Sample Behavior Intervention Plans

New Study Sheds Light on Autism Prevalence

Autism prevalence worldwide may be higher than originally thought by experts, according to a recent study which underscores the need for better detection, assessment and services.

In a recent study of autism prevalence using a total population sample, an international team of investigators from the U.S., South Korea and Canada estimated the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders ( ASD ) in South Korea to be 2.64%, approximately one in 38 children.

These numbers exceed the current Center for Disease Control ( CDC ) statistics indicating one in 110 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism, a complex neurological disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships and often presents with behavioral and medical challenges. The CDC, which also reports that one in 70 boys receive an autism diagnosis, has termed the disorder a national public health crisis with causes and a cure unknown.

Experts involved in the current study, which was funded by Autism Speaks , emphasize the findings do not suggest that Koreans have more autism than any other population in the world, but rather that autism is more common than previously thought. If researchers look carefully, especially in previously under-studied, non-clinical populations, they may find more children with ASD.

In fact, the current study found more than two-thirds of ASD cases in the mainstream school population are unrecognized and untreated. According to Dr. Geraldine Dawson, Autism Speaks chief science officer, this finding suggests that the disorder is under diagnosed and under reported and that rigorous screening and comprehensive population studies are necessary to produce accurate estimates.

Dollars and Cents

The findings give heightened importance to the financial realities associated with the disorder. In 2007, Harvard professor Dr. Michael L. Ganz completed a study on the lifetime costs of autism which he calls “an expensive disorder.” Ganz determined that the lifetime incremental cost for a family raising and caring for a family member with autism is $3.2 million. These incremental costs include direct costs, both medical and nonmedical, and indirect costs. However, the lost productivity for both individuals with autism and their parents along with adult care are the largest components.

The Autism Society says that services for a person with autism can cost up to $72,000 per year. It also projects that in the U.S., annual autism costs total almost $90 billion.

What are the guidelines for removing a child from a behavior class ...

I am a teacher in a school that houses our system’s behavior modification program. The program, in the past, has been for students who disrupted the learning environment to such a degree that BIPs and crisis plans weren’t successful for the student (nor for the education of the other children in the class). It generally takes a classroom teacher a year to complete all the interventions, documentation, proof of history of problems, failed BIPs, etc. For the past 2 years, I have had a child bused to our school for the behavior mod program yet placed in my classroom without any meeting to provide review of needs, plans, triggers, etc. I have questioned this program numerous times to such a degree & avoidance has been the only response. Both years, the children have been placed in my classroom for FULL school days with NO support or ability to remove the child when necessary for instruction (or sanity) to occur. No classroom behavior plan was suggested so I had to create my own hourly behavior program & conduct a 4-hour long meeting with the parent ON MY OWN to get reinforcement of MY plan at home. This year, I got another child. He was “dismissed” from the program solely by the behavior mod teacher without meeting because they learned the program was funded via special ed funding, & so only kids with SpEd classification would be in the class. This child HAD an IEP which I thought qualified him for SpEd services. I was told by one admin. that I should receive support from the behavior class, so I’ve sent him to the behavior room 6 times this entire school year. I then rcvd an e-mail from another school admin that I COULDN’T send him because he wasn’t SpEd (yet he HAS an IEP) & that I was to send him to the office for discipline like all other children. HOWEVER, my concern is this…placing the child in “time out”, ISS, or OSS which is our system discipline plan WILL remove him so that I can teach, and it WILL allow him cool-down time AFTER the behavior occurs BUT will teach him NO skills regarding how to cool-down BEFORE the behavior has occurred (which should be the goal). I have asked both years time and time again whether there was a format, guideline, benchmarks, etc. in place to track gains…were there any special “coping” classes being held to teach him ways to “modify his behavior” (i.e. anger mgmt., etc.

The behavior problems resource kit, forms and procedures for identification, measurement and intervention

The School Counselor's Guide to Helping Students with Disabilities

A treasure chest of behavioral strategies for individuals with autism

Intervention in school and clinic

Creating inclusive classrooms, effective and reflective practices for all students