Autism &
Asperger’s Disorder:
Information &
Effective Intervention Strategies
Instructor
Name: Dr. Marrea Winnega
Phone: 509-891-7219
Office
Hours: 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday – Friday
Email: marrea_winnega@virtualeduc.com
Address: Virtual
Education Software
16201
E Indiana Ave, Suite 1450
Spokane,
WA 99216
Technical
Support: support@virtualeduc.com
Introduction
Welcome
to Autism & Asperger’s Disorder,
an interactive computer-based instruction course designed to help you achieve a
better understanding of Autism and Asperger’s Disorder, of intervention
strategies to enhance communication and learning, and of methods for teaching
more conventional behaviors. Autism & Asperger’s Disorder
provides information on the characteristics of the disorder, learning styles
associated with the disorder, communication weaknesses, and various
intervention strategies that have proven to be successful when working with
students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The course helps you comprehend why individuals with Autism Spectrum
Disorders act the way they do, and what you can do to enhance more appropriate
behavior. This course also lists
resources for educators, related service personnel, and parents who would like
more help or information on autism and Asperger’s Disorder.
This computer-based instruction course
is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice,
and evaluation all on your home or school computer. Technical support information can be found in
the Help section of your course.
Course Materials (Online)
Title: Autism & Asperger’s Disorder: Information & Effective Intervention Strategies
Author: Dr.
Marrea Winnega, Ph.D. & Mary Coughlin, CCC-SLP
Publisher: Virtual Education Software, inc. 2001, Revised
2002, Revised 2004, Revised 2010, Revised 2014
Instructor: Dr. Marrea Winnega
Academic Integrity Statement
The structure
and format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal
and academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals
enrolled in a distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the following
standards of academic conduct.
Academic
Work
Academic work submitted by the
individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s
own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct
source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if
they are one’s own work is unacceptable.
Aiding
Honesty in Others
The individual will encourage honesty in
others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person
with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.
Violations
of these academic standards will result in the assignment of a failing grade
and subsequent loss of credit for the course.
Level
of Application
This course is designed to be an
informational course with application in work or work-related settings. The intervention strategies are designed to
be used with students with autism and Asperger’s Disorder ranging in age from
approximately three years to adulthood.
Expected
Learning Outcomes
As a result of this course, participants will
demonstrate their ability to:
·
To define the characteristics of
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger’s for better understanding of these
disorders
·
To increase the ability to
identify students having these disorders
·
To provide information on how
individuals with these disorders are different from other students, and how to
teach them given these differences
·
To understand their behavior in
terms of their differences and communication styles
·
To develop an understanding of
the communication differences and weaknesses in students with autism or
Asperger’s
·
To provide information on
teaching strategies
·
To provide resources for teachers
and parents
Course Description
The
course Autism & Asperger’s Disorder
has been divided into four chapters and into five to eight exercises within
each chapter. The first chapter is on the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum
Disorder; it gives a clear picture of the characteristics that define these
disorders. Although the information in
this chapter is thorough, there is much information published about autism and
Asperger’s Disorder. We recommend that you complete readings and research
outside the course materials to gain a fuller understanding of these disorders
and the variety of interventions. To cover all areas and issues affecting
students with autism or Asperger’s and their behavior would not be possible in
one course. However, this introduction chapter and subsequent chapters should
give you a firm understanding of the disorder and effective tools for
facilitating positive changes with these students.
The
second chapter of Autism & Asperger’s
Disorder is “Behaviors &
Differences.” This chapter discusses
ways in which individuals with autism or Asperger’s are different from other
learners. The information in this chapter serves to increase your understanding
of autism and Asperger’s so that an effective intervention plan can be
developed to help the student with communication and/or behavioral
difficulties. Gaining an understanding of the possible reasons for their
behaviors will also help in the understanding of why certain interventions are
more successful in teaching these students.
The
third chapter is “Communication &
Language.” In this chapter, you will
be given information about the prerequisites of communication, the components
of speech and language, and the profiles of nonverbal and verbal children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders. You will be
provided with interventions to enhance communication.
The final chapter covers “Visually Supported Communication.” You will learn how to use visual supports, schedules, and calendars to help students with autism or Asperger’s monitor their time and program more effectively and independently. You will learn to use the strategy of “first/then” to help children finish important daily tasks before moving into pleasurable free-time activities. You will also be presented with some case examples to strengthen your understanding.
