Justin is a kindergarten student who was diagnosed with autism when he was just

Justin is a kindergarten student who was diagnosed with autism when he was just 2
years old. His parents were looking for an explanation of his language delays, his
obsession with certain toys and activities, and his lack of eye contact and indifference to
physical affection. Justin’s grandmother, a special education teacher, suspected autism
spectrum disorder, and she was correct. Fortunately, Justin receives intensive
interventions in a preschool program, and the results have been remarkable in terms of
his communication skills and ability to play with peers. Justin’s overall intellectual and
academic skills are slightly above average, and he participates in general education
nearly all day, exceptions being 30 minutes each day of special education in a resource
room with a focus on strengthening his language skills and working on his social skills,
as well as 30 minutes twice each week of speech-language therapy. He also receives
services (30 minutes each week) from the occupational therapist, but she comes to
Justin’s general education classroom for that purpose, teaching him and several other
kindergarteners fine-motor skills. One recent setback is causing concern: Justin seems
to have regressed in bathroom habits, with accidents happening when he fails to go to
the restroom. His parents, kindergarten teacher, and special education teacher will meet
soon with the school psychologist to discuss what might be causing this problem and to
develop a plan for addressing it. His teachers suspect he gets so interested in what he
is doing that he ignores his body’s signals until it is too late.
• How might the early intervention that Justin received have helped him in
transitioning into kindergarten?
• What are specific domains where he seems to be excelling?
• What characteristics of a student with autism might be responsible for Justin’s
recent bathroom problems?
• If you were assigned to design an intervention to address this issue, which
strategies from this and other chapters might you use?
• Why? What data would you gather to judge your effectiveness?
• Justin is largely in general education, but receives some services in a
special education classroom and occupational therapy in general
education. Is his education inclusive?
• How do you justify your response?
• If you were trying to plan for Justin’s future, how would you work to ensure that
he could continue to succeed in a general education setting?
cite APA