Melinda Kotler explains how the phonics-based, multisensory, multi-level curriculum works at the TALK Institute and School in Pennsylvania

Autism Eye 

Founded in 2002, the TALK Institute and School is the result of a group of parents’ vision, and their collective experiences as they worked their way through a variety of modalities and educational settings to help their child. They realized that something entirely novel was needed.

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Effect of Classroom Modification on Attention and Engagement of Students With Autism or Dyspraxia

American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66, 511-519 (2012)

Study reported in The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, wherein TALK was used as the clinical test site, evidences that the use of sound-absorbing walls and halogen lighting can benefit students with sensory hypersensitivity and improve their attention and engagement in the classroom.

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The TALK Institute's holistic program teaches speech, reading to autistic and speech-disabled kids

Philadelphia Autism & Parenting Examiner - Beth Kelleher 

Lack of communication skills is a frustrating aspect of ASD
One of the most difficult struggles facing parents of autism spectrum children is often a child's lack of ability to communicate consistently or at all. Verbal expression is something that many ASD kids have problems with and it can be exhausting to try to find the right set of tools to help a child on the spectrum to speak and beyond that to read.

The Association Method
One highly successful method for teaching not only ASD kids, but children with all kinds of speech-related delays and disabilities, is the Association Method, developed by Mildred McGinnis at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis. The method teaches discrete sounds and, gradually, how to put sounds together to make nouns, then sentences, corresponding questions and then paragraphs. Students learn to read and write as they are learning to speak. Cursive is used rather than print throughout the program, which provides a continuous flow for students who frequently have motor difficulties. Since many language-disordered children have reading difficulties, cursive shows words as a single unit, which makes each word easier to grasp. Children will also generalize to print 95% of the time without difficulty. The Association Method is designed to reduce or alleviate the amount of difficulty students have in decoding, organizing, associating, storing and retrieving the information they need to learn language and speak clearly and articulately.

The TALK Institute and School Program
The TALK Institute and School in Newtown Square offers a holistic program for children on the spectrum and other speech-disabled students to help them to overcome their language difficulties. The program's core curriculum is the Association Method combined with traditional speech and language therapy, intensive occupational therapy with a sensory integration focus, and a relationship-based approach to teaching and learning. The combination of these methods allows children to develop speech, reading, writing and comprehension. which helps to reduce frustration, agitation and anxiety and allows them to participate with their families and communities and to progress academically.

Admissions and What To Expect
Admission to the program is a three-step process starting with an initial 30 minute screening to determine whether or not a child has the readiness and skills to be successful with the program. The second step involves a 1.5 to 2 hour placement screening that includes Occupational Therapy, Educational and Speech testing. The third step is a week-long trial placement. The trial placement results in a detailed report with recommendations for treatment and readiness or an offer of longer-term placement.

Typically, children join the program with the goal of improving their speech, language and reading skills so that they can rejoin a mainstream setting and be successful in that environment. Placement in the program may be initiated directly by parents or may result from a recommendation by the child's home school district. Parents are welcome to visit the program.  Please call the TALK Institute and School at 610.356.5566 to schedule a visit.

Payment Options
As a licensed, academic, private school, The TALK Institute and School do not fall under the umbrella of services that are covered by MA or CHIP, however, insurance statements are provided for submission to a family's insurance provider for consideration. The school also participates in the PA Educational Improvement program which may provide scholarship assistance. Placement through the child's home school district may cover tuition.

Additional Information
Beyond its core program, the TALK Institute and School also offers outpatient services, including speech therapy, occupational therapy and TheraSuit therapy for children with neuromuscular and sensory integration difficulties.

