TEACCH Essay

What is the best way to instruct a child who has a disability? There are many separate opinions on this matter, which leads to numerous different approaches. These different tactics involve various ways to deal with the special needs of each individual. Autism Spectrum Disorder is a unique disability involving severe communication and social deficits. The TEACCH program was developed to focus on these specific needs in order to help each person reach their maximum autonomy level in adult age (Some Basic, 2003).

We can write a custom essay on TEACCH for you!

TEACCH is an acronym standing for Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication Handicapped Children (Some Basic, 2003). It was developed by Eric Schopler in the early 1970’s at the University of North Carolina and is currently being used as a state program (Mesibov, 2003). This program uses combinations of several techniques and methods depending upon the individual’s needs and capabilities. It provides services such as diagnostic evaluation, individualized curriculum development, social skills training, vocational training, and parent counseling and training. The program is centered on the person’s skill areas, interests, and needs and has a goal to help improve communication and independence skills through understanding the “culture of autism” (Mesibov, 2003). This will enable the individual to understand the environment around them, and acquire communication skills sufficient for relating to others and making choices that affect their personal lives (Some Basic, 2003).

The “culture of autism” suggests that those with this specific disability are a distinct group that is not inferior but different from the norm (Mesibov, 2003). Understanding these differences is an important part of understanding the individual and will better help to find the student’s current level of functioning. Instructors are then able to build from this knowledge and help the person to reach his or her maximum potential.

Another important aspect of TEACCH is structured teaching. This strategy helps a child with autism to become more independent of cues and prompting from adult figures. Structure can be obtained through organization of the physical environment, using schedules and visual materials, as well as making expectations clear to the student (Mesibov, 2003). Because not all of these structural features are needed for all children, the child’s personal needs for success should be taken into consideration when deciding the proper learning environment.

One aspect of learning that seems to be effective within the TEACCH program is concentrating on the student’s strengths such as visual skills, recognition of details, and memory, rather than focusing on the specific deficits. This, along with centering on the student’s interests, helps to increase motivation as well as bring more understanding to what the child is learning (Mesibov, 2003). Higher desires to pursue other interest areas, as well as work toward better communication and social skills are possible results of using such techniques. These strategies help to bring productiveness and positive outcomes through the enhancement of the student’s knowledge therefore bringing a higher self-esteem when around other peers such as in group activities.

When implementing activities into the TEACCH program, there are numerous ways to approach the idea. Because a major goal is to strive for communication and social interaction group activities are very useful. An example might be to teach each child with autism to gather into one big group by ringing a bell and calling, “group time” over and over throughout the room. It is also a good idea to use lively, repetitive songs that the student knows and is interested in. He or she can hold objects that pertain to each song or look at the words while singing. You should follow the same routine so the child learns what to expect and can relax, anticipate, and enjoy the group activity (Mesibov, 2003).

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a disability that can cause serious deficits in many areas of life. The TEACCH program was designed to help individuals with this disability become more independent people capable of communication and social interactions at their highest functioning level according to individual needs. By using the TEACCH strategies of understanding autism, structured teaching, focusing on strengths and interests of the individual, and creating fun group activities, this goal is highly attainable and will help those with the disability become more successful in their lifelong journey.

• CAUTION! Free essay samples & essay examples on TEACCH are 100% plagiarized!!!

At EssayLib.com - professional essay writing service - you can buy custom essays on any topics and disciplines, 100% written from scratch. EssayLib.com employs top-rated Ph.D. and Master's experts only to write superior-quality custom essays, term papers, research papers, thesis & dissertations at affordable rates. EssayLib.com knows HOW effectively to help high school, college & university students with writing the highest grade custom papers online.