Autism Spectrum Disorder Community of Practice: Selected Topics 1

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

• Provide the students with an overview of structure of the VCoP—what it is and how it works.
• Deepen specific knowledge of particular behaviours common to persons diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder including restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities (DSM-IV TR).
• Deepen specific knowledge of the context and culture of autism assessments including behavioural screeners and assessments, autism screeners and assessments, regional differences in popularity and use of assessments, how screeners and assessments may influence professional practice.
• Develop fluency in the different intervention strategies that are applicable across the lifespan such as ecological manipulations, environmental enrichment, social skills training, behavioural contracting, self-management, time-out and other decelerative strategies, behavioural momentum / errorless compliance training, functional communication training, differential reinforcement of alternative, incompatible and other behaviours, alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).
• Examine different early intervention strategies including, incidental teaching, pivotal response training, natural environment teaching, discrete trial training, verbal behaviour, play and other social skills.