The staff of the TALK Institute and School offer the following tips for parents to help support their children with speech and other difficulties outside of the school, or therapy setting:

• Provide the visual symbol for sounds you are teaching to help children build oral and written memory for sounds.
• Presume intellect in your child and speak to him/her at an age-appropriate level. Narrate what's going on around you and your child to help your child associate language with activities, objects, ideas and concepts. Keep a dialogue going that allows your child to engage with you to develop comprehension and communication skills.
• Find a system of communication that works for you and your child. It doesn't matter what is actually included in this system as long as it helps you to communicate with each other.
• Consider learning and using the Rapid Prompting Method™ to help your child express him or herself at a true level of comprehension beyond the apparent level of speaking ability.
• Keep lines of communication with any program or school your child attends open, to handle problems proactively and form a partnership with your child's treating therapists and school environment.
• If your child doesn't have it already, work with your child's school to get level-appropriate homework so that learning is reinforced both at school and at home.
• Consider working with your occupational therapist to develop a home-based sensory diet.
• Interpret behavior as communication.  If your child appears in distress, look for underlying medical conditions that may be masked by your child's inability to communicate such as food allergies or digestive problems that can cause pain, irritability, and agitation.
• Never allow anyone to speak about your child in front of him or her. Speech-delayed or disabled children understand far more than we might be aware. 
   

  For more information:

  • Call Melinda Kotler at the TALK Institute and School at 610.356.5566
  • Visit the TALK Institute and School Website
  • Visit the Rapid Prompting Method™ Website
  • Learn more about creating a home sensory diet

Congressman Sestak Meets with Leaders of TALK Institute and School

MEDIA, PA—On April 13, 2009, Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) met with Melinda Kotler, founded and executive director, and Louise Saruk, co-founding parent, of the TALK Institute and School in Newtown Square, Pa., a center for the education of children with autism and language disorders. April is Autism Awareness Month, and the Congressman discussed his support for Autism treatment and education and special education provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Congressman Sestak has introduced legislation to improve the level of care provided to military children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In the last session of Congress, Congressman Sestak successfully placed an amendment into the National Defense Authorization Act that enhanced the funding and research for autism for military families, increasing it by 100 percent. This new legislation would ensure treatment which is considered medically necessary for a child with ASD will be covered by TRICARE for military families.

“Providing improved coverage for autism therapies for military families will have far reaching effects for non-military families who are currently fighting for autism insurance reform in many states across the country,” said Congressman Sestak. “We cannot allow our children with autism to be shortchanged. With access to the right, medically-necessary, evidence-based therapies like Applied Behavioral Analysis, these children can make incredible gains and reach their full potential.”

“I believe that we have an obligation to provide the same affordable, quality and accessible care that I received in the Navy to the many military and civilian children who suffer from autism every day. I hope we will set an example for state legislatures, so that autistic children benefit from the best possible care and have the ability to provide for themselves as adults.”

Congressman Sestak was also a strong advocate for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (“stimulus bill”) which provides $12.2 billion for grants for IDEA funding for special education.

The TALK Institute and School, formerly the Magnolia School, is the nation’s most progressive center for the education of children with autism and language disorders. “As teachers, therapists and researchers we are at the forefront of a new, more accurate and person-centered understanding of autism—one that presents autism as a sensory-based movement disorder profoundly affecting language, social interaction and praxis,” according to the institute. “While the scientific literature is just beginning to reflect this view, TALK has always recognized that sensory and movement difficulties are at the foundation of autism and other language disorders. As a consequence, TALK provides intensive occupational and speech therapy to support a full-day systematic, multisensory, language-based curriculum.”

WHYY features TALK Institute and School in a Sensory Processing Disorder podcast

1 in 20 children is affected by Sensory Processing Disorder - which severely impacts how they interact with people and their environment. The disorder is not yet part of the diagnostic manual of the American Psychiatric Association, but it is widely recognized by doctors and healthcare providers. A study at Temple University recently investigated the effectiveness of occupational therapy as treatment. From WHYY's Behavioral Health desk, Maiken Scott reports.

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Good Morning America Autism Series: Q and A - Magnolia Speech School Founder Answers Questions On Autism

Good Morning America Show, January 20, 2003 - In the fall of 2001, Melinda Kotler met Michael Dinda, at a meeting for parents of children with autism, and they had a conversation that would change their lives.

Together, they founded the nonprofit TALK Inc.(Teaching Autistic, Apraxic and Severely Language Disordered Children), and then opened the Magnolia Speech School Demonstration Program in Berwyn, Pa., four months ago.

The concept behind the school is that the only truly appropriate program for severely language-disordered children is one that immerses them in a full-time only instruction program that is language-based and therapeutic.

