ECT and Autism--Making the Connection.

This report describes using Environmental Communication Teaching (ECT) to assist students with autism spectrum disorder. The paper compares several key points of the ECT approach with other common intervention methods for students with autism and identifies the features of intervention programs or approaches that should be considered when planning treatment for students with autism. ECT is described as a systematic way to enhance classroom staff's skills in the area of designing and responding to increased communicative interactions of students with severe communication disorders. The ECT program involves: (1) engaging the student in activities that will increase the opportunities for communicative interaction, with a focus on initiated communication by the student; (2) structuring the interaction with the communication partner to facilitate the student's knowledge that communication is expected and using partner responses to teach more acceptable, functional, and conventional student responses through modeling and cueing; and (3) arranging the environment to maximize the opportunities for communication and to increase the ability of the student to initiate appropriate communication interactions based on perceived environmental cues. ECT activity selection parameters encourage activities that are functional, typical, and frequent occurrences within the classroom or other chosen environments. (CR)