Doctoral Student to Give Toilet Training Instruction for Parents of Children with Autism

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Alison Karnes

University of Arkansas doctoral student Alison Karnes says toilet training can be difficult for any child but those with disabilities may experience the most trouble. She will lead a town hall meeting March 26 on the U of A campus to offer parents of children with autism information to help them with the task.

The meeting will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, at 410 Arkansas Ave. on the U of A campus. The free meeting is sponsored by the special education program and by Project Connect, both based in the College of Education and Health Professions. Parents can arrange for child care during the meeting by emailing projconn@uark.edu or calling 479-575-3215. Space is limited for child care.

Karnes is studying applied behavior analysis. Her background in counseling psychology lead her to where she is today. She came upon the subject of applied behavior analysis when she was working with the Arkansas Autism Partnership Program, which is an early intervention program for children with autism. During this time, she started counseling and fell in love. Karnes says she truly believes that "applied behavior analysis applies to everything in the world."

The biggest problem for children with a disability such as autism lies in "knowing when they're ready," Karnes said.

Although the meeting will focus on children with autism, Karnes said that the training can be used for any child. She will instruct parents on toilet training procedures, home set-ups, and encouragement techniques.

For Karnes personally, she wants to continue to work in the field of applied behavior analysis. She said she enjoys working with the autism population and there are numerous opportunities in the field because of the prevalence of the neurological disorder.

 "Applied behavior analysis is a hot topic and I'm riding the wave," she said.

Because of the large number of employment opportunities, Karnes said, her biggest challenge will be specifying what she wants to do, but as of now she's interested in working in early intervention, teaching, and furthering the research in the field.