Dinda has answered some of the questions on autism that were sent to ABCNEWS.com. If you still have questions, or yours were not answered, visit www.talkinc.org, or email the school at talkinc@talkinc.org. 
 

Question: I am a public school teacher of preschool children and special needs children. I work with autistic students and would like to know how to get more information on the Magnolia School curriculum.

Also, I am curious to know if the founders of the school are familiar with the North Carolina T.E.A.C.C.H. system? This system seems to be quite well developed and successful. I would love to compare the two and exchange techniques so that we could explore the most advantageous approaches for my students. Thank you.

- Rebecca, Weaverville,N.C.

Answer: TALK's (Teaching Autistic, Apraxic and Severely Language Disordered Kids) Magnolia School Demonstration Program is affiliated with the Magnolia Speech School in Jackson, Miss., and the curriculum we use was developed by Magnolia in Jackson over the last 46 years.

It is a developmental curriculum which is very detailed and systematic, covering 11 areas: audition, receptive language, expressive language, reading, Association Method, math, science, social studies, fine motor, gross motor and interaction skills. It is copyrighted by Magnolia in Jackson. Both our programs are full day intensive speech and language programs. Our focus is on developing fluency in oral and written language.

The Association Method, developed by Mildred McGinnis, is a multi-sensory phonics-based method that teaches children to say and recognize single sounds, then to combine sounds, then nouns, simple sentences and corresponding questions and so on to complex language, always ensuring the children master and continue to practice mastered material to lessen frustration and anxiety. It is the integration of attention, retention and recall that will allow the children to develop automaticity of language.

The underlying principles of teaching systematically, incrementally and ensuring success for the child have proven with many kids to be what they needed. You can learn about professional development in the Association Method by going to our website www.talkinc.org, clicking on the Related Links button, and click on the Dubard School for Language Disorders Link. It is a method that requires a long period of mentorship and training to become proficient in and provide children with the full benefit.

Question: I have an autistic 10 year old. Is there a window of opportunity for learning this method for the children?

Would like more information on this school and how it works. Thank you 

- Ginger, Goldsboro, NC

Answer: As with all interventions with autistic and severely communication impaired children, the younger you start the child in intensive therapy, the better the outcome potential.

To participate in an Association Method program, a child needs to be classroom ready, meaning they need to be able to sit and attend in a classroom setting. Children who have been through behavioral programs usually are accustomed to this. It could be appropriate for a 10 year old, but each child needs to be evaluated to determine if this is the appropriate educational choice for him or her.

There are two books available on the Association Method. One is Teaching Language Deficient Children by Etoile DuBard and Maureen Martin and the other is the original text by Mildred McGinnis called Aphasic Children: Identification and Education by the Association Method. For more information in the Association Method go to our website www.talkinc.org.

Question: I was curious if you were accepting anymore students at your school? If so, are there any scholarships available, as we are a limited income family with no resources really available from our state to help with funding.

My son is 14 and even though I see that he has made progress at home and just with maturing he still has no verbal communication or many self help skills. With his age, I feel time is running out to reach him. I've been looking for someplace that could TRULY help him for a few years now and getting nowhere!!

Thanks for listening.
- Sherry, Rolla, Mo.

Answer: We are currently planning to expand our current two classes to three classes in the Fall of 2003. TALK's (Teaching Autistic, Apraxic and Language Disordered Kids) larger mission is to establish a first class educational center serving the comprehensive needs of severely communication impaired children in our region.

An important component of that objective is to develop a facility that can educate, mentor and develop experienced speech pathologists and special educators that are thoroughly proficient in the method. Achieving that mission is contingent upon our ability to secure funding from a variety of private and public sources.

With respect to your child, I would encourage you to seek the counsel and advice of a local family law practitioner. In this country, every child is entitled to a free, appropriate, public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In Philadelphia, the Education Law Center provides information on parents' rights. I suggest you go online and search for the organization in your state that can provide guidance and assistance in this area.

Question: What is the association method? Have you had any luck with the Pragmatic Approach by Linda Arwood? Please respond to me directly as I don't go to online chat rooms. Thank you very much. We are all in this together. 

