November 8, 2011

We had a stellar parent teacher conference for Ty last night. His teacher thinks he's either speed reading or scanning for content. They present him with a picture of some sort of activity and then he has to pick out one sentence out of three sentences that matches the picture. The teacher said he's doing it so quickily he cant be reading it all unless he's scanning for content because he's getting it right. The conference went very well, he's doing great. He read Goodnight Moon to his classmates using his dynavox. He told the gen ed teacher to turn back her clocks (last friday in advance to the day to turn them back) and even gave her the proper date to turn them back. He's starting to match music chords from his IPAD to the keyboard at school.

Today however I"m afraid Tylers getting sick. And there is a little girl in his classroom right now that has a stomach virus and as well all know, sensory wise, Ty takes a long time to recovery from stomach bugs. He's refusing to eat today and is drinking very little, very lethargic compared to his normal self. Fingers crossed he'll be ok tomorrow.

Here are the details of the study that both Tyler and Ben will be participating in on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school:


Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research study is to gain an understanding of the effect of an integrated play group on social skill development in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In addition, we hope to gain a better understanding of how attitudes toward and acceptance of persons with disabilities are impacted among peers.

Procedure: Should you decide to allow your child to participate, he or she will be involved in a play program for children with autism and their peers. The program involves a small group of 3-5 children who will meet two times per week for approximately 45 minutes over a period of 2 or 3 months. Play sessions will be held primarily during late afternoons to accommodate daycare and school schedules. We are following the guidelines established in a field manual designed by Pamela Wolfberg for Integrated Play Groups. The integrated play group model was designed to support children with ASD of varying ages and abilities in shared play experiences with their typical peers. The model uses natural settings, well-designed play spaces and specifically-selected play materials. Play sessions are organized with consistent schedules and routines that foster familiarity and predictability. Children on the autism spectrum are the novice players while peers are identified as the expert players, serving as role models and guides during the group process. The study is being conducted at the EMU Fletcher Building in Ypsilanti, which houses the Children’s Institute and the Autism Collaborative Center. The study has been approved by the EMU University Human Subjects Review Committee. Approximately 10 children will participate in this study.
Play sessions will be video recorded to evaluate the progression of each session and to note the engagement of the players. All videos and observation records will be secured in a locked cabinet in the investigator’s research lab at Eastern Michigan University. Videos will be reviewed only by the principal investigator or graduate students trained to evaluate play sessions according to a format developed for the integrated play group model. Videotapes will be destroyed when data collection and analysis for the study is completed, within a period of 3 years. All graduate students have completed coursework in research methods and the ethical treatment of human subjects in research at Eastern Michigan University. Graduate research assistants are instructed in the specific confidentiality and data handling procedures for this investigation.

As part of the program, the peers (expert players) are provided with information about the nature of autism spectrum disorders and taught ways to assist children with the condition. Open-ended questions will be used at the initiation and termination of the program to understand the expert players’ feelings Interviews will be done in small groups and last 30-40 minutes. We will ask all parents of the participants to complete a questionnaire about their play styles and preferred activities. The questionnaire should take about 20 minutes to complete.
Confidentiality: Names of participants will not be reported in any findings. Pseudonyms will be used in research reports and presentations at professional meetings to maintain the confidentiality of the participants. The consent form which includes your name and any other identifying information will be stored separately from the results in the principal investigator’s office in a locked cabinet. At no time will your name or the name of your child be associated with the results. All data gathered during the project will be kept in a locked cabinet in the investigator’s locked research lab.
Expected Risks: Children may feel uncomfortable as the program begins. All efforts will be made to assist participants in the transition into the program. Sometimes children with autism become upset and disruptive when they are frustrated. If this happens during the play sessions, there are several adults who will be able to help them calm down and keep them from harming themselves or nearby others. The play groups will include 3-4 adults working with the children who can immediately intervene with and support all of the children.
Expected Benefits: We anticipate that there will be positive effects on the social skills of the children with autism and that opportunities to interact with their peers will increase as all students become more familiar and comfortable with their abilities. In addition, we expect that peers will become more familiar with persons with autism and will feel more comfortable in interacting with them in more spontaneous ways. Research has shown that here are many benefits to the children with autism who develop better social skills and to their peers who are more sensitive to individuals who have learning and performance differences.