2016 TASH Conference

Several research studies have proposed that autism is primarily a social disorder that is evident very early, often in infancy (for example, social interaction with family members and play with others), and becomes more pronounced through the early years. Social communication deficit can cause secondary delay in communication abilities and lead to behavior problems that are closely related to these delays in communication abilities (Koegel & Koegel,2006). When children cannot communicate, they may become frustrated, and maladaptive behaviors tend to appear and intensify. It is important to understand that inappropriate behaviors are maladaptive behaviors that are attempts to communicate when functional communication has failed to develop. Therefore, enhancing functional social communication skills can reduce the need of the children to rely on maladaptive behaviors and also foster their learning and engagement in school and community settings (Eikeseth, Smith, Jahr, & Eldevik, 2002). In addition to social communication deficit, many children with autism experience sensory processing difficulties that has been recently highlighted in the autism diagnosis criteria(DSM-5, 2013), under the 'restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviours' descriptors. These children might exhibit hypo or hyper sensitivity in many areas such as tactile, visual, auditory, taste, smell, body movements and positions, that can be manifested by seeking or avoiding sensory stimulation in the environment(Ashburner, Ziviani, & Rodger, 2008). Since social communication and sensory processing occur in a natural social context. It is crucial to apply intervention strategies that enhance these skills in a natural environment. Natural environment context allows children with autism to be exposed to different type of stimuli and learn how to adapt with them, which can enrich their learning and social communication in various educational and community settings. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1. Develop children's social communication skills and their engagement in school and community settings. 2. Implement Pivotal Response Treatment with children with autism in natural environment settings. 3. Identify different strategies underlying Pivotal Response Treatment 4. Incorporate Therapeutic Horseback Riding with Pivotal Response Treatment in order to enhance social communication and sensory integration of children with autism in natural inclusive setting.