TEACCH
The following information is provided courtesy of Division TEACCH
The Aims
The primary aim of the TEACCH programme is to prevent unnecessary institutionalisation by helping to prepare Autistic people to live or work more effectively at home, school and in the community.Special emphasis is placed on helping Autistic people and their families to live together more effectively by reducing or removing Autistic behaviour.
Target Professionals
Professionals have used a variety of names for the severe disorders treated by this programme. These include childhood psychosis, childhood schizophrenia, infantile autism, developmental disabilities, severe emotional disturbances, aphasia with behaviour disturbance and pervasive developmental disorders.
Services Provided
The major services provided by Division TEACCH include diagnosis and assessment, individualised treatment, training for professionals and parents.
Who Should Be Referred?
Any person with severe delay or deviancy in communication, social or emotional development, needs a developmental evaluation.Someone exhibiting a developmental pattern that included some the characteristics listed above should be referred to the TEACCH system or psycho-educational evaluation aimed at making treatment decisions.
Continuing Treatment
The purpose of treatment is to maximise adaptation for each client through the two related efforts of improving the clients skills for living and structuring the environment to accommodate specific client deficits. Treatment is focused on six interrelated areas:
Developing special ways in which the client can enjoy and understand other people and live in better accord at home.
Increasing the clients motivation to explore and learn.
Improving uneven development of intellectual functions:The therapist and teachers assess the clients learning abilities and design teaching methods and strategies in appropriate developmental sequences to improve the clients communication , social and coping skills.In collaboration with the family, behaviour modification programmes and self help skills are also developed. All programming is designed to meet the needs of the each client and family by forming an Individualised Education Plan (IEP)
Overcoming impairments in fine, gross and perceptual motor areas are achieved through physical exercise and eye-hand activities.
Reducing the stress of living with a handicapped person for other members of the family.
Overcoming problems in the clients school adjustment.
TEACCH has increased its services to include programmes in many parts of the USA as well as Denmark, Venezuela, Spain, Israel, Canada, France, Japan, Netherlands and of course the United Kingdom.