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 The year was 1989. Jeffrey Sprecher was 2 years old and diagnosed as having autism.
Among the many classic symptoms of ASD that Jeffrey presented, was an aversion to direct eye contact. Yet his father, John, noticed that his young son would stare intently into the television when certain programs or advertising commercials aired.RECOGNIZING THAT VIDEO CAN REACH. AND TEACH. Sensing opportunity, John Sprecher produced a home video "learning program" for his son with autism, concentrating on the alphabet and basic numbers. Much to the family's delight, the previously non—verbal Jeffrey responded extremely positively to his father's unique, innovative "teaching strategy" — learning to identify and speak the alphabet A to Z, and numbers 1—10, generalized to any environment, within 3 months! A breakthrough in teaching many children with autism spectrum disorder — and other visually receptive learners with developmental, cognitive and learning needs — had taken place. Though no one knew it at the time. THE WORLD TAKES NOTICE. AND REQUESTS HELP. Over the next year, Jeffrey Sprecher's development grew as his father expanded video—based teaching. From family members to animals, problem—solving lessons (shape sorting) to safety issues (fire), the young boy with autism acquired valuable skills that he otherwise would not have attained. Word spread of Jeffrey's growth and development, and his "video learning program" was shared with a number of other children with disabilities — all of whom prospered with the technique. Encouraged to publicize the breakthrough, John Sprecher at first resisted, but eventually authored an article on his "video learning program" strategy in a 1990 Autism Society of America publication. The response was phenomenal. More than 300 letters from around the world were received, and each stated the same two points: 1. My child is a visual learner, just like yours. 2. Can you produce video programs for our children? EVERY DAY IS ANOTHER DAY LEARNING. AND WITH SPECIAL KIDS, ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE. Today, more than a decade after the breakthrough, university and hospital studies have shown that John Sprecher's hunch was right — that children with autism spectrum disorder (and many other disabilities) are highly visual learners, and that video modeling can be a quality, effective teaching strategy for these audiences. From a passing observation of a 2—year—old's interest in television, SPECIAL KIDS Speech & Skill Development Resources has grown to help children with disabilities throughout the world — children with autism spectrum disorder, Down Syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, dyslexia and other developmental, cognitive and learning challenges, from more than 30 countries, in more than 500 U.S. school systems — acquire verbal, reading, writing, academic, motor, play, self—help, social and interactive skills. Whether your child is 18 months, or 18 years, today can be another day learning. And with SPECIAL KIDS helping them, anything's possible. How can we help you? |