By Lisa Greenman, Monica Adler Werner, Lynn Cannon | Take 2
Since Take 2 began in 2004, clinician-researchers at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Medical Center have been integrally involved in developing the program’s curriculum. Several years ago, the CASD doctors, together with Take 2 staff and teachers and administrators at the Ivymount School, developed and began piloting a novel approach to teaching children with autism spectrum disorders the important skills of flexibility, goal-setting and planning. Difficulty with these and other “executive functions” are common in children with high functioning ASDs. The collaboration has so far proved extremely fruitful: based on early successes, the National Institute of Mental Health awarded the group a grant to take the next step in testing the intervention: the curriculum, called Unstuck & On Target, is now being tested in mainstream schools. In addition, the curriculum has been published and is available to parents and educators who would like to give its methods a try. The approaches described in the book are designed to be enjoyable and accessible and to integrate well into children’s real lives. You can see the cover of the book at the top of this Project Update and you can read more about it on the publisher’s website and on Amazon, which you’ll find links for below. The forward to the book is by New York Times best-selling author John Elder Robison. A training program for parents is part of the Unstuck curriculum and there are plans to publish soon the manual that accompanies this training.
We are very proud that Take 2 played a key role in launching this much needed and so far extremely promising new intervention.
As always, we thank you for your support for Take 2. Also, we'd like you to know that in June Take 2 will participate in GlobalGiving’s “bonus day,” when all gifts will be matched. We’ll be in touch with you before that to ask for your help. Please see below for links and for a glowing review of Unstuck & On Target.
With gratitude,
Lisa, Lynn & Monica
Here are links where you can learn more about Unstuck & On Target:
http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/cannon-72032/index.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Unstuck-Target-Executive-Curriculum-Flexibility/dp/1598572032
And here's a recent review from Amazon:
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