Highlighted Resources

The following are reviews of resources that can be found in the OCALI Lending Library. These resources can be borrowed at no cost by Ohio's parents and professionals. To access the OCALI Lending Library go to:

http://forms.ocali.org/

The ABA Program Companion: Organizing Quality Programs for Children with Autism and PDD

Fovel, J.T. (2002). New York, NY: DRL Books

This is a very good resource for anyone developing an educational program using Applied Behavior Analysis theories and concepts. It can be used by teachers, parents and program coordinators at any stages of organizing and implementing their ABA programs. Through clear language, illustrations, tables and real-life examples, the topics covered include basic ABA concepts; teaching formats; the principles, merits and clinical applications of discrete trials; incidental teaching; teaching language and social skills; inclusion; curriculum planning and evaluation, among many others. The CD-ROM has software which includes curriculum goals for individual students with over 500 goals in 54 areas. From this CD, you can easily make forms on goals, program lists while tracking skills.

- Pattie Stechschulte

A "Stranger" Among Us: Hiring In-Home Support for a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Other Neurological Differences

Lieberman. L.A. (2005). Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

When you have a child with autism, there is a good chance you are going to have workers, or as this book calls them "strangers," coming into your home to work with your child. These strangers will come over after school and on weekends. They will see your house messy and they will see you making dinner. Before too long, these strangers will become a part of your family. That is why it is important to understand the importance of the selection and interviewing process. Most of us have never worked in human resources or hired our own employees, so we need a little help. A "Stranger" Among Us is a great resource for families because it shows how to find the right person from the beginning–from determining what your child and family needs to advertising the job to going through the hiring process. It also gives advice on keeping the workers in the loop of what is going on and includes professional suggestions on letting a worker go when things are not working out.

- Pattie Stechschulte

How to find work that works for people with asperger syndrome: The ultimate guide for getting people with asperger syndrome into the workplace (and keeping them there!)

Hawkins, G. (2004). London: Jessica Kinglsey.

This book is an important tool for anyone who is interested in helping an individual with Asperger Syndrome (AS) find and maintain employment or for individuals on the spectrum who are actively seeking employment. According to the author, "This book is also about hope. … anything is possible when they believe in it and work hard enough for it. It has been this conviction that has allowed [the author] to move employers to … hire someone who is different and they have not regretted their decisions" (p. 11).

This comprehensive book addresses the importance of job match as well as the role of a job coach, the family, and employers. Hawkins discusses her Four Pillar Teaching Technique to ready individuals with AS for securing and maintaining employment: effective communication, clear expectations, clear consequences, and consistency. In addition, she presents her Employment Toolbox for building successful strategies that includes: scripting, roleplay, and video modeling. Hawkins also presents a series of valuable instruments that aid in job success. These include a job viability chart, an occupations list, options for disclosure, a model resume, and a personal characteristics assessment. These are but a few of the tools offered in this significant book.

This book is a must-read when considering meaningful employment options for adults with AS. It is an invaluable resource.

Out and About: Preparing children with autism spectrum disorders to participate in their communities

Hudson, J., & Coffin, A.B. (2007). Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

Amy Bixler Coffin and Jill Hudson have developed a to-the-point resource that will be used again and again by parents and educators. The focus of Out and About: Preparing Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to Participate in Their Communities is on "the every day," how to enable and support individuals on the autism spectrum to participate, to the maximum extent possible, in the community around them.

In this simple book, the authors provide a framework for identifying the areas where an individual with ASD may need support to participate more fully and successfully in community activities. The framework, created as a Blueprint to be filled in, depending on the child and the outing being planned, lists 10 areas identified in best practice as effective types of support for children with ASD. Areas including waiting plan, communication, social, visual, hidden curriculum, sensory, motivation, behavior, transition, and siblings or other students. For each area on the Blueprint, parents, teachers, coaches, family members anybody who lives or works with the child- fills in ahead of time the support that best matches the child’s needs for a given event. The hope is that the specially designed Blueprint will become second nature to its users as they become more familiar with the areas of support the child needs in various situations.

Person-Centered Planning Made Easy: The PICTURE Method

Holburn, S., Gordon, A., & Vietze, P. (2007). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

Person-Centered Planning Made Easy: The PICTURE Method is a practical handbook in which Steve Holburn, Anne Gordon and Peter M. Vietze offer a step-by-step approach to organizing support using a person-centered vision. Specifically, the authors describe how to systematically implement person-centered planning through the Planning for Inclusive Communities Together Using Reinforcement and Evaluation (PICTURE) approach to help individuals with disabilities to achieve more satisfying lifestyles.

