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Improving Joint Attention and Reciprocal Language Skills in Children with Autism |
| Saturday, February 7, 2009 |
| 9:15 AM–10:15 AM |
| Grand Ballroom |
| Area: AUT; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Bridget A. Taylor, Psy.D. |
| Chair: Mary Jane Weiss (Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey) |
| BRIDGET A. TAYLOR (Alpine Learning Group) |
 Bridget A. Taylor is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from Rutgers University, and received her Master's degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Columbia University. Dr. Taylor has specialized in the education and treatment of children with autism for the past twenty-two years. In 1988, she co-founded the Alpine Learning Group, a well regarded education and treatment center for children with autism in New Jersey. She currently serves as Executive Director. Dr. Taylor serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Interventions, and Behavior Analysis in Practice. She is also a member of the Autism Advisory Group for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies and a board member of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment. Dr. Taylor has authored research articles and book chapters related to autism and she is a regular presenter at national and international conferences. |
| Abstract: A core deficit in children with autism is their lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people. Joint attention involves two people actively sharing attention with respect to an object or event. Young children with autism may fail to develop this meaningful skill. For example, children with autism may not point to objects of interest or show toys to their parents. In addition, some children may fail to engage in reciprocal exchanges of conversation or initiate comments about interesting events in order to share information. This presentation will review responses that comprise joint attention and reciprocal language, and outline research-based strategies to teach these important skills. Video-taped examples will illustrate responses and teaching interventions. |
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