TEACCH

Treatment and education of autistic and related communication handicapped children, (TEACCH), is an evidence-based service, training, and research program for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autism spectrum disorders. Founded in 1966 by Eric Schopler at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, TEACCH provides training and services geared to helping autistic children and their families cope with the condition. With over forty years thirty years of experience of working with autistic people, TEACCH methodology continues to evolve, refining its approach. TEACCH runs conferences in North Carolina and organizes programs throughout the USA and in the UK. .

The TEACCH concept
The principles and concepts guiding the TEACCH system have been summarised as:

- Improved adaptation: through the two strategies of improving skills by means of education and of modifying the environment to accommodate deficits. - Parent collaboration: parents work with professionals as co-therapists for their children so that techniques can be continued at home. - Assessment for individualised treatment: unique educational programmes are designed for all individuals on the basis of regular assessments of abilities. - Structured teaching: it has been found that children with autism benefit more from a structured educational environment than from free approaches. - Skill enhancement: assessment identifies emerging skills and work then focuses upon these. (This approach is also applied to staff and parent training.) - Cognitive and behaviour therapy: educational procedures are guided by theories of cognition and behaviour suggesting that difficult behaviour may result from underlying problems in perception and understanding. - Generalist training: professionals in the TEACCH system are trained as generalists who understand the whole child, and do not specialise as psychologists, speech therapists etc.

(Extract from Approaches to autism: an annotated list published by The National Autistic Society, 1993 revised 2003)

Proponents of TEACCH state that it aims for a 'whole life' approach in supporting children, adolescents, and adults with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder such as Autism or Asperger syndrome, through the provision of visual information, structure and predictability. There is an emphasis on a continuum of care so where services are available, it is possible for an individual with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder to be supported from two years of age into adulthood.

TEACCH begins with a Psycho Educational Profile to assess a child's abilities before an individualized education program is developed. The main focus of TEACCH is using education to improve communication skills and autonomy. Educational programs are being revised frequently, according to the child's maturation and progress, since there are no good predictors of child evolution, and early assessment could prove misleading.

Research into TEACCH
TEACCH has been running for several decades and a range of studies indicates that it is an effective intervention for Autism, although the studies did not meet all the criteria to qualify TEACCH unreservedly as evidence based practice (Ozonoff & Cathcart, 1998) (Panerai, Ferrante, and Zingale 2002).

Concerns have been raised about the influence on intervention outcomes from staff member skills and experience (Howlin 1997) and other researchers suggested the need for more controlled, larger systematic studies conducted independently on TEACCH programs (Jordan et al 1998).