| H. G. Birch Western Queens Early Childhood Center STEPS (Structured Teaching Programs) An Eclectic Multi-disciplinary Approach By: Dr. Sara Socher An article writen as an addendum to the presentation of the STEPS program at the "Addressing the Challenges of Autism" conference, presented on 11/15/2000 at the Lighthouse in Manhattan |
| STEPS PROGRAM HISTORY In September of 1998 Western Queens Developmental School’s (WQDS) ownership changed, becoming part of Herbert G. Birch services, and changing names to H. G. Birch Western Queens Early Childhood Center. WQDS was operating a very dynamic, but fairly new program for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and had adopted the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) in its classrooms. Birch Western Queens is a preschool (ages 3 to 5) with the capacity to serve 164 children with special needs. Its Structured Teaching Programs (STEPS) is responsible for providing educational and clinical services to 40 children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASDs are manifested as a complex set of symptoms. According to the Autism Society of America, approximately one in 500 Americans has some form of the syndrome of autism, but new research, as published in June 2001, in the Journal of American Medical Association JAMA, seems to inducate that, this number is an underestimate. Autism is a universal condition that is more frequent in males but affects all races andsocial classes. Behaviors exhibited by autistic people vary to a wide extent. A cheklist of the characteristics of autism can be seen at the autistic society of America. Specialists tend to characterize autistic people based upon their ability to perform: a “highly functioning” person with autism would be somebody better equipped to solve daily |
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| life problems than an individual who functions at a lower level. It has been stated for many years that about 75% of autistic people are retarded. this is likely to be an overestimate, as IQs appear to increase when children become “testable” after being exposed to successful interventions. Modern biology, together with the clinical, educational, and pharmacological areas specializing in autism are rapidly evolving. You can find research updates in sites such as: NAAR or ARI (a thorough description on autism is found in the ARI site in English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Italian). Researchers suspect that several different groups of altered genes cause autism by interfering with the brain's chemical message systems that guide brain development and later serve as chemical messengers, or neurotransmitters, between nerve cells in the mature brain. Research is helping scientists to get closer to characterizing the brain functioning and cognitive attributes of autism. For the time being, educational/clinical therapies continue to dominate this field although pharmacological treatment is available to alleviate some of the conditions that often appear together with autism such as hyper-activity, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, aggressive behaviors towards self or others, allergies, hypo or hypersensitivities, seizures, etc. While there are different definitions of autism, the most widely accepted in the USA, and many other countries, is the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. However, knowing the definition of autism as described by the law is beneficial to understand who are the children qualified to receive services, even when a full diagnosis is not in place. Our program consists of five classes, each with a staffing ratio of 8:1:3 (eight children, a teacher and 3 teacher assistants), and an environment that includes a multiplicity of cultures and languages which are part of our school’s entire population. In support of the educational personnel, our team of clinicians includes: Speech Pathologists, social workers, |
| The Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) defines autism, in the United States, as a characteristic that is generally evident before the age of three, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance, and that is a developmental disability significantly affecting social interaction and communication (verbal and non-verbal). IDEA specifies other characteristics often associated with autism, such as engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. |
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| STEPS PROGRAM HISTORY THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROGRAM Recommended Practices Additional Recommended Practices SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF AUTISM SPECTUM DISORDER (ASD) HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL/CLINICAL INTERVENTIONS Psychodinamic Approaches Programs derived from behavior modification theory Applied Behavioral Analyses (ABA) Behavior Modification by Reward The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Cognitive/Behavioral Approaches Model TEACCH Theory of Mind The Miller's Method |