The Power Cards Strategy 2.0

Autism consultants Gagnon and Myles demonstrate how to use the special interests of children and youth with autism spectrum disorder to help them learn desired behaviors and make sense of social situations, routines, and the meaning of language. In their strategy, a brief scenario is used to explain how a special interest solves a problem the student is facing, a “power” card is created summarizing the strategy, and the child carries the card as a reminder when similar situations arise. They discuss the role of special interests in the lives of these children, the foundation of the Power Card strategy and research supporting it; the strategy and its uses, along with directions for creating Power Cards; ways to integrate special interests into home and school settings to support regulation, communication, and other daily skills; and samples of how it has been used to increase academic performance. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Elisa Gagnon, MSEd, has worked with children and youth with autism and high-functioning autism spectrum disorder since 1989 as a special education teacher in a self-contained class for young students who were significantly affected by autism, which inspired her to enter the graduate program specializing in autism at the University of Kansas. In 1998, Elisa took a position at the University of Kansas as coordinator of a federal teacher training grant in order to develop a network of educators trained in autism and high-functioning autism across the state of Kansas. She had the opportunity to publish This is Asperger Syndrome, co-written with Brenda Smith Myles, as well as her best-known work, Power Cards: Using Special Interests to Motivate Children and Youth with Asperger Syndrome and Autism. She has also written numerous articles, consulted with school districts nationally, and spoken to groups across the country on characteristics of autism and effective teaching strategies. Today Elisa works as an autism spectrum disorder consultant for a suburban school district in the Kansas City area. Her proudest accomplishment has been the establishment of specialized programs in inclusive schools for students with high functioning autism as well as programs for students severely impacted by autism and behavior associated with their disability. Brenda Smith Myles, PhD, a consultant with the Ziggurat Group and AAPC President, is the recipient of the Autism Society of America's Outstanding Professional Award, the Princeton Fellowship Award, and the Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Developmental Disabilities Burton Blatt Humanitarian Award. Brenda has made over 1500 presentations all over the world and written more than 250 articles and books on ASD. In addition, she served as the co-chair of the National ASD Teacher Standards Committee; and collaborated with the National Professional Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, National Autism Center, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who identified evidenced-based practices for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Myles is also on the executive boards of several organizations, including the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research (SCORE) and ASTEP Asperger Syndrome Training and Education Program. Further, in the latest survey conducted by the University of Texas, she was acknowledged as the second most productive applied researcher in ASD in the world.