- Kathryn, Dallas

Answer: See answer to Question # 1. I am not familiar with the Pragmatic Approach by Linda Arwood.

Question: I have worked with autistic children in the past. I am interested in working with autistic children and am looking at getting my masters in occupational therapy.

I am very interested in your school and the work you are doing. Could you please give me more information re: the Magnolia School, what your plans are, etc. I have considered starting a program for autistic children, but am uncertain as to how to do that. What are your requirements for working with a school like yours and what path would you recommend I take to pursue this type of work. Should I get a teaching credential or stay with occupational therapy? I already have a liberal studies B.A. Any information would be gratefully accepted. 

- Rebecca, Novato, CA

Answer: With your background in Occupational Therapy, I would recommend you get in touch with Jeanetta Burpee at the Jeanetta Burpee Institute. She and her staff are supervising the integration of two critical aspects of our school, our Sensory Integration / Occupational Therapy and the relationship based "Floortime" therapy based on the teachings of Stanley Greenspan. You can find the links to both the Burpee site and the Greenspan site at our website, www.talkinc.org.

I champion your efforts in this area. This is important and exciting work, and a critical component of our three-pronged approach that incorporates the Association Method curriculum, relationship based ("floortime") therapy, and occupational / sensory integration therapy. We believe true communication for an autistic or severely communication impaired child can only be achieved if you allow a child to practice continually the process of attaching affect and intent to behavior.


 

Question: My niece was just diagnosed 2 weeks ago wit Mild/Highly functioning Autism. She is only 3 years old. She is currently receiving OT and Speech Therapy. What additional therapy options are there that she can benefit from? She currently lives outside of the Annapolis MD area. What local resources are available that she can take advantage of in MD? Can we have the phone # of the Magnolia School in Berwyn? Thank You.

- Carla, Annapolis MD

Answer: When a child is first diagnosed, it is important to make sure that he/she receives intensive services. She should be evaluated by a team consisting of an experienced developmental pediatrician, speech pathologist, and occupational therapist.

Fortunately, your niece is also near Stanley Greenspan's Institute in Bethesda, MD. Their organization offers training and consultation in the relationship based "floortime" approach we practice.

Many people begin with behavioral programs to teach compliance, attention and to teach the children how to learn. If she is high functioning and doesn't need this type of program, and even if she does start a behavioral program, she should also receive intensive speech and language therapy. We haven't started a class of 3 year olds in our program yet, but we may in the future. You can contact us through www.talkinc.org for more information.
 

Question: A friend of mine has a seven-year-old autistic son. Thus far, she has been trying to home school him but has been unsuccessful in her efforts. The curriculum that you teach, is it available to the public?

Is it something you created from your experiences? Did you create it based on the studies Melinda Kotler brought back from San Francisco? There are some schools in the Los Angeles area that are available to my friend and her son but they don't have the financial resources to pursue that avenue. If I could find out how you obtained or developed your curriculum then I'm hoping we can use it as a foundation and go from there.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.
- Aimee, Fullerton, California

Answer: The Magnolia Speech School curriculum is not something your friend could do on her own. Depending on the particular language disorder of the child, it requires either a skilled speech pathologist or experienced special educator who has received extensive training and ongoing mentoring over several years before they are properly skilled and prepared to implement the program.

The principles of the Association Method are carried over throughout the day in all academic subjects. For this method to be effective, it is critical that a severely language disordered child be placed in a full day intensive Association Method program. If there are programs your friend believes would benefit her child in Los Angeles, encourage her to get legal help.

Her child is entitled to a free, appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In Philadelphia, the Education Law Center provides information on parents' rights. Go online and search for the organization in Los Angeles that can provide help for your friend. You can also check with local law schools to get help.

Question: My son, Christopher, is 5 years old and only has "maybe 5 words" and really doesn't even use the few words he has. According to "professionals" he does not have Autism. He understands everything and communicates with gestures and wonderful expressions. Can you please tell me more about the children that attend the school who are not Autistic? He has had speech therapy since age 2 years and he is enrolled in a full day special education kindergarten program. It is very frustrating to my husband and myself because no one seems to know what is wrong. Christopher is just a beautiful, happy little boy and we just want the best for him.

