Autism Treatment

New Clinic!

2005-11-09T10:19:00.000-06:00

Hi,
Yes, way too long since I updated this! It occured to me that I needed to update my blog as I have been working with a new organization since July this year. I am working on the development of a new ABA clinic for children with autism, the Minnesota Early Autism Project, Inc. I am so excited to be working with Dr. Glen Sallows, Tamlynn Graupner and the wonderful people at the Wisconsin Early Autism Project again! Prior to moving to Minnesota, I worked at WEAP for 9 years or so, and being able to open a clinic in Minnesota with WEAP as our parent company is a great opportunity for me. Most importantly, families with children with autism will now have another choice when looking for treatment providers. Unfortuantely, many of the treatment providers in the twin cities are primarily in the cities. MEAP will serve the northwest metro area up to St. Cloud and other areas as needed.

I will post updates on the status of MEAP throughout the next few months!
Lisa

Lisa Barsness
Clinic Director
Minnesota Early Autism Project, Inc.
P.O. Box 59
Albertville, MN 55301
lbarsness@wiautism.com
763-390-0832 (office)

Updating my blog...

2004-08-28T10:33:00.000-05:00

OK, OK...I am new at this and need to update more frequently. I am going to try to add new posts every week! This is dangerous though, anyone who knows me knows that a place for me to talk about whatever I want is not safe!! Although I am sure my husband will appreciate me having an outlet-then he won't have to pretend to listen to me ramble:)

Here I am blogging when I should be working on my thesis. Imagine that. So my thesis, here is where I am at with that... my topic is reducing stereotypical behavior in children with autism. I am replicating a study by Cathleen Piazza where she compared the effects of matched versus unmatched stimuli on stereotypical behavior. "Matched" essentially meaning that it hypothetically MATCHES the same sensory need as the target behavior. I have gotten approval from the Institutional Review Board on my methods, and now comes the hard part...implementing it! I am working on coming up with good, clear, operational definitions of the stereotypical behaviors of the children participating in the study. What a big job! This has definatley given me so much respect for people who do research for a living. Anyway, this week I need to complete those definitions and meet one of the participants that I have not met yet. So, lets hope by this time next week I have completed that!!

I hope when I have finished this thesis, that I understand a little bit more about the stereotypical behavior of individuals with autism. It is one of the most difficult and complex areas to address in treatment, that's for sure.

Autism and ABA

2004-07-28T10:34:00.000-05:00

My name is Lisa Barsness. I am currently the Clinic Director of the Minnesota Early Autism Project, Inc. in MN and a graduate student in Applied Behavior Analysis at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN. This is my first blog, but I am doing this for fun and to have a chance to share and exchange resources regarding the behavioral treatment of autism. Here are a few of my favorite autism websites to get started:

Some helpful websites:

http://www.monacoassociates.com/mas/MAS.html (Mark Durand’s Motivation Assessment Scale, helpful in determining functions of disruptive behaviors)
www.polyxo.com (has some good info on interactive play strategies)
www.do2learn.com (my favorite, lots of great ideas!)
www.autismresources.com (very comprehensive list of autism resources for parents)
www.behavior.org (Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies)
www.asatonline.org (Association for Science and Autism Treatment, non-profit organization)
www.perpetualpreschool.com (great site to find project ideas, theme related activities, peer play activities)
www.autism-pdd.net (tons of information related to autism and PDD)
www.lovaas.com (Lovaas Institute for Early Intervention website)
www.autismteachingtools.com (practical tips and ideas for treatment)
www.wiautism.com (our parent company, WEAP, has a great website with links to their new research!)

Looking forward to blogging!
Lisa

Lisa M. Barsness
Minnesota Early Autism Project, Inc.
St. Cloud State University

**Please be aware that information and/or opinions contained in this blog are not necessarily those of the Minnesota Early Autism Project, Inc. but rather that of the author.