Case Study: Team Helps Sixth Grader With Autism Improve Communication
Work Setting: Schools
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Summary
Hank is a sixth grade student with autism who recently moved back to the United States. He has difficulty communicating and feeding himself, and he is not toilet trained. A team of professionals at Hank’s school created a plan focused on helping him improve his communication with others over the course of the school year. After 1 year, Hank is speaking and interacting more fully in the classroom.
Background
Hank is a sixth grade student in a public middle school. He was diagnosed with autism at age 5. Hank previously lived in another country and was cared for by his grandparents. Now that Hank has moved back to the United States, his mother is concerned
that he cannot communicate effectively. Hank does not know how to drink from a cup, does not know how to use utensils, and is not toilet trained.
Meet the Team
The IPP team consisted of the following members:
How They Collaborated
At their initial meeting, the team discussed Hank’s case and concluded that they would assess Hank according to their specialties. The SLP would assess Hank’s language and social language skills. In the meantime, the OT would evaluate his fine-motor skills, the BCBA would review his toilet training progress, and the special education teacher would assess Hank’s pre-academic skills. The paraprofessional, who was assigned to Hank because of his intensive needs, will help build rapport with Hank, and the school nurse will provide any needed medical information.
After each team member assessed Hank, the team met again, this time to review their findings. During this meeting, the team members shared the following insights about Hank. The SLP found that Hank did not initiate communication, but he could use spoken language to express his wants and needs. Hank could follow one-step directions independently but needed assistance with more complex commands. The special education teacher found that Hank could not correctly identify colors, numbers, or letters, and he could only sit with a group of students for 2 minutes at a time. The BCBA created a toileting schedule in which Hank was to be led regularly to the bathroom.
In their work with Hank, the team decided to create one common goal—to improve his communication with others. With that main goal in mind, the team identified and coordinated objectives for each treatment area. (See “Case Rubric” section for detailed goals.) The team also trained the paraprofessional on how to help Hank work on his goals as well as how to collect and graph data.
The special education teacher, BCBA, and SLP put together a binder with specific targets that Hank and his various team members would strive to meet each day. The team also created a shared data sheet to document all of Hank’s goals in one place. The team members then decided to meet biweekly to discuss Hank’s progress and review the data binder. They would update specific targets as needed.
Outcome
After 1 year, Hank is speaking and interacting more fully in the classroom. He uses spoken language to describe his own experiences and answers wh- questions about stories and events. With prompts and cues, he participates in “clean-up” time and “center time” in the classroom. He has improved his motor skills, and he can drink from a cup and use a spoon independently. Also, he stays dry with toileting on a 60-minute schedule both at home and at school.
Ongoing Collaboration
The team follows up with one another twice each academic year regarding Hank’s progress and, if necessary, modifies his goals.
