• Academics
• Using Music to Work with People on the Autism Spectrum
• Presentations and Workshops on Autism Spectrum Related Topics
  
  

  Academics
  I am finishing a doctoral degree in Special Education at Boston University with a concentration on the autism spectrum. Some of the research projects I am involved in include the efficacy of elevation as an intervention for working with children on the autism spectrum. Starting with the visual cliff study of Eleanor Gibson and James Walk in 1961, there has been a substantial amount of research indicating that people become more aware of their environment when encountering a visual cliff.

  Arnold Miller, Ph. D., has been using elevation as an intervention for increasing body to environmental awareness for the past 35 years at the Language and Cognitive Development Center. While there is substantial clinical evidence that elevation is useful in working with children on the autism spectrum at this school as well as other locations, there are no formal, scientific studies proving the efficacy of this method. He, myself, and others are now conducting a formal study of this nature to measure the effect of elevation.

  I am conducting a validation study of the Miller Diagnostic Scales (MDS). The MDS is a developmental questionnaire somewhat like the Rimland E-2 assessment tool. One of the major goals for this instrument is to, after a parent or other caretaker fills out the questionnaire, to be able to parse out which method is most suitable for a particular child. The literature is rife with anecdotal evidence as to the superiority of certain methods over others. Now is the time to study methodology in a scientific manner.

  Before conducting this study, however, it is important to make sure that the MDS is both reliable and valid in its measurements. That is the subject of my dissertation.

  Some of the methods we are looking at include:

  • Miller Method
  • Floor time
  • TEACCH
  • ABA/Lovaas

  • Daily Life Therapy

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  Using Music to Work with People on the Autism Spectrum

  I work with people on the autism of all ages, primarily using music and sometimes computers. If the person is nonverbal, I may use music as the means of communication. For children who have limited verbal skills music can serve as a sort of carrier signal in which to increase verbal communication. With those that are very verbal, I find that music continues to act as a carrier signal for helping them organize their verbal communication.

  In addition to communication, I find music as a very helpful motivator for working on socialization as well as motor control. Several of people I work with have actually formed a desire to play the instrument I use to work with them and what started as more therapeutic sessions morphs into music lessons focused on learning to play an instrument. In doing so, the person now has something they can be good at and enjoy. Read more…

Presentations and Workshops on Autism Spectrum Related Topics

Since 1996, I have made over 100 presentations on the autism spectrum. My presentations cover material including:

• Autobiographical
• Working with Children on the Autism Spectrum
• Including Children with Autism in the Classroom
• Using Music to Work with Children on the Autism Spectrum
• Issues faced by adults on the Autism Spectrum:
  • Advocacy
  • Disclosure
  • Employment
  • Education
  • Relationships

In fact, I contributed a chapter on disclosure to a newly released text edited by Liane Willey and this topic will also be the subject of my next book.