Years ago, I saw a TV show on Discovery with an organization from England that transformed “typical” children into geniuses using programs close to what NACD is using. I was fascinated but frustrated because I believed that I would never have an opportunity to follow this type of program in Romania. After I registered my…
Historically, it has not been considered a “realistic” goal in the mainstream world for a child with autism to ever lose their diagnosis, let alone lose all the symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder and move completely into the non-autistic range of normal social interaction and communication. Although much recent research has documented individuals with ASD…
It is natural for parents to feel concerned about how to help their children live fulfilling lives. Parents of children with special needs have additional concerns. My son, Mark Turner, was nine days old when he became paralyzed due to complications related to a congenital heart defect. He is now 39 years of age…
A Testimonial About a Family Helping Each Child Reach Their Full Potential When our son was about four, we took him for a consultation with a well-known pediatric neurologist. Because Ben used just a few words, made little eye contact and showed little interest in other children, the diagnosis of Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise…
We are sometimes asked how NACD differs from the ABA – Applied Behavior Analysis therapy approach to individuals with Autism. In simplistic terms, the two approaches have profound philosophical differences that impact on the specific practices as well as the understanding of what needs to be changed. NACD approaches any individual as a whole person….
by Bob Doman We generally think of independence as being free of outside control. With children, and from a developmental perspective, I see it not so much as being free of outside control as gaining self-determination, autonomy, and initiative. To discover that you can affect and change what is happening and to perceive, learn, and…
by Sara Erling, NACD After being gone several weeks this summer, I had not maintained my normal fitness routine. You see, I am one of those crazy people who likes to run marathons and work out at 5 a.m. I also like food. I figure the more I work out, the less restrictive I have…
by John M. Jaquith, M. Ed. Click here to read the study (PDF) Abstract In order to see the effects of short-term memory on standardized achievement scores, this study compared the auditory and visual digit spans of 546 students (from a private school located in the Southeastern part of the United States) to their scores on…
Research Study by Brigham Young University: The Efficacy of the NACD Program Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 15 No. 1, 2002 ©NACD Click here to read the study (PDF)
Research Study by Dr. Randall (Randy) Esters, Ed.S. At a K-12 school in Rural Louisiana, the principal and staff, in collaboration with the National Association for Child Development designed a model intended to increase the cognitive processing of identified at-risk students. A second, less intense part of the program targeted the general population of students….