James Ball - Autism After the Pandemic

AUTISM AFTER THE PANDEMIC
A Step-by-Step Guide Back to School & Work

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2020 James Ball and Kristie Brown-Lofland
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ISBN: 978-1-949177-58-9

eBook Designed by Acepub

DR. JIM BALL , a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA-D), has been working in the private sector field of autism for over twenty-five years. In a variety of settings, he has provided educational, employment, and residential services to children and adults with autism.

Dr. Ball has lectured nationally and internationally, provided expert testimony, and published in the areas of early intervention, behavior, consultation services, social skills, technology, and trauma. He is a featured author and is on the advisory board for the Autism Aspergers Digest magazine. His triple award-winning book, Early Intervention & Autism: Real-Life Questions, Real-Life Answers , was released in February of 2008.

Dr. Balls newest release, You Cant Make Me , sums up his years of working with behavioral challenges in individuals from eighteen months to eighty years of age.

KRISTIE BROWN LOFLAND is an autism/educational consultant currently in private practice. Ms. Brown Lofland has previously worked in clinical, public school, and university settings. Ms. Brown Lofland has an extensive background in speech pathology, audiology, and the education and communication of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. She has made many presentations nationally and internationally in the area of communication and autism. Lofland holds a bachelors degree in speech pathology from Indiana State University (1972), a masters degree in audiology from Indiana State University (1979), and a director of special education certificate from Indiana University (2003). She has held various offices and served on various committees with the Indiana Speech, Language and Hearing Association. She was the recipient of honors of the Indiana Speech, Language, and Hearing Association for outstanding contributions in the field (2007). Ms. Lofland also received the best in school advocacy award from the Autism Society of Indiana (2007). She currently serves on the panel of professional advisors for the Autism Society of America, and is a member to the executive board for the Autism Society of Indiana.

DEDICATION

Throughout our careers, we have had the privilege of working with many individuals on the spectrum and their amazing families. However, two young men are special to us and will forever live in our heartsAustin and Everett Colclasure.

We began working with Austin when he was a preschooler and we have watched him grow over the years. Even though he has experienced many challenges in his life, Austin has never ceased to amaze us. He is a loving soul and continues to enhance our lives and those around him.

Everett is Austins champion and younger brother. His care and understanding of his older brother are unmatched. Together they have enriched our lives and inspire us to do what we do every day.

This is Austin and Everett with their Mom and Dad enjoying their new normal time together.

T he autism spectrum is broad: people on the spectrum range from the computer scientists in Silicon Valley to non-verbal adults who may have difficulty dressing themselves. Jim Ball and Kristie Brown Loflands book is ideal for both verbal and nonverbal children and adults who have low verbal abilities. If a diagnosis or services are not available, this book is the ideal how-to guide that enables you to begin working with your individual with autism now. If a three- or four-year-old child is not talking, the worst things that parents can do is to do nothing. It is essential to start working with the child now. Younger children need many hours of instruction to learn language.

There is a tendency to underestimate the abilities of non-verbal individuals; Dr. Ball has worked with many adults, often referring to his work with a particular non-verbal adult who needed help to learn a job. Succeeding at his job made this individual feel good about having a purpose in life: he went from doing almost nothing to becoming the coee specialist at the local convenience store. People appreciated his ability to make really good coee, and he enjoyed his new identity as the coee man. When he retired, he continued to serve coee in a local nursing home. Teachers, parents, and professionals need to have the attitude of looking at what a person can learn instead of looking at what they cannot do.

The first tip in Autism After the Pandemic is no surprises. Surprises scare people with autism. If a child or an adult is going to a new school or job, visiting before they start is highly recommended. Th is book has step-by-step instructions for teaching skills and strategies to prevent meltdowns, learn new skills, and to cope and grow in a work or school environment, and it is a valuable resource in families returning to a new normal.

Temple Grandin,
Author of The Way I See It and The Loving Push

W e have arrived at a new normal: life after the arrival of COVID-19. How do we help those with developmental and/ or intellectual disabilities and those on the autism spectrum return to school or adult services? It has been a long haul at home! Both children and adults are used to the home environment and routines. Some students have been out of their school/adult program for months. It is now time to go back to the normal school/work routine, but what does that normal mean? Schedules and structure are dierent, and learning has been interrupted, yet hopefully maintained. How do parents prepare their child to transition back to school or work? Th is workbook will outline the strategies that should be put in place prior to your child going back to their school or adult services placement. Each strategy will be explored in depth and followed by instructional examples, so you and the individual with autism who youre supporting will be prepared for a successful first day when returning to school or an adult program.

Lets get started.