autism Archives - Sparkler

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April 30, 2025 by Admin 0 Comments

Demystifying Autism: A Q&A With A Mom/Educator

Sparkler chatted with Shenell Samuels — a mom of a five-year-old with autism who is also a teacher in a school readiness program in Hartford who serves students with autism and other diagnoses — to share her experience and insights related to autism.

Could you tell us a little bit about your son?

My son is five years old. He was diagnosed when he was two and a half … We went through the Birth to Three process. They asked me if I wanted to do an evaluation because he wasn’t meeting his developmental milestones. So we did a whole evaluation. It took a few hours inside our home and they did diagnose him with autism.

What did it feel like as a parent to go through the process?

I was a bit confident because I knew I would know how to help him to get resources. And I was also a bit worried because it’s like: would he be able to talk, communicate, work with peers?

How would you describe early intervention to parents who aren't familiar with it?

My experience with Birth to Three was wonderful from start to finish … We set realistic goals for him to work on and she did help us a great amount coming to our home, working with him to get him where he needs to be … Early intervention played a huge part with him being open to the world.

What's your goal for your son now that he's five an in kindergarten?

My biggest goal would be to have a conversation with him, for him to be talking to me more. One day, I’d like for him to be able to join a sports team. And of course, I want him to graduate from high school and college, and of course regulating his emotions. He does have big emotions … Every day we’re working toward those bigger goals. We’re working on the small goals first to have him reach those. We have small goals we can reach while also keeping the big goals in mind.

What are some of the misconceptions you encountered?

Autism isn’t an illness. The biggest misconception is that he’s a sickly kid. He’s not sickly. There are some things he’s able to do and there are some things he’s not able to do.

It's interesting that you have encountered autism both as a teacher and as a mom. Can you tell us about your work?

I was going to school to be a nurse. I took a summer job working inside of a preschool for six weeks, and after that, they were like, “We want to hire you.” And then I worked my way up … Now I have my own classroom.

And you work with some students who have autism, like your son?

Yes. I have children on the same level, higher needs, and then some kids with moderate needs or not any at all. It’s a range.

How has being a parent of a child with autism influenced the way you interact with the parents and students who have different diagnoses?

It has given me the confidence to freely talk with parents … I’ll ask them, “What are you seeing at home with your child because at school I might be seeing something different?” If I’m concerned, I recommend that families go to their pediatrician and see what they recommend.

And how do you build a classroom environment that is inclusive of kids with different needs and abilities?

I talk with the kids. I’ll say, “Your friend might need a little bit of help. Can you help them?” I have materials in my classroom, sensory materials, that can help children who are on the spectrum be more comfortable in the classroom to help self-regulate. You know, just having book and reading to the kids can help … We’re not labeling children; everyone’s included. You know, we’re all like a family here.

Do you have any other advice for parents with questions/concerns about autism?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. That’s the biggest thing. Don’t be scared. Don’t be nervous … Talk to your child’s pediatrician, talk to friends or family, just to gain more knowledge.

Information about Early Intervention in CT

Connecticut’s Birth to Three System from the CT Office of Early Childhood
Provide developmental evaluations, Autism assessments, and services for children under 36 months of age within the natural environment using coaching as a style of interaction to support families and caregivers to support their child’s development. Anyone can make a referral to Birth to Three, including parents and a referral is not required from a medical provider. Birth to Three, with permission, tries to access insurance but there are no additional cost to families, including if insurance does not contribute to the cost of services.When a family has a concern for Autism there are two different pathways a family can take for referrals to our system. They can begin with a general Birth to Three program, and if they would like, can request additional autism testing at any point within services. The second is to request a Birth to Three program that specializes in Autism at the time of the referral. When a Birth to Three program that specializes in Autism is requested, developmental testing is completed followed by an Autism assessment. Results of the Autism assessment are provided to families at that time. Throughout the process parents are a part of the decision making processes for what works best for their child and family. To learn more about Birth to Three services visit www.birth23.org.

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April 9, 2024 by Meaghan Penrod 0 Comments

The Power of Early Intervention: A Q&A With Dr. Marianne L. Barton

In honor of World Autism Month (April), a Sparkler family & community engagement specialist, Meaghan Penrod, spoke with Dr. Marianne L. Barton, Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Connecticut Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Barton is a licensed psychologist and has worked for more than 30 years providing evaluation and treatment to young children and their families in multiple settings. Dr. Barton is one of the authors of The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised, (M-CHAT-R/F) and the Working Model of the Child Interview, as well as the Activity Kit for Babies and Toddlers at Risk.

Sparkler: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do in the field?

Dr. Barton: I am a Clinical Psychologist with specialized interest in Early Childhood. At UConn, I am the director of our training clinic, the Psychological Services Clinic and I oversee Clinical training for our PhD students. I supervise treatment and assessment services, complete assessments with students, consult to local Birth to Three programs, teach graduate courses and engage in research. My research is closely tied to my clinical interests. For example, because of our frustration at not seeing children with suspected Autism until they reached school age, several years ago my colleague Deb Fein and I developed the M-CHAT, a screening tool for young children that is now completed across the country at well-child pediatric visits. We are currently working on a series of videos that would help parents teach and engage with young children with autism.

Sparkler: How would you explain autism to someone who doesn't know much about it?

Dr. Barton: I think of Autism as a neuro-developmental disorder that interferes with a child’s ability to build reciprocal social relationships. Young children with ASD struggle with all of the behaviors that allow them to initiate and sustain social interaction, such as making eye contact, following someone’s attempt to direct their attention, showing things to others or pointing to direct attention. Some children develop communication skills, including language, others struggle to communicate. Children also develop repetitive behaviors, and sensory interests such as spinning toys, watching things fall or spin etc. Repetitive behaviors or restricted interests are required for a diagnosis of ASD. Beyond those two characteristics, there is enormous variability in children diagnosed with ASD. Some have comorbid intellectual disability or ADHD; others do not. Most develop functional communication skills; a small percentage remain minimally verbal.

Sparkler: What are some common misunderstandings people have about autism?

Dr. Barton: I think that people rely more on atypical behaviors, such as hand flapping, to identify children with autism, rather than the difficulties with social interaction. Children with many kinds of difficulty engage in atypical behaviors (for example, ADHD, Intellectual Disability, sensory concerns); unless they also have significant social deficits, they would not be considered autistic. I think people also under-estimate the extent of the progress that individuals with autism can make with intensive early intervention. A small number of children (15-20%) make so much progress that they no longer qualify for the diagnosis. Some of those teen-agers and young adults are indistinguishable from typically developing individuals. In recent years, the diagnostic criteria have been loosened to permit the diagnosis of individuals with less severe impairments. That has allowed for the identification of more children and the provision of services earlier.

Sparkler: How does early intervention support young children with autism?

Dr. Barton: If we can identify children early and provide intervention most children will make significant progress. Services typically focus on improving functional communication skills and developing skills at social interaction. When necessary, intervention may also focus on teaching adaptive skills and reducing atypical behavior. Over many years, we have learned that children with autism can learn many of the skills that typically developing children acquire on their own; children with ASD may require specific teaching to acquire those skills. Early intervention will allow children to address the social difficulties associated with autism and develop more typical friendships and social relationships. It also supports brain development which remains flexible in our youngest children. Finally, intervention provides greater support to families, teaches parents the skills they need to engage their children and reduces some of the stress and isolation that family members experience in raising a child with special needs. We have a great deal of evidence that early intervention results in significant gains in skills, healthier developmental trajectories, improved outcomes for both children and families and markedly reduced costs over the course of a child’s life.