Intervention Program for Chaildren with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Thailand

Daranee Utairatanakit
Thailand

The substantial evidence of know medical conditions of children with autism and the compelling advocacy on inclusive education indicated justification for the need to develop collaborative partnerships between educational and medical professionals in researching effective education services for those children in Thailand. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of the intervention program of children with autism spectrum disorders at Kasetsart University Laboratory School which has been in operation since 1990. The data were collected from the academic year 1990-2001.

In this presentation the author discuss the model for providing inclusive education to children with autism spectrum disorders which consists of; informing and preparing everyone involved, process of student selection, cooperative relationship among school, hospitals and parents, development of curriculum and instruction, staff training, and support services. The findings of the intervention program are discussed according to the following categories: characteristics of students in the programs, academic achievement, changes in intelligent scores, changes in autistic disorder and feedback from teachers and parents. The school psychologists' roles as collaborator and consultant are emphasized in the discussion.

Participants will benefits by a) learning how to work collaboratively with medical personnel in the community to simultaneously provided both educational and medical intervention to children with autism spectrum disorders in the general education classrooms; b) discussion the role of the school psychologist as a leader in establishing an effective intervention program for children with autism; and c) enhancing their understanding of comprehensive intervention for children with autism.