I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time.
- Maureen Cole, North Salem, NY

Answer: Our program is for all children with severe communication disorders. Some of our children have apraxia. This is a motor planning disorder that makes it difficult for children to produce sounds or to sequence sounds for intelligible speech. The Association Method is very effective for treating apraxia. Apraxia is a severe language and communication disorder, and therefore, it requires a full-day intensive speech and language program for speech and language to become automatic. Marilyn Agin is a developmental pediatrician in NYC who specializes in apraxia. She might be able to refer you to someone in your area for a detailed speech and language evaluation. From your email, I am not sure what the speech therapist's diagnosis is. If it does turn out to be apraxia, two great resources are the Apraxia Kids listserve and childrensapraxianet listserve.

Question: Is there anything we can do for early intervention for 2 1/2 month old baby. He has cousins who have some autistic features. Baby seldom looks at us but seems to be looking past us. There are times when he seems to be tracking OK.

- Howard, Marion, Iowa

Answer: Some early autism diagnostic tests have been developed. They won't be for a child as young as yours, but you are smart to be watching for signs, especially in light of some of the genetic tendencies you mentioned in your question.

I always advise people to start the process with their family pediatrician. Due to the incredible escalation in the rate of autism, the medical community has become more perceptive and responsive to parental concerns. I suggest you visit the Cure Autism Now Web site, www.cureautismnow.org, for more information regarding diagnosis and early detection.

If you can't locate the information on the site, email them and they will tell you how to find it. My only caution to you is that 2 1/2 months is very young, and although they are diagnosing children at increasingly younger ages, I'm not aware of anyone making a diagnosis at this tender young age.

Question: I would like to first commend you on the wonderful work you are doing both with the school and with sharing your experiences with others. I have a 2-year old with autism, and I would like to know how your family helps John in public situations.

We find it very difficult, at times, to cope when we are in restaurants, stores, parks & both with how our son, Alex, handles the situation and how other people react to us. I would appreciate any advice you could give us.

Also, are there any similar schools in the Los Angeles area that you know of? Thank you again for the incredible work you have done and have shared with us.

- Jayme Valencia, CA

Answer: I will address the second part of your question first. I am not currently aware of any schools similar to ours in the Los Angeles area. However, Melinda Kotler and I are committed to establishing a strong regional educational and training center on the East Coast that could hopefully spawn similar programs throughout the country.

I empathize with and relate to the challenges you experience in public situations and know how demanding, awkward, and frustrating those moments can be. First and foremost, my advice to you is to not retreat from the challenges of everyday life. Your family needs to continue to exist and Alex needs to be introduced to many different experiences, environments and situations in order to learn, transition, adjust and develop familiarity.

Behavioral therapy could also help your son understand your expectations of him in a public place. If you have therapists currently working with your son, you can have them incorporate outings to various locations in your community to familiarize Alex with people, places, and things in his local community.

It's also a great idea to use visual schedules because so many of our children are visually oriented and the visual picture schedule gives the child an idea of what to expect and helps with transitions from one place to another. Inevitably, public outbursts or scenes will occur and often bystanders will not understand your unique circumstances.

You will learn to formulate contingency plans in the event of such occurrences and it always helps to have an extra pair of hands whether its a spouse, family member, friendly helper, or therapist. I have learned not to let an ignorant, insensitive person's stares or comments bother me. I find that most people are very helpful and understanding.

Parents of Autistic Children Start School

Good Morning America Show, January 17, 2003 - The long journey began with 2-year-old Paul Kotler's devastating diagnosis - autism - a little-understood disorder whose victims live in a world of isolation, unable to communicate or control their body movements.

Before long, Paul's parents realized that they didn't have a way to help him within their community, or even in their state.

"We wanted a full-time speech and language program, but none existed in Pennsylvania," his mother, Melinda Kotler said.

Later, they had a stroke of luck. In the fall of 2001, Kotler met Michael Dinda at a meeting for parents of children with autism, and they had a conversation that would change their lives. Together, they founded the nonprofit TALK Inc.(Teaching Autistic, Apraxic and Severely Language Disordered Children), and then opened the Magnolia Speech School Demonstration Program in Berwyn, Pa., four months ago.

