Research
JCPSLP
Volume 16, Number 3 2014
159
Top ten resources in an intensive,
group-based intervention setting
for young children with autism
spectrum disorder
Katherine Pye
alternative visual supports include high- and low-tech
communication devices and visual timetables.
3 Research
We are very lucky to have a full-time researcher, Dr
Giacomo Vivanti, working in the centre, and he often alerts
us to new findings and articles that are relevant to our
practice. Members of our team also attend local and
international conferences, use the university library and
benefit from regular updates from Informa Healthcare
(http://informahealthcare.com) – it’s a great time-saver to
receive articles relevant to your needs, straight to your
inbox! The centre was established following international
findings that early, intensive, behavioural intervention is the
most effective (Granpeesheh, Dixon, Tarbox, Kaplan, &
Wilke, 2009; Odom, Boyd, Hall, & Hume, 2014; Peters-
Scheffer, Didden, Korzilius, & Matson, 2012; Rogers, 2013),
and more recent research has supported the efficacy and
long-term cost-benefits of approaches including the ESDM.
We continue to be guided by current research.
4 The transdisciplinary team
The transdisciplinary team is based on shared skills, open
communication and thorough organisation. We meet twice
weekly and use email, cheat sheets, joint working and
frequent face-to-face updates to keep each other up to
speed with children’s needs and our own workloads. In a
busy group setting, timetabling is crucial: groups,
transitions, inclusion visits, therapy space, staffing, meals
and the children’s toileting are all tightly scheduled to keep
things running as smoothly as possible, providing children
with learning and care throughout the day. The therapists in
the room have clear roles and expectations at all times.
Families are central to the team around each child. As we
are a childcare setting, parents are not present in the
therapy provided on a daily basis, but regular meetings
ensure their concerns are addressed and consistency
between home and the centre is increased. Parents are
offered training in ESDM techniques and they take part in
goal-setting with their child’s key workers. Seeing parents
every morning and afternoon helps us to build a strong
relationship through regular communication – we learn a lot
from each other.
5 Standardised tests
Standardised tests are used to track children’s progress
through the program, enabling comparison with alternative
intervention models, such as Applied Behaviour Analysis
(ABA). Our research psychologist carries out this work,
which evaluates the effectiveness of the ESDM in a group
T
he Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and
Care Centre (Vic ASELCC) is a federally funded
service that is governed by La Trobe University.
he service is part of the Community Children’s Centre
and has a research partnership with the Olga Tennison
Autism Research Centre (OTARC). We provide intensive
intervention for young children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) in a naturalistic (childcare) setting, using the
transdisciplinary Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). Currently
our children are aged 2–6 years and on average they attend
for four days each week. Most intervention happens in the
playrooms during 1:1 interactions, facilitated play with peers
and small/large group activities. Children needing additional
input (e.g., to target motor speech [Rogers et al., 2006]) are
withdrawn for individual therapy sessions.
1 ESDM resources for young children
with autism
The Vic ASELCC is a transdisciplinary setting where
teaching staff and allied health (speech pathologists,
occupational therapists and psychologists) are all ESDM
trained. Reaching “fidelity” as an ESDM therapist involves
formal training and submission of videos that demonstrate
effective use of the technique in 1:1 interactions. The ESDM
manual (Rogers & Dawson, 2010a) is vital during this
process, particularly for the “Teaching fidelity rating system”,
which is used by trainers to assess prospective ESDM
therapists. Children are assessed on arrival and every three
months using the ESDM curriculum checklist (Rogers &
Dawson, 2010b). This in turn guides goal writing to target
the nine developmental areas supported by the ESDM.
2 Data collection system
Once a child’s sixteen (or more) SMART goals are written
and broken down into 5–6 steps, their data sheets are kept
in the playroom so the team can target goals and record
data throughout the day. The data is reviewed weekly and
children are moved up their steps toward achieving their
goals. We are in the process of moving from paper data
sheets to a more efficient electronic (tablet-based) system
of data collection and analysis. The ESDM is focused on
teaching children with ASD to learn in their natural
environments and it is not assumed that all children need
the same type or level of support. When children do not
progress as expected, a decision tree is used to plan an
alternative teaching structure, reinforcement and supports
to help the child achieve their goals. For example, if a child
does not respond and learn from clear verbal, gestural,
object and tactile prompts, aided language displays (ALDs)
may be used to support their communication. Other
