Researchers switching from laboratory to classrooms to study autism

For many years researchers and parents have been seeking ways to enable autistic children to thrive in the classroom. The common belief is that if they can achieve in school, children with the condition can be better suited for the social problems they face when they become adults.

Children who suffer from autism often exhibit significant language delays, unusual behaviors and interests as well as social and communication challenges. Diagnosis of the condition usually occurs by the age of 3.

In an effort to better understand the obstacles autistic children face, researchers from Missouri University are currently developing a program to help educators teach more effectively to children with the condition, reports Medical Daily. The curriculum focuses on the specific needs and behavioral traits of autistic children by using a virtual classroom. The idea behind this is to allow the child to learn to recognize facial expressions, share ideas, take turns, explore their emotions and solve problems.

Researchers told the news source  that they have identified the core areas including difficulty with communication, repetitious behaviors and social competence,which the program will seek to help. Furthermore, they added that social competency has the biggest impact on communication and is essential for life outside of school.

Officials said that the classroom is an ideal environment to study for children because they can test the true benefit of interventions for children with autism in a natural environment.

UCLA begins classroom studies to help autistic children achieve success

In an effort to further autism research in a school setting, officials from the University of California at Los Angeles' The Help Group recently began work on using the classroom to research interventions for children with autism.

The study will allow researchers to find ways to improve the social and language skills as well as independence of young adults with autism. Furthermore, by using brain imaging they seek to understand how children with the condition process emotion in music and how it can benefit them.

Researchers added that they will examine the differences in development among adolescents with autism from those with mild intellectual disabilities or typical development. This study will focus on treating children with the condition now rather than concentrating on the root causes or potential cure.

The study currently underway uses joint attention skills including showing, pointing and sharing an event or object with another person in an effort to share the experience. Researchers say that if these traits show improvement, then language development could follow.

Study shows that early intervention with children with autism can help alleviate symptoms

As part of this new education trend, a three-year study funded by the State of Arizona found that early intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism can result in significant improvements in functioning. The study followed 14 young children with the condition using the Applied Behavior Analysis, which combines structured education with play-based behavioral intervention.

Researchers found that 43 percent of the participants no longer displayed clinical symptoms of autism, while others saw improvements in executive function such as planning, decision-making, error correction and troubleshooting.

The study found that 8 out of the 14 participants were functioning in the average range on the Wineland ABC, which measures overall adaptive functioning as compared to only two children passing before treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 110 children in the U.S. have an autism spectrum disorder.