Mashenka has a M.Ed in special education from Lesley University in Cambridge. She is trained in the Early Start Denver Model and now pursuing her coursework for BCBA ( Board Certified Behavior Analyst). She has a professional certificate in Greenspan Floortime Model.
Mashenka has worked with children diagnosed on the spectrum, in schools, private centers and homes both in Dubai and the United States for almost 15 years. She has conducted several teacher trainings and parent workshops in different parts of the world.
Currently Mashenka is involved with CARE ( Center for Autism Research and Education) at the University of Massachusetts, which focuses on education and research for improving the lives of those with autism spectrum disorders.
After observing the struggles of many families attempt to access quality early intervention services for their child, I am inspired to set up an independent early intervention service for consultation and training and hope that this will serve to raise awareness of the importance of early identification and the true value of early intervention for both the child and the family.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder, typically diagnosed before the age of three, that affects the individual’s ability to communicate, develop language, form social relationships, , and respond appropriately to their environment.
One of the most important things you can do as a parent or caregiver is to learn the early signs of autism and become familiar with the typical developmental milestones that your child should be reaching.
The following "red flags" may indicate your child is at risk for an autism spectrum disorder. If your child exhibits any of the following, please don’t delay in getting him evaluated.
No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds,smiles or other facial expressions by nine months
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age
While every child develops differently, early treatment improves outcomes, often dramatically. Early intensive behavioral intervention can improve learning, communication and social skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Learn the signs of autism here:
The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is a relationship-based early intervention program for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ages 12 to 48 months) and their families developed by Drs. Sally Rogers and Geraldine Dawson.
Parents are their child’s most impactful and influential teachers and therefore the model focuses on parent and family involvement in the treatment process to ensure a child’s positive developmental progress continues even after treatment ends.
This model incorporates intensive teaching practices drawn from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and a developmental curriculum which defines the skills to be taught at any given time, and a set of teaching procedures used to deliver this content.In addition, ESDM integrates play-based relational developmental approaches to address social communication.
The primary goal of the Early Start Denver Model is to increase a child’s developmental rate across domains while decreasing the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder that impact the child’s functioning. ESDM focuses on improving children’s social-emotional skills, language development, and early problem solving abilities, as these areas are typically the most impacted by the symptoms of autism.
Core program features include:
Naturalistic applied behavioral analytic strategies,
Sensitivity to the natural developmental patterns all children experience,
Deep parental involvement and parent coaching in application of the skills,
Child direction of activities and shared engagement within joint activities,
Curriculum that addresses all domains of early development (e.g., language, play, imitation, social, motor, cognitive, independence, behavior, etc.),
And language and communication skills taught within a positive, affect-based relationship.
Many parents are drawn to the Early Start Denver Model because its naturalistic approach is easily integrated into their daily routines. Also it allows parents and therapists to take advantage of a child’s natural motivations and current strengths to encourage development in areas of weakness. In short , ESDM helps parents learn how to talk and play with their children in a way that encourages their long-term development and success.
Behavior analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. In practice, a behaviour analytic programme for autism focuses on teaching small, measurable units of behaviour in a systematic way.
Every skill that a child with ASD does not demonstrate is broken down into small steps and positive reinforcement is used to teach these steps. When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward (positive reinforcement), the behavior is more likely to be repeated. Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning.
ABA is the use of these techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior.
These techniques can be used in structured situations such as a classroom lesson as well as in "everyday" situations such as family dinnertime or the neighborhood playground. Some ABA therapy sessions involve one-on-one interaction between the behavior analyst and the participant. Group instruction can likewise prove useful.
ABA programs consists of the following components: discrete trial teaching, programming for generalization to the natural environment, reinforcement, prompting and fading strategies, and outcome-based decision-making.
Verbal Behavior Therapy teaches communication using the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and the theories of behaviorist B.F. Skinner. Verbal Behavior Therapy is a method of teaching language that focuses on the idea that a meaning of a word is found in its functions.
It motivates a child to learn language by connecting words with their purposes.The child learns that words can help obtain desired objects or other results.
In Verbal Behavior Therapy, the child learns how to use language to make requests and communicate ideas rather than focusing on words as labels (car, cookie etc) To put it another way, this intervention focuses on understanding why we use words.
