TEACCH

The first statewide program for treatment and services for people with autism, TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children) was developed at the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina in the 1970's. It is a structured teaching approach based on the idea that the environment should be adapted to the child with autism, not the child to the environment. It uses no one specific technique, but rather is a program based around the child's functioning level.

The child's learning abilities are assessed through the Psycho Educational Profile (PEP) and teaching strategies are designed to improve communication, social and coping skills. Rather than teach a specific skill or behavior, the TEACCH approach aims to provide the child with the skills to understand his/her world and other people's behaviors. For example, some children with autism scream when they are in pain. The TEACCH approach would search for the cause of the screaming and then teach the child how to signal pain through communication skills.

For more information about some of the other treatment options for autism, please click on one of the links below.

• ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis
• Facilitated Communication
• Floor Time
• PECS - Picture Exchange Communication System
• Sensory Integration
• TEACCH