background on antecedent strategies.

Here are some examples of antecedent strategies:

• Using a schedule.
• Providing information about any changes in schedule.
• Transition warnings.
• Providing choices.
• Enriching the learning environment by providing access to sensory stimuli (such as Play-doh to push with hands during a lesson) that serve the same function as a problem behavior.
• Incorporating student interests into learning activities.
• Interspersing acquisition and maintenance tasks.
• Posting of clear classroom rules/expectations in the classroom.

We’ll provide information and resources for some of these strategies in our next blog posts.

July 2012 Newsletter

Articles

July/August Topic: Preventing Problem Behaviors - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/julyaugust-topic-preventing-problem.html

What are Antecedent Interventions? - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-are-antecedent-interventions.html

When Do Antecedent Interventions Take Place? - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/when-do-antecedent-interventions-take.html

How Do Antecedent Interventions Prevent Problems? - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/so-how-do-antecedent-interventions.html

New Free Stuff

New Free Materials: Castles and Knights Theme Activities - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-free-materials-castles-and-knights.html

New Free Download: Travis the Train Delivers Shapes - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/new-free-download-travis-train-delivers.html

News and Announcements

Send Your Nominations for Positively Autism's Teacher of the Month and Teacher of the Year - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/teacher-of-month-and-teacher-of-year.html

July 2012 Positive Autism News - http://positively-autism.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-2012-positive-autism-news.html

We'll have more info on Antecedent Interventions next month! Follow us on Facebook to get new articles and free materials as they are posted.

July 2012 Positive Autism News

Science and the Internet Helping Autistic Boy Find His Voice
July 5, 2012
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/science-and-the-internet-helping-autistic-boy-find-his-voice-1.866527


Autistic Boy’s Dream Results in Therapy Ranch
July 6, 2012
http://www.mcphersonsentinel.com/topstories/x1197883050/Autistic-boy-s-dream-results-in-therapy-ranch


Man Builds Enthusiasm for Lego Playgroups
July 7, 2012
http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/rob-builds-enthusiasm-for-lego-playgroups/2616446.aspx

What Child Prodigies and Autistic People Have in Common
July 10, 2012
http://news.yahoo.com/what-child-prodigies-and-autistic-people-have-in-common.html


Group Helps Kids With Autism Connect With Their Artistic Side
July 12, 2012
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/07/12/group-helps-kids-with-autism-connect-with-their-artistic-side/


Companies Find Fruitful Results When Hiring Autistic Workers
July 15, 2012
http://www.workforce.com/article/20120715/NEWS02/120719962/companies-find-fruitful-results-when-hiring-autistic-workers#


Autism Doesn’t Deter Efforts of Young Utah Humanitarian
July 21, 2012
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home3/54479155-200/snow-autism-austen-students.html.csp?page=1