Tulare SELPA - Autism Resources

Educational Intervention Approaches

Young Autism Project
at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

The development of this program was based on earlier research with older children and adolescents with autism; its applications to young children with autism began during the 1970s. The behavioral intervention curriculum is delivered in a one-to-one discrete-trial format, which is implemented by parents and trained therapists who work in a child’s home. The treatment is focused primarily on developing language and early cognitive skills and decreasing excessive rituals, tantrums, and aggressive behaviors. The first year of intervention is aimed at teaching children to respond to basic requests, to imitate, to begin to play with toys, and to interact with their families. During the second year, the focus on teaching language continues; the most recent curriculum descriptions note a shift toward teaching emotion discriminations, pre-academic skills, and observational learning. For children who eventually enter inclusive settings, a paraprofessional assists with participation in regular preschool or kindergarten settings (Smith et al., 2000a).

Website hosting courtesy of
Tulare County Office of Education
Jim Vidak, County Superintendent of Schools