Right from the Start: Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism

by Sandra L. Harris, Mary Jane Weiss

Parents of young children (ages 18 months to 5 years) with a diagnosis of 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, which 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, 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. Many preschoolers who receive Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention make good progress and may go on to be included with their typically developing peers in elementary school. 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. Also by Sandra Harris :
Siblings of Children with A Guide for Families
Reaching Out, Joining Teaching Social Skills to Young Children with Autism
Incentives for Motivating People with Autism Spectrum Disorders to Learn and Gain Independence
Essential First Steps for Parents of Children with Helping the Littlest Learners Also by Mary Jane Weiss :
Reaching Out, Joining Teaching Social Skills to Young Children with Autism
Teaching Social Skills to People with Best Practices in Individualizing Interventions
Jumpstarting Communication Skills in Children with Autism

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction

175 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Erin]

This was helpful and answered a several of my questions. Nothing is better than talking to other parents who have children on the Autism Spectrum but this is a good general guide.

[Linda]

A very specific and detailed explanation of the methods of IBI and ABA. My child is older than 5 but I was pleased to learn more about the early behavioral intervention methods that I think have the potential to still assist him also. This book helped me to feel more 'in the loop' about autism treatment.

[R.K. Goff]

A good slightly-more-in-depth explanation of ABA, and why you (theoretically) absolutely, essentially, MUST have it. I'm not sure I agree with all the claims of imperative-implementation, but if you want info on ABA, this is a good book.

[Jim]

This book was written by the directors of the DDDC. It lays out the ground rules explaining how to find the right ABA program for kids with autism.

[A.B.C.]

Practical guide to understanding and treating autism. As a professional I found it helpful.

[Nicole]

This is an informative and concise textbook to rapidly educate the novice parent about different behavioral approaches. There are also good ideas and suggestions.

[Lauren Raimondi]

Great resource for parents of children with autism. Tons of information is given to help parents make educated choices about programs and supports for their children.

[Taylor]

Very dry and repetitive. It read like a textbook.

[Kathleen]

I read it out of necessity. Some helpful information for me as a parent, but difficult to get through. I felt very much like I was reading a text book.