PECS or Sign Language?

The debate over whether to use the Picture Exchange Communication System or sign language with non-verbal children with ASDs continues today. The end goal is for our children to effectively communicate, right? So there are a few things to consider:
-How good are your child's fine motor skills? Would he have the ability to manipulate his hands and fingers to form signs?
-How good are your child's imitation skills? Does your child imitate actions when asked to do so? This is the way you would teach your child to sign... To imitate the sign as you show it to him.
-Do you live in an area of the country that has a signing community? While communities that sign are typically small, they do exist. If your child's only way to communicate is to sign and the only other people in his world that can communicate with him are his parents, is that fair? What happens when he gets older and wants to socialize with others but none of his peers know how to sign?
I believe sign language is beautiful and enables the individual to have strong and meaningful relationships with others. The icons for the PECS can limit language and communication, to an extent.
BUT, the majority of young, non-verbal children with Autism I have worked with picked up more easily on the PECS, mainly because the icons are more concrete representations of the learning-labels than the sign and the format of the system can be altered to suit the needs of the child (bigger photos, representative objects, etc.). And, while parents and family members will learn sign language to communicate with their loved one, if no one else in the community can understand him, he can become frustrated. But most everyone can understand a photo of a hamburger or a voice-output device requesting a hamburger (which is what the PECS will ultimately lead to).
It ultimately comes down to the ability of your child and the preference of the family. These are simply some important things to consider.

What is the standard pay rate for a Behavior Analyst?

This is a difficult question to answer. The pay rate depends on educational and real-life experience as well as the Behavior Analyst's ability to think on his/her feet and be effective with your child. I have worked with PhD's who didn't have a clue how to educate children with Autism or reduce their inappropriate behaviors because the graduates spent all their time reading books for school rather than working with kids. I have worked with people who had BA's in something completely unrelated to Autism and were great because they had great mentors and gained wonderful, hands-on, experience.
Today there is a Certification program for Behavior Analysis. The programs are typically costly and require a specific amount of experience, similar to the "practicum hours" of a psychologist, so you can count on rates similar to those of psychologists for those who are going through or have completed the BCBA/BCBA program.
A Behavior Analyst is typically not a tutor. If you hire a Behavior Analyst to work directly with your child, you can count on a hefty associated fee because the hourly is probably high. However, if you find someone you trust with your child and you can see progress in a reasonable amount of time, would you really sacrifice the teacher or program supervisor in order to save some money? Just as not all teachers are created equal, not all Behavior Analysts are created equal. Some people simply have the "it" factor that allows them to really connect with our kids.
When people are willing to pay hundreds of dollars for dog grooming and thousands of dollars on "snake oil" treatments to reduce wrinkles and cellulite, I would think investing in your child's education is pretty reasonable.
Temple Grandin once said that her success is in large part due to the great teachers she had when she was young and "a good teacher is worth her weight in gold."

Clicker Training for Kids with Autism?

Apparently there are "professionals" out there who are attempting to "clicker train" our unique kids. BUYER BEWARE! Clicker training is for animals, not children. There are other, more natural, signals we can give our kiddos rather than following them around with a clicker. Unless the original founder of the clicker training program is teaching your child, there is a very good chance they are not doing it right. The supporting evidence for the clicker training is not strong enough anyhow.

Parents as Therapists

Sometimes parents ask about learning to conduct their own ABA program at home and I hesitate to respond, but I feel it is an important topic to discuss. It is essential for parents to learn the basics of ABA and how it applies to their children's specific behaviors, but I feel it is best to leave daily sessions to other trained professionals. The parent-child relationship is a vital component to the well-being of the family and once the parent begins placing demands on the child in a controlled ABA setting for session, that relationship can become confused.
I try to look at it from the child's point of view: Up until now (sometimes three, five, or more years), Mom and Dad have played with and nurtured me. Now we are engaged in a systematic learning environment alien to anything we have done together before.
Beginning an ABA program on your own will result in an increase of undesired behaviors or the emergence of new behaviors altogether and will frustrate both participants. In addition, it is often difficult for a parent to objectively look at the function of their child's behavior, which in turn can result in the wrong approach to addressing such behaviors.
The best thing to do is to have your child start a program with an experienced teacher and then slowly involve yourself during Natural Environment Teaching as your child learns to generalize his skills. Parents can also apply play therapy and other natural teaching techniques throughout the day as long as the demands are integrated slowly so as not to disrupt the relationship already established with the child.

What is the right environment for my child?

I always recommend that parents ensure their children are in classrooms with children who are either at their same functioning level or higher. If your child is the brightest, most well-behaved child in his special-ed classroom, his peers can learn from him but who will he learn from? Chances are he will pick up on the not-so-great behaviors exhibited by his classmates! If you realize this is the current situation for your child, submit a written request to your child's principal expressing your concern and your interest in exploring other options for your child. Good luck!

To "Stim" or Not to "Stim?"

Parents and Teachers are often concerned with their kiddos' self-stim (self-stimulatory or stereotypical) behavior. They ask me if it is okay to allow the kiddos to stim or to stop the stimming. There is some contradicting information out their regarding stereotypical behaviors. I have heard some researchers believe that to interfere with a child's stereotypical behavior is to deprive that child's brain of necessary input and can even result in brain damage. I've also met professionals who believe that one must "get down to the child's level" by engaging in the same stereotypical behavior in order to establish a relationship with the child. What I recommend to parents and teachers alike is to comment on the activity the child is engaged in and then redirect the child to a more appropriate behavior or activity.
For example, many of my little ones enjoy turning toy cars upside-down and spinning the wheels. We comment on the activity: "You are spinning the wheel" or "Watch the wheel go round and round" and then show the child (model) how to more "appropriately" play with the car by rolling it on the ground. If it is a bit more difficult to find an appropriate counterpart to the stereotypical behavior such as flicking the lights on and off or repeatedly flapping a hand in front of the face, we comment on the behavior (label the action) and then redirect the child in something completely different to engage him so he cannot continue the behavior. Try it!
However, sometimes it is important to have something highly rewarding like when you are teaching the child something new. Allowing the child to engage in the stereotypical behavior is often more reinforcing than food rewards.

PECS -A Helpful Hint

If your child is not benefiting from PECS training, there are two things to consider. Make sure the person training your child has been professionally trained in PECS (NOT "self-trained" from the manual or a book) . -It is scary, but I have come across many professionals who teach children the PECS incorrectly. If your consultant is following the PECS protocol and your child is still not picking up on the process, the second thing to consider is whether your child is really understanding the icons he is using. I personally prefer photos with most of my kiddos over the cartoon-ish depictions of many computer programs out there. Remember! Our unique kiddos are concrete thinkers! Realistic depictions will probably have more meaning to them. You can always work toward the vague cartoon representations once your child masters the process.