ABA 752 - Curriculum Design for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Disabilities

Designing an individualized curriculum for children and youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities can seem like a difficult task, particularly since no two children are alike and each presents with unique skill deficits, behavioral excesses, and learning characteristics/styles. In addition, clinicians are faced with practical limitations imposed by funding, treatment duration, availability of trained professionals, and family resources. It is crucial that clinicians prioritize treatment targets and manage resources carefully if they are to ensure the best outcome for each child. Curriculum design for ASD is a multi-step process, including: assessment, interpreting the assessment results, and matching/creating lessons to meet individual needs. This course provides a step-by-step process for designing an individualized curriculum by outlining vital features of quality assessment and how to link assessment results to curriculum design. Further, this course provides practice in writing curriculum programs. Particular emphasis is provided on skills that emerge after the ages addressed by the VB-MAPP and ABLLS and before the ages addressed by the AFLS (age 5 to adolescent).

Credits: 3