Positively Autism ~ Introduction to TEACCH ~ March/April 2010

Introduction to TEACCH
Volume 5, Issue 2 ~ March/April 2010

What is TEACCH?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division TEACCH

TEACCH is a North Carolina program administered through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but because of its training activities and publications the TEACCH approach is widely known nationally and internationally.

Founded in the early 1970s by the late Eric Schopler, Ph.D., TEACCH developed the concept of the “Culture of Autism” as a way of thinking about the characteristic patterns of thinking and behavior seen in individuals with this diagnosis. The “Culture of Autism” involves:

Relative strength in and preference for processing visual information (compared to difficulties with auditory processing, particularly of language).
Frequent attention to details but difficulty understanding the meaning of how those details fit together.
Difficulty combining ideas.
Difficulty with organizing ideas, materials, and activities
Difficulties with attention. (Some individuals are very distractible, others have difficulty shifting attention when it’s time to make transitions.)
Communication problems, which vary by developmental level but always include impairments in the social use of language (called “pragmatics”).
Difficulty with concepts of time, including moving too quickly or too slowly and having problems recognizing the beginning, middle, or end of an activity..
Tendency to become attached to routines, with the result that activities may be difficult to generalize from the original learning situation and disruptions in routines can be upsetting, confusing, or uncomfortable.
Very strong interests and impulses to engage in favored activities, with difficulties disengaging once engaged.
Marked sensory preferences and dislikes.

The long-term goals of the TEACCH approach are both skill development and fulfillment of fundamental human needs such as dignity, engagement in productive and personally meaningful activities, and feelings of security, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. To accomplish these goals, TEACCH developed the intervention approach called “Structured Teaching.”

The principles of Structured Teaching include:

Understanding the culture of autism
Developing an individualized person- and family-centered plan for each client or student, rather than using a standard curriculum.
Structuring the physical environment.
Using visual supports to make the sequence of daily activities predictable and understandable .
Using visual supports to make individual tasks understandable.

Common Myths and Mistakes about the TEACCH approach

TEACCH is only for children.

TEACCH works with individuals of all ages with ASD. For example, our supported employment and residential/vocational program for adults are highly-regarded, very effective demonstrations of the application of Structured Teaching principles and techniques for adults (Mesibov, Shea, & Schopler, 2005; Van Bourgondien, Reichle, & Schopler, 2003). On an individual, as-needed basis, we provide personal counseling, marital counseling, and vocational guidance to college students, graduate students, and other individuals with ASD who have careers and independent lives.

TEACCH is only for individuals with mental retardation.

TEACCH works with individuals with ASD at all developmental levels, from individuals with significant mental retardation to those with superior intelligence and academic achievement.

TEACCH is only for students in self-contained classes.

Structured Teaching can be provided in any educational setting, including regular education classrooms, “specials” such as music, art, PE, and foreign language, speech/language and occupational therapy sessions, as well as in the cafeteria, school bus, and playground. It is not necessary for a student to be in a self-contained or special education setting in order to receive the visual information and organizational supports of Structured Teaching.

In addition, services based on the TEACCH approach are now used with individuals from early childhood through adulthood in a variety of settings, including early intervention programs; public and private school classrooms; families’ homes, residential programs, and private housing; play and other social groups; summer camps and other recreation programs; individual and group counseling sessions; and both competitive and sheltered employment sites.

TEACCH programs don’t teach language.

Professionals from TEACCH were innovators of methods for teaching and supporting language development in students with autism spectrum disorders (Schopler & Mesibov, 1985; Watson, Lord, Shaffer, & Schopler, 1989). We consider meaningful, spontaneous communication to be a vital goal for all people with ASD (Mesibov, Shea, & Schopler, 2005).

We do suggest that activities for learning language and/or social communication should have a visual or physically concrete component, because of the relative strength in visual processing and difficulty with auditory comprehension that is usually demonstrated by students with ASD.

By focusing on independence TEACCH further isolates already lonely people with autism spectrum disorders. Although Structured Teaching values independence highly and has established it as an important educational priority, the development of enjoyable social interactions and meaningful social relationships are also important priorities. Structured teaching can be an excellent foundation for facilitating social activities that would otherwise be too unpredictable and confusing for students with ASD (Mesibov, Shea, & Schopler, 2005).

Summary

The TEACCH approach is a family-centered, evidence-based practice for autism, based on a theoretical conceptualization of autism, supported by empirical research, enriched by extensive clinical expertise, and notable for its flexible and person-centered support of individuals of all ages and skill levels.

References

Mesibov, G.B., Shea, V., & Schopler, E. (with Adams, L., Burgess, S., Chapman, S.M., Merkler, E., Mosconi, M., Tanner, C. & Van Bourgondien, M.E.). (2005). The TEACCH approach to autism spectrum disorders. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.

Schopler, E. & Mesibov, G.B. (Eds.). (1985). Communication problems in autism. New York: Plenum.

Van Bourgondien, M.E., Reichle, N.C., & Schopler, E. (2003). Effects of a model treatment approach on adults with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 131-140.

Watson, L.R., Lord, C., Schaffer, B. & Schopler, E. (1989). Teaching spontaneous communication to autistic and developmentally handicapped children. Austin, TX: Pro-ed.

Copyright © 2006 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division TEACCH. Reprinted with Permission.