PSYC 345 Week 3 DB Forum 3 Example

Discussion Board Forum 3: Thread and Reply

PSYC 345 Exceptional Child, Discussion Board Forum 3 (thread and one reply)

Thread by [Student Name]

The prompt, the composite family and the classmate's post are composites standing in for the course's own forum; the textbook, Scripture and published trial are real; the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for PSYC 345.

Thread

Eli's parents first worried around his second birthday. At a year he had said "mama" and "ball," but by eighteen months the words had faded, he no longer looked up when his name was called and he spent long stretches lining up toy cars. His pediatrician referred him for evaluation, and at 26 months he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. His parents asked the question this forum raises: does it matter how soon we start, and what should we do? They had read conflicting advice online, from waiting to see whether he would catch up to starting forty hours a week of therapy immediately.

Parritz and Troy (2018) explain that autism involves differences in social communication along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, and that early differences frequently become visible to parents before age two. They emphasize early identification, because the developing brain is especially responsive to experience in the first years and because early social learning builds the foundation for later skills. A toddler who does not attend to faces and voices misses thousands of small learning opportunities each day, so the gap with peers can widen quickly without support.

The strongest test of early intervention comes from randomized trials. Dawson et al. (2010) randomly assigned 48 toddlers diagnosed between 18 and 30 months to two years of the Early Start Denver Model or to referral to services commonly available in their community. The model blends developmental and applied behavior analytic principles and is delivered by trained therapists and by parents, woven into play and everyday routines. Two years on, the program children's IQ scores had climbed by more than a standard deviation, about eighteen points, while the community group rose by seven, and on everyday adaptive skills the program children held their pace as the others slipped behind typical peers. More children in the program also moved from a diagnosis of autism to the milder category of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

The trial was small, so its results need replication, and it compared a well-funded intensive program with whatever services families could find. It does not show that every child benefits equally, and outcomes in the program group varied widely from child to child. Still, it supports what the chapter suggests: starting early, involving parents and building learning into daily life can change a child's developmental path.

Psalm 139:14 praises God for making each person fearfully and wonderfully (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016). Intervention, from a Christian perspective, is not an attempt to fix a broken child but to help a valued child communicate and connect.

Classmates: what barriers do you think keep families from getting early intervention, even when it is recommended?

Reply to Brooke

Brooke, you raised an important concern: that programs like the one in the trial ask so much of parents that families may burn out, especially when they have other children or demanding jobs. I think you are right to worry, and the trial itself shows why, since its design depended on parents as much as on therapists. Dawson et al. (2010) delivered the intervention through both trained therapists and parents, and the parent component was central, because toddlers learn throughout the day, not only in sessions. That design makes the most of daily routines, but it also means parents must learn new skills while managing the stress of a recent diagnosis.

Parritz and Troy (2018) describe family adaptation as part of the developmental picture; parents' well-being affects the child's environment. So supporting parents is not a separate issue from helping the child. Practical supports could include coaching that shows parents how to embed strategies in routines they already do, such as bath time or meals, so that intervention does not become a second job. Respite care, parent support groups and a clear explanation that progress is often gradual can also reduce pressure. Families should hear that they do not need to do everything at once; consistency in a few routines may matter more than heroic effort, and rest for parents is part of the plan rather than a failure of commitment.

Burden-sharing is one of the plainest commands to the early church (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Galatians 6:2), and today's churches can take that seriously by offering trained volunteers who can sit with a child during worship or provide a few hours of help at home. A congregation that welcomes autistic children and their families lightens the load in a way no therapy schedule can, and it tells parents that their child belongs.

Do you think pediatricians should screen parents for stress at the same visit where a child is diagnosed, or would that feel like one more burden?

References

Dawson, G., Rogers, S., Munson, J., Smith, M., Winter, J., Greenson, J., Donaldson, A., & Varley, J. (2010). Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: The Early Start Denver Model. Pediatrics, 125(1), e17-e23. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-0958

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Parritz, R. H., & Troy, M. F. (2018). Disorders of childhood: Development and psychopathology (3rd ed.). Cengage Learning.