Introduction to Research Topic

The subject that I have chosen to focus on for the research component of this class is "Managing Autism in Early Childhood Settings". The three subtopics that I have chosen are:

• Behavior Techniques that Work in Young Children with Autism
• Appropriate Developmental Strategies for Working with Autistic Children in Various Settings/Learning Areas
• Working with Families of the Young Autistic Child

Professionally I chose this subject because it is one that seems to be on the rise within the early childhood atmosphere. So in other words, it's very relevant. Personally, I chose this field because as a teacher it's very hard sometimes to find out what it is that most children with autism require. We have no special training for autism, so it's almost like a game of finding out which 'answer sticks or works' for each particular child. Most children with special needs are required to spend most of their days in a regular education classroom. So generally, there is no way around either being trained professionally, or conducting our own research to help ourselves in the classroom as well as the autistic child! As my picture at the top shows......It's all about fitting the pieces of the puzzle to the appropriate spaces. With this research, hopefully I will be able to do that within the classroom! :)