Student
Expectations
As a student, you will be expected to:
- Complete
all information chapters covering autism & Asperger’s, showing
a competent understanding of the material presented.
- Complete
all examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material
presented.
- Complete
a review of any chapter on which your examination score was below 70%.
- Retake any examination,
after completing an information review, to increase that examination score
to a minimum of 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary
by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course
addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.
- Complete
a course evaluation form at the end of the course.
Course
Overview
Chapter
1 – Introduction & Characteristics
This
section focuses on the characteristics that define the autism spectrum. The areas to be discussed are the social and
communication deficits and the restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior,
interests or activities exhibited by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Chapter
2 – Behaviors & Differences
This
section describes how individuals with autism and Asperger’s perceive the world
and their different learning styles.
These differences will be applied to the behavioral challenges these
students exhibit.
Chapter 3 – Communication &
Language
This section discusses the prerequisites for communication, such as object permanence and cause and effect, the components of speech and language, and the communication profiles exhibited by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Enhancing communication in both the nonverbal and the verbal student will be addressed.
Chapter 4 – Visually Supported Communication
This
section discusses how visual supports can be used to help students understand
verbal directions and what they need to be doing. Visual supports include
symbols, line drawings and pictures used as pictures on a ring, communication
boards, schedules, lists and first/then cards.
Examinations
At
the end of each chapter, you will be expected to complete an examination
designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three
times. Your
last score will save, not the highest score.
After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow
further access. Your final grade for the
course will be determined by calculating an average score of all exams. This score will be printed on your final
certificate. As
this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may review course
information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit any
examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam
before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are
expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.
Instructor
Description
Autism & Asperger’s Disorder
has been developed by Marrea Winnega, Ph.D., BCBA and Mary Coughlin, CCC-SLP,
BCBA. Dr. Marrea Winnega, the instructor of record, is a Licensed
Clinical Psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with more than 20
years of experience in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Currently, she
is the Director of School Consulting for Autism Home Support Services and an
Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology in the University of Illinois
at Chicago Department of Disability and Human Development. She consults for
schools and agencies serving individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders,
including Asperger’s Disorder. She facilitated numerous parent groups for
parents of children with autism in her position at the
Mary Coughlin is a Speech-Language
Pathologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with more than 25 years of
experience in the field. Her background
includes working with students in both regular education and special education
settings. She has taught in a
communication development classroom and has worked with students with behavior
disorders; students with severe-profound disabilities, birth to 5; and
medically fragile children, as well as those with developmental delays and
autism. She served on a diagnostic team
serving early childhood children for more than 10 years. For the last 15 years she has worked with
students with autism and significant other impairments. She has presented
numerous workshops for parents and professionals on the various aspects of
communication, speech, and language. She
worked with Dr. Winnega in Autism Dynamic Beginnings since its inception and
currently serves as a consultant to the program (renamed Students Teachers
Achieving Results (STAR) program) incorporating verbal behavior approach and
structured teaching into effective teaching strategies for its students.
Contacting the Instructor
You
may contact the instructor by emailing Dr. Winnega at marrea_winnega@virtualeduc.com
or calling her at 509-891-7219, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m - 5 p.m. PST.
Phone messages will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per
day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not
contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches or other
issues that involve the operation of the course.
Technical Questions
If you have questions or problems
related to the operation of this course, please try everything twice. If the
problem persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help
section of your course.
If you need personal assistance then
email support@virtualeduc.com or
call (509) 891-7219. When contacting
technical support, please know your course version number (it is located at the
bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and be
seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.
Minimum Computer
Requirements
Please
refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com
or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility of your
operating system.
Refer to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion
Information, Items to be Submitted and how to submit your completed
information. The addendum will also note any additional course assignments that
you may be required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.
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Latest
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Disorders; Focus on Autism; Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
Books by Carol Gray:
The
New Social Story Book, The New Social Story Book-Illustrated Edition, Taming
the Recess Jungle. Available through Future
Horizons.
Resources
Autism Society of
Contact
the Autism Society for information
about local chapters and state associations.
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Asperger’s Disorder.
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Standards Project,
“The
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Future
Horizons, Inc.
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Asperger Publishing Co.
Amazon
Course content
is updated every three years. Due to
this update timeline, some URL links may no longer be active or may have
changed. Please type the title of the
organization into the command line of any Internet browser search window and
you will be able to find whether the URL link is still active or any new link
to the
corresponding
organization's web home page.
Updated 10/24/14 JN