The book consists of four sections. Part I, "Person-Centered Planning and PICTURE,” provides an introduction to person-centered panning, including a brief history, goals, a snapshot of the process as well as a comparison with clinical problem solving.

Part II, "A Step-by-Step Guide,” focuses on factors contributing to the success of the PICTURE process and steps of conducting the meetings. Part III, "Using Evaluation to Improve the PICTURE,” suggests a general framework for conceptualizing the PICTURE process and highlights three interlocking components – the organization, the team and the individual.

Part IV, Tools to Use with PICTURE,” contains a troubleshooter’s guide for using PICTURE and ten evaluation tools used in PICTURE to evaluate the three interlocking components of the PICTURE as addressed in Part III.

Person-Centered Planning Made Easy: The PICTURE Method is more than simply a book about the PICTURE approach to organizing support using person-centered planning. There are guidelines, tips and practical exercises running throughout the main text. It is written in a manner that is readily accessible to the stated audience – human services agencies. Sections are brief and avoid the use of technical jargon. Suggestions are practical and can be easily implemented.

Three unique features of this simple-to-use handbook are worthy of note. First, it focuses on organizing support for an individual around the quality-of-life vision of the person instead of around diagnostic or professional criteria. Second, it reasserts the importance of overall quality of life as the foundation for support. Last but not least, it commits to research-based practices by providing the most rigorous assessments of person-center planning and the effects of this approach.

Overall, this book is valuable and helpful for those who have mastered the main idea of person-centered planning and are looking for the organizational practice that brings those ideas to life.

- Kai Chien Tien

The Ziggurat Model: A Framework for Designing Comprehensive Interventions for Individuals with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome

Aspy, R., & Grossman, B.G. (2007). Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

What if someone told you that he or she had created a framework for developing and implementing intervention plans for individuals with autism and Asperger Syndrome (AS) that was comprehensive and efficient, yet thorough; had a broad range of applicability; was individualized; fostered team work; and was consistent with recent federal and state guidelines?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Most of us strive to develop and implement intervention plans with these features and benefits but have lacked the advantage of a tool to guide us in doing so in a timely manner. That is, until The Ziggurat Model arrived.

Comprehensive. The Ziggurat Model presents a five-level approach to intervention plans that progresses in a hierarchical order starting with sensory differences and biological needs, reinforcement, structure and visual supports, on to task demands, and, finally, skills to teach. Addressing each of the lower levels fosters success at the higher levels, thereby promoting maximum success for individuals with autism and AS. Moreover, this unique approach may be used to develop a general program or one that addresses specific behavioral concerns.

Efficient, yet thorough. Drs. Aspy and Grossman have accomplished a major feat in creating a model that is easy to understand and use and is sensitive to the limited time available to parents and professionals.

For each of the levels of the Ziggurat, this innovative resource provides (a) descriptions of strategies that may be used to address them at a point of intervention: antecedent, behavior, or consequence; (b) considerations for incorporating these strategies; and (c) research to support them. Finally, The Ziggurat Model contains multiple case studies and a troubleshooting guide.

Broad range of applicability. The model may be used with individuals of all ages and ability levels. That is, it is just as valuable for a young child with classic autism as it is for a college student with AS. Individualized. The Ziggurat Model emphasizes the importance of building from each individual’s unique needs, as opposed to providing a cookie-cutter approach to intervention.

Team-based. Collaboration and communication between parents and the multidisciplinary team are naturally fostered and enhanced. The Ziggurat Model helps everyone understand their vital role in an individual’s intervention plan and, therefore, makes them more effective partners.

Consistent with recent federal and state guidelines. Teams that implement the Ziggurat model can be confident that they are addressing federal and state priorities emphasizing the use of evidence-based practices, response-to-intervention, functional behavior assessments, and positive behavior interventions and supports.

This revolutionary tool has the potential to significantly, and perhaps most important, positively and proactively, impact the lives of individuals with autism and AS, their families, and the professionals with whom they work. Aspy and Grossman’s book will aid you and your team in making this goal a reality.

- Anastasia Hubbard, M.S. Ed.