Effective Autism instructional methods

The Oregon Autism Outcome Study, conducted by PSU researchers, has provided training and consultation, curricula and assessment tools to teaching teams of more than 120 children with autism throughout the state of Oregon. The study found that the use of the STAR Program's three behavioral methods and systematic curriculum greatly enhanced the children's communication skills, social skills, and independence on functional routines (Arick, Young, Loos, Falco, Krug, Gense, and Johnson, 2003). Many children learned to communicate for the first time. Significant pre-post gains were recorded and the results were published in the journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities (Vol. 18, No. 2).