Sustainable Change in Quality of Life for Individuals with ASD: Using a Comprehensive Planning Process.

TREATMENT of developmental disabilities; AUTISM spectrum disorders; AUTISM; CENTERS for Medicare & Medicaid Services (U.S.); QUALITY of life; PATIENTS; PLANNING techniques; STRATEGIC planning; CHILDHOOD disintegrative disorder; PREVENTION

The article focuses on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and how to provide a sustainable change in the quality of patients' life by using a comprehensive planning process. It looks into the reports from the National Professional Development Center on ASD, the National Autism Center and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the U.S. It discusses the concept and application of Ziggurat Model and the Comprehensive Autism Planning System (CAPS) as a tool for a comprehensive planning. It evaluates two case studies which describe how the Ziggurat Model and CAPS were used with two individuals with ASD. It also suggests that a continual development of student skills can be achieved by systematic and comprehensive integration of the tools.