The school's philosophy is that the only truly appropriate program for severely language-disordered children is one that immerses them in language, full-time. The founders say that the communication helps them break through the children's isolation and catch sight of the spark that is inside of them.

The Part That Breaks Your Heart

Before she met Dinda, Melinda Kotler and her husband worked hard on a specialized program in their home, but slowly realized that while Paul was learning, he was not learning to speak. When he turned 6, his parents resolved to find a school that could teach him, and the location didn't matter.

"I went out and did the one-week trial placement, and he was accepted, and that was wonderful," Melinda Kotler said. "But it was very scary to think that we were going to split up the family."

Melinda and Paul Kotler moved across the country to San Francisco. At about the same time, the Dinda family learned that their son, John, had autism.

"To this day I can remember like the out-of-my-body, walking, watching me, John in his little toddler shoes and his blue and white jumpsuit, hand in hand between his mother and father walking down the hall," Michael Dinda said. "And, you know, at that moment that your life is irrevocably changed. The part that breaks your heart is you know that your son's going to have to work harder than anybody else."

First, the Dindas tried intensive home-schooling, and later they made a disastrous attempt at regular first grade. Finally Michael Dinda, a senior vice president at Fleet Bank, took a pay cut so he could focus on his son. If he couldn't find a solution out there, he would create one himself.

"John was coming home frustrated, he was regressing," Dinda recalled. "And I said, 'This is nobody's fault, Maude, but we're going to have to build a school.'" Meanwhile, the Kotlers were also at a crossroads.

"At the end of that fifth year, we decided we just could not live apart as a family anymore," Melinda Kotler said. "And I knew that Paul was far enough along in the program that if I brought him back to Pennsylvania with the idea of starting a school that I could maintain his skills at home while we were starting the school."

A Life-Changing Conversation

Kotler and Dinda met in the fall of 2001 at a meeting for parents of kids with autism, and had a conversation that would change their lives.

She had a curriculum, and he had a knack for raising money and a Rolodex full of wealthy clients. In eight short months, they raised a remarkable $250,000, recruited a highly trained staff, and on Sept. 3, 2002, opened their doors to a class of seven severely language-disordered children, most of them autistic.

"I was elated. I got there, and I looked around, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I finally have my school and I can make sure that these kids have everything they need,'" Kotler recalled.

The need extends far beyond the Philadelphia suburb where the school was founded. In fact, parents across the country have had to do the same thing: create schools for autistic children. But only the Magnolia School has a full-time curriculum teaching spoken language through the Association Method, sound by sound.

The Association Method is phonics-based, and was developed by the late Mildred McGinnis at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis over 50 years ago.

Comfortable in their Own Skin

In addition to language, the school employs something called Sensory Integration Occupational Therapy, which involves buzzing and brushing the skin's surface to interact, and applying deep pressure to calm students down.

The stimulation helps the children feel literally more comfortable in their own skin. The students also participate in "floor time," careful responsive play that teaches the children something that they don't know automatically: how to relate socially with other people.

"If the people that saw him in school last year could see him the way you guys saw him today, it's night and day," Maude Dinda said. "He's a different child. He's entirely different."

Her husband says that his son's hard work inspires him.

"You know that he's working right along with you and that you owe it to him every step of the way to support him," Michael Dinda added.

Kotler feels the same sense of dedication to her son.

"I owe that to him because he's a wonderful, delightful, loving person, and he just shouldn't have to live that way," Kotler said.

If there's a problem at the school, it is satisfying for her to be able to address it with a staff member who has the expertise, or to go out and find the expertise. The children are thriving, she said.

"Every time we see a spark that he's in there, and he wants to relate, and he wants to be a part of this family, it just makes you hungry for more," Maude Dinda said. "I think when you have children, you know, as soon as you hold them in the hospital, that you would go to the ends of the earth and back again for them if you had to, and with John we've had to. It's just as simple as that."

This is part two of a three-part Good Morning America series, "Autism: Unlocking the Mystery," reported by ABCNEWS' Dr. Tim Johnson and produced by Ami Schmitz, Morgan Zalkin and Anna Robertson.