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| Q&A with Dr. Carol Schall (originally posted April 2009) |
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 Carol Schall, Ph.D., is director of the Virginia Autism Resource Center and assistant professor of Special Education and Disability Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. A nationally known speaker, Dr. Schall is well versed in completing functional behavior assessments and using positive behavior supports to develop comprehensive plans for individuals from a person-centered approach. In addition to her speaking engagements, she provides consultations to schools, families, and community services providers who support individuals with autism or related disorders. Dr. Schall has been learning from and supporting individuals with autism for more than 25 years. |
Q: What is the one thing you would say to a parent who has just found out his or her child has autism? A: Learn all you can about how to help your child communicate and engage with other children. Work hard to create a communication/socialization rich environment everywhere for your child. Finally, keep hope! Children and youth with ASD surprise us every day and that should give the parent lots to hope for! Q: What inspired you to work with kids with autism? A: When I was in high school in the late 70's, I did my junior year paper on autism. From that moment, the prospect of working with children with ASD caught my interest. The book that started me on this path was called A Circle of Children by Mary MacCracken. Q: What do you see as the next breakthrough for autism?
There are three areas where I think we will see major breakthroughs. First, I believe that the genetic research is going to hold great promise to guide us in understanding the genesis of this disorder, and the interaction between genetics and the environment. I believe that, in this area of research, we will learn a lot about children who are vulnerable to ASDs before birth, and might lead to changes in environment.
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Don't miss these books featuring Dr. Schall:
  Learn more about Dr. Schall's work at the Virginia Autism Resource Center. |
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Second, the research related to brain difference will help us understand these individuals so much better and help us craft interventions that help their brains respond differently to the outside world. Finally, I believe the next great treatment breakthroughs will be in the area of employment supports. Individuals with ASDs represent a very large and diverse group of folks with many strengths that are largely under-used in the world of work. I believe that in the next 10 years, we will be much more able to prepare our students with ASD to work and live independently. Q: What book have you read lately that you are excited about? A: Parenting with Positive Behavior Support by Hieneman, Childs, and Sergay (2006, Paul H. Brookes). This is a very practical and accessible book for any parent who is struggling with their child's behavior. It is really a work book and I would recommend this book to any parent! Q: What is the greatest obstacle you have overcome in your work? A: Increasing everyone's awareness of the abilities that individuals with ASD have. So often, when we are teaching teachers and other service providers about children and youth with ASD, they focus on what these children and youth cannot do. My greatest challenge has been to focus on what they can do and to capitalize on those strengths for that person. Q: What is the most rewarding experience you've had in working with a child with autism? A: During my first year of teaching, I worked with students who had significant behavior problems and autism. One in particular, Joe (not his real name), hit, cried, and ran away so much that most of his and my day were spent dealing with problem behavior. In that first year, by December, I was almost ready to give up. He hit me and the other students so much that I didn't think I would ever make progress with him. Over winter break, I thought about Joe and how to reach him. When I came back to school in January, I didn't have new ideas really, but I did have renewed energy. After going back to the drawing board, I worked to make sure that communication was the first and last objective of every day. We went on frequent field trips to stores and restaurants to try to keep his motivation high and enrich his access to the things he liked in the community and out of school. By March, Joe said his first word—MmmmDonas (for McDonalds). |
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