Amber Masterson, one of our PLAY Supervisors, and a PLAY Home Consultant at the Ann Arbor Center for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, recently completed a pilot training program funded by an Autism Speaks grant. The pilot was entitled, "Training Respite Care Providers in The P.L.A.Y. Project Intervention for Autism."
Amber trained 20 respite care providers from two separate agencies, CSTS and Livingston County Community Mental Health for a total of five full days of training. The results of this training were quite positive, demonstrating that PLAY techniques and methods can give respite care workers the tools to improve engagement and interaction with children with autism spectrum disorders.
Here are some of the results of the study:
Here is some of the feedback trainees wrote in:
Nice work, Amber!
For respite workers interested in learning developmental, play-based approaches to incorporate into their current professional practice, we are now offering a 2-day Professional Conference. The next 2-Day professional conference will take place April 23 & 24 in Ann Arbor, MI. For more information email Michelle Dailey at michelle@playproject.org or call (734) 997-9088.
In October the employees of Citizens Bank of Ypsilanti www.citizenbanking.com paid $5 each to wear jeans to work for a day, raising a total of $225 for M.A.P.
The Michigan Autism Partnership's vision is to create a state-wide network of parents and professionals that supports and promotes intensive, developmental, play-based programming for young children with autistic spectrum disorders. The program provides scholarships for developmental, play-based programming for young children with autism.
More information can be found on the M.A.P. web site www.mapautism.org
Through the support of a $1.85 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Richard Solomon, MD, is conducting a three-year study of The Play and Language for Autistic Youngsters (P.L.A.Y.) Project Home Consulting model, a parent-training program that addresses the need for intensive early intervention for young children on the autism spectrum.
Today, approximately one in every 150 children is diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. As the fastest growing disability in the U.S., autism continues to gain public attention, yet there is a national shortage of personnel trained in intensive approaches as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The P.L.A.Y. Project addresses this shortage by using a ‘train the trainer’ approach, which promotes rapid dissemination of the program.
Developed by Dr. Solomon, P.L.A.Y. is a practical, family-friendly application of renowned child psychiatrist Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based (DIR) framework, popularly known as Floortime. Through structured monthly home visits focused on modeling, coaching and video feedback, consultants train parents to engage their child with autism in ways that promote emotional connection and communication. By training parents to participate in their child’s intervention, the program also promises to be cost-effective. The P.L.A.Y. Project costs under $4,000 per year, in comparison with other interventions that cost $40,000 to $60,000 per year.
Details of the study: With research-design guidance from Michigan State University, and community-outreach support from Easter Seals, The P.L.A.Y. Project is conducting a randomized, controlled, and blinded clinical trial. Drawing participants from five Easter Seals autism service locations, the study compares t he outcomes of 60 children who participate in The P.L.A.Y. Project with the outcomes of 60 children who receive standard, com¬munity interventions, making it the largest study of its kind. Before and after the 12-month intervention, each child is assessed with a battery of tests to measure developmental level, speech and lan¬guage, sensory-motor profile, and social skills.
“Preliminary research and early dissemination into community agencies, schools and hospitals around the world has demonstrated the effectiveness of our model,” said Dr. Solomon, medical director of The P.L.A.Y. Project. “Positive research outcomes would support efforts to encourage private insurers and government agencies to approve increases in funding for play-based autism intensive intervention services and ultimately, help children with autism become more engaged with the world around them.”
Parents had no options and were using all of their savings and mortgaging their homes to get help for their children with Autism. Out of that need, Dr. Richard Solomon, Medical Director of The PLAY Project, developed a program that was more economical because it was teaching the parents the principles of PLAY . . . Dr. Solomon believes that RelateNow provides an easy way to distribute his training materials and expand his organization's ability to provide affordable therapy services for families of children with Autism. The online system allows families to upload video for their therapeutic team to comment on and offer suggestions for treatment.
For more information, please visit www.relatenow.com and www.autismfile.com.
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice has published Dr. Solomon’s article: “Pilot Study of a Training Program for Young Children with Autism: The Michigan P.L.A.Y. Project™ Home Consultation Model.” This scientific article reports on 68 children and their parents who participated for 1 year in the home consulting program. Results of the study indicate that parents can learn the skills necessary to engage with their young children (18 months to 6 years) with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and half to two-thirds of the children made good to very good developmental gains. Download a PDF of Dr. Solomon's article, or read the abstract.
Autism is the British Autism Society’s peer reviewed, scientific journal. Their acceptance of Dr. Solomon’s findings is exciting news—his article is the first report of an effective, skill-based program using the DIR® (Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship-based) model of Stanley Greenspan MD. For an extensive look at the DIR® model visit www.floortime.org.
