Dr. McGinnis-Smith earned a PhD in special education with emphasis in EBD at the University of Iowa and an administrator certification from Drake University. She is coauthor of the social skills teaching series "Skillstreaming." She also coauthored with Richard Simpson "Skillstreaming Children and Youth with High Functioning Autism…

Core deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) center around social communication and behavior. For those with ASD, these deficits complicate the task of learning how to cope with and manage complex social emotional issues. Although individuals with ASD may receive sufficient academic and basic behavioral support in school settings, supports for…

This article presents information on the impact of hyper or hypo-sensory responses and specific strategies that can balance the systems. We examine the five sensory systems (tactile, auditory, visual, proprioceptive, and vestibular), common behaviors associated with each system, and recommend instructional strategies designed to support student…

Social skills are critical to later success in school and adult life. Typically, children build these through interaction with caregivers and peers. However, some students, especially those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), demonstrate delays in this domain and require additional interventions. While there are a number of…

Love, affection, acceptance, and companionship to children, these are just some of the benefits of a service dog for children. Yet there is much that these remarkable animals can do. From opening doors for children with cerebral palsy to warning a child with diabetes of low blood sugar, the abilities of a properly trained service dog are wide and…

Children with autism may seem to not care about things or have the same range of emotions as those of us who see them and care for them. But they do have empathy and they can be taught how to communicate it, says the author, a teacher of children with autism. We simply need to listen to them, watch them, and be with them in their moment.

In this paper we present the initial stages of a project entitled Minority Language Applications (Mi.L.A) which aims to facilitate material for children with autism in a multilingual setting using interactive multimedia that increase both the awareness as well as the access to information for patients who need it. Pilot testing the applications…

Learning to recognize and express emotions appropriately is a skill of mastery in human development, and an essential component of living the good life. Because this developmental and social skill is one of the core deficits for people along the autism spectrum, anyone who works with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) should provide them…

Family members of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often face social, emotional, and behavioral challenges in the home. Difficulty communicating with family members, forming relationships with friends, and responding appropriately to others can cause significant challenges in the home (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental…

Early childhood programs serve increasing numbers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. While many programs have made significant progress in providing educational services responsive to the needs of children with ASD, concerns persist about whether early education programs can meet the educational needs of such…

Despite the advances in understanding cognitive improvements in executive function in adolescence, much less is known about the influence of affective and social modulators on executive function and the biological underpinnings of these functions and sensitivities. Here, recent behavioral and neuroscientific studies are summarized that have used…

Teaching children to identify emotions is a common practice within the field of autism intervention. However, skills that are not often taught include identification of emotions within a situational context, and identification and discrimination of environmental events that occasion the emotions (with corresponding explanations). This article…

A groundbreaking synthesis of developmental, relationship-based, and skill-based approaches, The SCERTS[TM] Model provides a framework for improving communication and social-emotional abilities in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. Developed by internationally recognized experts, SCERTS[TM] supports developmental…

This case study describes a 13-year-old female with autism, mutism, hyperlexia, and spelling ability. Analysis indicated her reading and spelling abilities were dominated by visual rather than phonological processes. Most striking was an apparent social awakening during the 3.5 month period of the study, possibly related to the onset of puberty.…

This article describes a dynamic, developmental model to be used to guide assessment and intervention in children with autism. The Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based model conceptualizes the child's functional emotional developmental capacities, individual differences in sensory processing and modulation, motor planning and…