Patty Romanowski Bashe
Behavior Analyst, Teacher, Consultant, Author, and Mom
The definitive resource for teaching kids with Asperger syndrome the life skills that build independence, confidence, and self-esteem.
Children with autism spectrum disorders learn differently. Too often, our kids’ choices are limited and their paths to success restricted, not by a lack of intellectual ability, but by deficits in acquiring, applying, and generalizing basic life skills. Success in school, at home, on the playground, and beyond depends on mastering countless basic living skills that most other kids just "pick up" almost by osmosis. This book teaches parents how to teach these so-called easy skills to complex learners. This is the first book for parents and caregivers of kids with Asperger syndrome and similar learning profiles that features strategies based on applied behavior analysis—the most widely accepted, evidence-based, and effective teaching method for learners with ASDs— including how to: - Identify critical skills appropriate for your child's age--how to teach them and why - Implement new techniques that can replace, mimic, prompt, override, or impose missing order on your child's learning style - Design a curriculum for your child that reduces reliance on prompts (including parents) and promotes new learning, new behaviors, and independence - Track your and your child’s success. As in the groundbreaking The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome, Patricia Romanowski Bashe deftly blends hard science with a personal understanding of what really works for parents. The Shopping Spot Follow this link to the homepage for links to order in either paperback or Kindle, Nook, or iBook. |
The Parents’ Guide to Teaching Kids with Asperger Syndrome and Similar ASDs Real-Life Skills for IndependencePatricia Romanowski Bashe, MSEd., BCBA
Foreword by Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D. “This book should be in every home library of every family that has a son or daughter with a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.”—Dr. Tony Attwood, author of The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome
"Patty Romanowski Bashe has written a superbly crafted and forward-looking book for anyone who lives or works with individuals with Asperger syndrome and related disorders. Her style is practical, chock full of helpful tools. She dispels the oft-held notion that ABA is just discrete trials training. The 'Tools for Teaching' chapter is one of the best I have ever read!"—Dr. Teresa Bolick, author of Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence: Getting Ready for the Real World and Asperger Syndrome and Young Children: Building Skills for the Real World "At last--a 'What Now?' book about Asperger Syndrome! "Bookstore shelves are lined with tomes on the history, symptomology and manifestations of this puzzling disorder. Concerned parents have appreciated and devoured these books. They now understand the scope and complexity of the syndrome. And they collectively ask, 'Now what?' "Enter Patricia Romanowski Bashe. "Patty uses her decades of experience as a parent and professional to design a book that meets the needs of the 'second generation' of parents who understand the disorder . . . and are searching for solutions, ideas, techniques, and strategies. She expands on her groundbreaking classic, The OASIS Guide, by providing parents and caregivers with practical, field-tested advice aimed at teaching kids the basic life skills that will enhance their independence and their ability to face and solve everyday social and interactional problems. "Patty's new Parents' Guide makes a significant and valuable contribution to our field. It holds an honored spot on the ever-expanding 'Bashe Shelf' in my office. It provides information and inspiration to parents who desperately need both."—Richard D. Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., author of It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend. “Patricia Romanowski Bashe is the coauthor of The Oasis Guide to Asperger Syndrome, one of the first books I devoured following Pudding’s diagnosis two years ago. When her publishers contacted me to see if I’d review a copy of her new book, I jumped at the chance, even though I felt like Pudding’s self-help skills were pretty okay. I thought this book would be a great one to have on my shelf as Pudding gets older and we have to start working on ways she can be more independent.!
"I couldn’t have been more wrong- this is not a book that stayed on my shelf! I was implementing changes before I’d even finished reading. As a parent of a child on the spectrum, the author knows how much easier it is to just do things ourselves. When you’re in a hurry (and when aren’t we in a hurry?) you don’t have time to teach these skills. As a behavior analyst, she knows the implications of not allowing our kids to develop their independence. "Now, as I mentioned, I didn’t particularly feel that Pudding is a particularly dependent child; but by helping her in the wrong way, I’d been unintentionally encouraging her to be more dependent on me. I often talk Pudding through a series of actions, like getting dressed, or cleaning her room. It gets the job done, but it doesn’t teach Pudding to do it herself. If I (or somebody else) were not there to keep giving the directions, she would not be able to complete the activity. And the worst thing about my talking her through it? It makes it even more difficult for her to concentrate on what she needs to do: <“Remember that kids with AS are attracted to language; when words start flowing in, their attention to most other stimuli goes out the window.” p. 148 "The more I read, the sooner I wanted to alter my techniques. Like many parents, I have some reservations about the use of an ABA approach. While I think it is an excellent tool for teaching skills, and perhaps “real-life” skills most of all, I’ve always been put off by the idea of collecting and monitoring data. Every single objection I had is addressed in the book, and explained in a way that makes sense to me- we are evaluating the usefulness of the teaching method, rather than the performance of the child. "I was ready to jump in. "The book comes complete with all you need to get started, including a chart showing at which age most children have acquired certain skills. Pudding has just turned 5, so I looked for a task we’d never tried before to get started: making her own bed (not perfectly). This was a good place to start. It is easy for me to remain calm and objective (and not interfere) while observing Pudding making a bed. There was no safety issue at stake, and as we are on Christmas break, no real hurry or time pressure. The conditions were perfect. I found a suitable reinforcer, and using the techniques detailed in the book, Pudding is now independently making her own bed in the mornings. No nagging, no prompting, just another skill that she will use throughout her life."—from Spectrummy Mummy |
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