According to the recent estimate reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), 1 in 59 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One of the core characteristics of ASD is a social communication deficit (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). Young children with ASD may exhibit early difficulties in…

This brief clinical exchange article supports the use of milieu training (MT) as a communication treatment option for adults with severe intellectual disabilities (SID). It examines aspects of MT that appear well matched to the communication and other abilities of adults with SID. It also provides an argument that MT is not unlike functional…

Understanding what autism means on a personal level can be an important process for young people on the autistic spectrum, and being able to reflect on this and discuss with autistic peers can be particularly helpful. However, opportunities may be restricted by reluctance to talk about diagnosis and because of difficulties in communication…

The course the author describes here, WRTC 426: Rhetorical "Ethos" and Personal Disclosures: Explorations in Trauma Writing and Writing as Healing, asks students to explore the "writing as healing" movement in English studies and beyond in order to evaluate the efficacy of claims that writing personal narratives can heal…

Refugees almost invariably have a history of traumatic experience and significant loss. However, for some, therapy is neither a practical nor a readily available solution and for others, it may present further challenges in terms of stigma or cultural inappropriateness. On the other hand, a classroom is generally considered unthreatening and, as…

According to a number of authors, character is dead. On their view, the evidence is in, and all of our attempts to inculcate character in our students have not only failed, but are in fact destined to fail for various reasons. They base their conclusions in part on a number of experimental results that have been obtained since the 1920s,…

The provision of active treatment for people with intellectual disabilities has been seminal in the literature and in practice for a number of years. Active treatment has programmatic, financial, and legal ramifications for agencies and should be at the center of all appropriate treatment plans. The current work examines the use of psychosocial…

This paper describes the therapeutic journey of Leigh (not his real name), a nine-year-old boy who was referred for play therapy due to the death of his 15-year-old brother. The play therapy was offered through a joint project called "Playing through Loss" and run jointly between a UK university and the local branch of a national…

At the No Treatment Day School, less than 15% of students used the dormitory during the school week. Located in the heart of a reservation and serving local students, the K-12 school enrolled over 1,000 students. The site received Therapeutic Residential Model funding for the 2001-2002 school year. Initial evaluation of this site found an array of…

Humans move through difficult transitions best when guided by ceremony and ritual. The components of traditional rites of passage mirror exactly many of today's most promising psychological theories. Four components of rites of passage that comprise life transitions are discussed: letting go of an old identity, the wandering, the new identity, and…

Three models of intentional therapeutic communities for troubled youth are described: psychiatric communities, communities with a spiritual orientation, and collectives inspired by A. Makarenko. Applications of the Makarenko model with adolescents having problems of substance abuse and serious social maladjustment in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark…

An interpersonal treatment program, which has been consistently associated with positive changes in the course of hospitalization for moderate-risk inpatients, is outlined, followed by a case illustration and discussion of the treatment strategy. The importance of targeting the interpersonal environment as well as parasuicidal acts in the…

A rationale is presented for using a coping-skills training approach with college students who face important environmental demands. Two case examples of college students suffering from test anxiety illustrate the effectiveness of brief therapy approaches in teaching coping skills. (Author/CJ)

A therapy camp for bereaved children gives campers a weekend of one-on-one support to help them deal with the loss of a loved one. Psychologists lead workshops, evaluate children for need of further counseling, and assist the big-buddy volunteers. Matching people, activities that encourage sharing, and the need for flexibility and understanding…

The diagnosis and treatment of a 13-year-old female who manifested postencephalitic behavioral syndrome 9 years after an acute measles infection are described, along with the history of the case. The case illustrates that an interdisciplinary approach using a single-case experimental design can be clinically effective. (SEW)