"These Woodbine House books focus on the assessment and treatment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They are intended for parents, teachers, caregivers, and other professionals who work with and care for this population. They are clearly written and contain a wealth of information. All use real life success and case studies clearly illustrate the outlined concepts.
Teaching Conversation To Children With Autism offers various explanations for children not learning to engage in conversation and introduces the concepts of scripts and script fading to address this. Specific strategies based upon the science of applied behavior analysis are proposed to help these children engage in meaningful conversation. A script refers to an audio taped or written word, phrase or sentence, which the child is taught to imitate or read. Once learned, the scripts are faded, by removing the last word, etc., until there are no words remaining it has been the authors’ experience that children will likely continue to say the scripts, combine with other scripts, or begin to speak unscripted words or sentences as they progress. The process of teaching conversation using script and script fading is outlined in detail, as is the process of progressing from simple word exchange with a caregiver to more complex conversations with a peer group.
I recommend these books to clinicians, teachers, and/or caregivers. They are excellent resources providing a variety of very specific assessment and treatment techniques. Their focus is on children but the principles and concepts can be used for individuals of all ages and levels of functioning."
-Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, April 2008, volume 75, number 2
"This book presents a means of developing a basic tool of social interaction for people with autism: conversation. The technique, scripts and script fading, attempts to mirror the continuity of real conversation and thus prepare the learner to initiate conversation or provide more than just the most basic responses to questions.
A script is a written or audiotaped word or sentence (depending on the student's skill) that the student uses to start or continue a conversation. Once the student knows the script, it is gradually faded by dropping the last word, then the next to last word, etc., which allows the student to finish the incomplete sentence. The book includes chapters on using this technique with non-readers, with children who do not yet talk, and with adult non-readers and people with severe disabilities. There are also chapters explaining the roles of the people guiding the learning, and how to track and evaluate progress.
The book is intended for both parents and professionals. It is easy to read and the concepts are well-explained, though it is written from a research perspective rather than a general consumer perspective."
-CAPHIS Consumer Connections
"With seamless logic and clear prose, the authors have distilled decades of empirical research into a practical set of procedures to address a core deficit of people with autism. McClannahan and Krantz have given us a concise guide for teaching the skills needed by people with autism to initiate and sustain conversation. Their research and this book represent major breakthroughs in the treatment of autism."
-Claire L. Poulson, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Queens College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York
"Here is the book that families of children with autism and professionals have waited for--how to teach conversation linked to real life activities. With years of research and effective practice, Drs. McClannahan and Krantz describe procedures that are easy to understand, yet not oversimplified. Teaching Conversation is for those seriously dedicated to intervention--who want to be sure that children with autism develop and use this key to social interaction."
-Sarah Rule, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Persons with Disabilities and Professor, Department of Special Education & Rehabilitation, Utah State University
"Drs. McClannahan and Krantz and their colleagues at the Princeton Child Development Institute have long set the standard for science-based intervention for learners with autism. Their work dispels the popular misconception that applied behavior analysis methods are only useful for training simple, rote performances. In this treasure trove of a book, they have translated years of careful research into clear, sensible instructions that parents and professionals can use to teach complex conversation skills to learners with autism of all ages."
-Gina Green, Ph.D., BCBA
San Diego State University and University of North Texas
"Teaching Conversation to Children with Autism is based on over a decade of work delving into understanding why children with autism who can speak are often silent unless prompted. The authors, Executive Directors of the Princeton Child Development Institute, offer an applied behavior analysis (ABA) approach to teaching students to interact, not just talk.
Through their extensive research and evaluations, they discovered that children can be taught appropriate conversation starters and dialogue using planned scripts. Once the script is mastered, it is systematically faded. They documented many children who then began to initiate and engage in typical social conversations.
This book uses examples, graphics and clear direction to explain the need for scripts, how they work, how to use them, how to fade them and how to use them with a variety of ages and abilities and abilities. They include sections for children who do not speak, those who can read, those who are ready to create their own scripts and for those who have severe disabilities. Parents and professionals will be able to immediately begin using script with this book's help."
-www.inspiredparenting.net and www.justformom.com
