The CAPS (The Comprehensive Autism Planning System) is a tool to help teachers and educational teams to plan and implement a student's program across the school. This includes planning for the implementation of the IEP (Individualized Education Program) and the curriculum relevant to the student. It takes the team through the process of planning out the goals/objectives to be targeted in each activity of the day, the modifications and accommodations that should be provided to support the student in each activity, the sensory supports to help the student stay engaged, and the communication and social supports that the student needs to be successful. In addition, it identifies the type of data that should be collected for each area and the reinforcers that have been chosen for use for success. As with many tools, while this system was developed for use with individuals on the autism spectrum, it can be an essential tool for any student regardless of the types of supports and needs they have. There are various forms of this system that focus on targeting specific skills for each activity and identifying the communication, sensory, and reinforcement supports that will be needed for each situation.
The instructor manual includes the following features:
For Each Chapter:
Learner Objectives - List of learner objectives as a preview of the chapter's content. The learner objectives also highlight information that readers are expected to understand and be able to explain after reading the chapter.
Chapter Summary - Overview of the main points of the chapter as a refresher prior to reviewing recommendations for in-class activities, project ideas, paper topic ideas, PowerPoint presentations, chapter tests, and the comprehensive exam.
Chapter Review Questions and Answers - Questions and accompanying answers designed to check understanding of and ability to explain the information discussed within the chapter. The review questions may also be used as a study guide when preparing for tests and/or exams that may be administered in class.
Glossary - Alphabetical listing of vocabulary terms presented in grey boldface with the book.
In-Class Activities - Suggestions for in-class activities related to the chapter.
Long- and Short-Term Project Ideas - Project ideas that range from those appropriate for assignment at the beginning of the semester and that are designed to be completed over the course of the semester, to those that are relevant to a specific chapter and should be assigned either prior to or following in-class discussion of a given chapter.
Paper Topic Ideas - Recommended topics for student papers.
Online and Support Materials:
Chapter PowerPoint Presentations - Text-based PowerPoint presentations highlighting the main points of each chapter. Instructors may add the slide design of their choice to each presentation and modify slides as they wish. PowerPoint slides are reproducible for educational purposes only.
Chapter Tests - A printable test for each chapter with an accompanying answer key. Instructors may modify these as they wish. They may be shared with students as a self-check of their knowledge and understanding of a chapter's material, as a study guide, or as an inclass test or quiz. Tests are reproducible for educational purposes in your course only.
Comprehensive Exam - A comprehensive exam with an accompanying answer key that largely consists of short-answer questions intended to evaluate students' overall understanding of context blindness as presented in the book. Instructors may modify the exam as they wish. The exam may be reproduced for educational purposes in your course only.
Henry, Shawn A.: - Shawn A. Henry is executive director at the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI), where he concentrates on developing statewide change efforts in promoting advances in the training of professionals serving students with autism and providing supports for families. He was previously the program director of training and evaluation at the Kentucky Autism Training Center, University of Louisville (KATC), where he coordinated targeted professional development throughout the state. These experiences, as well as serving as an elementary special education teacher, primarily teaching students with autism, led Shawn to develop the Comprehensive Autism Planning System (CAPS).
Smith Myles, Brenda: - Brenda Smith Myles, PhD, is a consultant with the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI), the Ziggurat Group, and the Education and Treatment Services Project for Military Dependent Children with Autism. She 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. Dr. Myles has made over 500 presentations all over the world and written more than 150 articles and books on ASD. In addition, she served as the co-chair of the National ASD Teacher Standards Committee; was on the National Institute of Mental Health's Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee's Strategic Planning Consortium; collaborated with the National Professional Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders, National Autism Center, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to identify evidence-based practices for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. 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.