The therapy begins by teaching mands, or requests, as the most basic type of language. For example, the child with autism learns that saying "cookie" can produce a cookie. Immediately after the child makes such a request, the therapist reinforces the mand by repeating the word and presenting the requested item. The therapist then uses the word again in the same or similar context. The child doesn’t have to say the actual word to receive the desired item. In the beginning, he or she can signal requests by any means including pointing. This helps the child understand that communicating produces positive results. The therapist builds on this understanding to help the child shape the communication toward saying or signing the actual word.
Verbal Behavior Therapy uses “errorless learning.” The therapist provides immediate and frequent prompts to help improve the child’s communication. These prompts are faded as quickly as possible, until the child no longer needs prompting. For example- the student who wants a cookie. The therapist may hold the cookie in front of the child’s face and say “cookie,” to prompt a response from the child. Next, the therapist would hold up the cookie and make a “c” sound, to prompt the response. After that, the therapist might simply hold a cookie in the child’s line of sight and wait for the request. The ultimate goal, in this example, is for the student to say “cookie” when he or she wants a cookie – without any prompting.
Verbal behavior also capitalizes on the child’s own motivation, teaching the child to communicate for what he desires. This ability to mand may reduce problematic behavior that functioned as a means for obtaining the desired item.
DIR =Developmental-Individual Differences- Relationship, the basic elements of the developmental model pioneered by Dr. Stanley Greenspan in his seminal 1979 book Intelligence and Adaptation.
DIR is a comprehensive foundation model that utilizes affect-based interactions and experiences tailored to individual needs to promote development.
It was the first model to identify the functional emotional developmental capacities that provide the foundation for lifelong learning and relating.
D (Developmental) defines the fundamental capacities for joint attention and regulation, engagement across a wide range of emotions, two-way communication, and complex social problem solving. These in turn govern the development of symbol formation, language and intelligence.
I (Individual Differences) refers to individual differences related to sensory reactivity and regulation, visual-spatial and auditory/language processing, and purposeful movement.
R (Relationship) refers to relationships with caregivers that are the vehicle for affect-based developmentally appropriate interactions. Parents and families are central to this model because of their ongoing opportunities to support their child’s everyday functioning to carry out emotionally meaningful goals based on developmental levels. Cultural and environmental influences are also considered.
The DIR FLOORTIME therapist supports both parent and child by engaging in pleasurable, developmentally appropriate, and interaction building activities as well as strengthening the core relationship between caregiver and child to support developmental progress. The therapist typically has advanced (preferably certified) training in this model. Parents are encouraged to engage in multiple DIR Floortime model training sessions daily with their child, both formally and informally. Progress is measured in the beginning by establishing a baseline FEAS (“Functional Social-Emotional Assessment Scale”), with quarterly updates.
Join Mashenka for an introduction to the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) for children with autism or siblings at risk for autism.
Registration is required and will be on a first come first serve basis.
Free Parent Education Series
Topic: An Introduction to ESDM
Intervention for children with autism or siblings at risk for autism. ESDM has growing evidence to support its use with very young kids with autism (birth to 5 years).The workshop is designed for parents of young children with autism to provide an overview of the model and a variety of teaching strategies that can be easily embedded within normal daily routines.
To register contact:
mashenka@earlystartforautism.org
+971527550788
Early Intervention is a child’s best hope for the future as we know that brain has the ability to change. Early attention to improving the core behavioral symptoms of autism will give the child several important benefits that he or she will not gain if parents take a wait-and-see approach. A good early intervention program has at least four benefits:
For these reasons, an intervention program should be implemented as soon as possible after the child receives a diagnosis or is at risk. Much of a toddler’s learning involves social interaction, and therefore, an early intervention program that promotes attention to people and social cues will promote the normal development of brain and behavior.
However, it can be very challenging to teach young children with autism. They have a unique profile of strengths and needs and require intervention services and teaching approaches that are sensitive to these needs. Early intervention programs that are generic – rather than autism specialized – are less likely to be effective for a child with autism. Parents should keep that in mind as they begin exploring different types of early intervention programs.
