Enhanced Milieu Teaching Strategies for Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

191 Vol. 24, No. 4, December 2021 YOUNG EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN https://doi.org/10.1177/1096250620928335 DOI: 10.1177/1096250620928335 journals.sagepub.com/home/yec Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions © 2020 Division for Early Childhood José, a 3-year-old boy with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attends an early childhood inclusive classroom. He uses gestures and single words to communicate his wants and needs. He spends much of his time engaged in solitary and stereotypic play with his favorite toys, trains and trucks. José’s teacher, Ms. Baca, is concerned about his social communication skills because he does not have an independent means of communicating with his peers, teachers, or other adults in the classroom. When Ms. Baca asks José to put his toys away during clean up, he often cries. He pushes his peers out of his space when they approach him to play. José receives an hour of speech and language therapy in his classroom each week. Ms. Chavez, his speech-language pathologist (SLP), notes that although José is able to use single words to request, he only requests routines that include his favorite toys. José’s parents also report that they have difficulty understanding what he is trying to communicate when he cries or screams and that he only uses single words for requesting. Together, the teacher and SLP examine current evidence-based 928335 YECXXX10.1177/1096250620928335Young Exceptional ChildrenEnhanced Milieu Teaching Strategies / Davison et al. research-article2020