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About the Author |
| Sandra L. Harris is a Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor Emerita at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and Department of Psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers, which serves people with autism from toddlers through adults. Dr. Harris is also the editor of Woodbine House's Topics in Autism series and the co-author of the books Siblings of Children with Autism (2012), Reaching Out, Joining In (2001) and Incentives for Change (2004).
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Mary Jane Weiss is a behavior analyst who has worked in the autism field over 25 years. Her clinical and research interests center on the identification of best practices for teaching learners with autism, facilitating family coping and adaptation, and teaching and training in ABA. She is the author of several articles and books, co-author of Woodbine House books Reaching Out, Joining In (2001) and Jumpstarting Communication Skills in Children with Autism (2011), and a regular presenter at regional and national conferences.
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Parents of young children--ages 18 months to 5 years--recently diagnosed with autism, face the critical decision of which educational treatment program to choose for their child. To help guide them through this complex decision-making process, parents can turn to the revised and updated edition of Right from the Start. This second edition covers programs that use Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention, a highly effective treatment based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
New information includes the latest research on the benefits of Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention, the types of instruction used (naturalistic instruction and other teaching methods that complement ABA), home-based professionals and their credentials, school-based programs, and more.
An Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention program consists of concentrated instruction (at least 40 hours a week) and can be based in the child's home, at a center (private or university), or more recently, in public schools. Besides the setting, there are many other variables to consider when evaluating a program, and Right from the Start thoroughly explores those, including:
- age of the child
- access to typically developing peers
- curriculum
- teaching strategies
- team member credentials
- time demands
- family finances
- home support services
- supervision and accountability
- behavior management
- control over the child's education
- visual and auditory distractions
- availability of multidisciplinary team
Comprehensive in its coverage and full of personal insight, Right from the Start is an essential primer to help families explore the options and select the educational treatment program that best suits them and their child's needs. The many professionals who work closely with these families can also benefit from reading this book.
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