Professor Susan Longtin's Novel Approach to Autism

It was Autism Awareness Day when Monday Morning visited Professor Susan Longtin in her classroom as she shared her most recent research with her students. A speech pathologist in the Department of Communications Arts and Sciences, Dr. Longtin has more than thirty years of experience in the clinical and educational settings and her works have been extensively published in journals. Her novel theories and approach to autism will soon be featured in Advance magazine, a publication for speech and language pathologists.
    Professor Longtin proposes shifting the focus of the therapy from the pathologist’s office to the home.
    Previously seen as a condition that resulted from the mother-infant interaction, autism is now seen differently and neuroscientists are investigating further to include brain scans.
    Noting that this condition seems more prevalent today than previously thought, Longtin points out that there are different degrees of autism, from the highly functional types to the highly dysfunctional, each requiring a different type of treatment. But they all involve deficient social interaction and social communications skills.
    “My research concerns the possibility of helping the parents, training them to do some of the therapy, or those aspects of the therapy, that they could possibly handle,” she explains. “It’s about empowering the parents, if you will.”
    After numerous sessions with families of diverse ethnic backgrounds at their homes that were taped and transcribed in detail by some of her students, Longtin had to sort through the notes. “All information is useful,” she says – the gestures, the silences, the ticks, the interaction, and the responses from every member of the family.
    Her research helped her conclude that it is possible – and beneficial – to train parents and their children. This means that the therapy may not be just limited to the specialist’s office but can continue at home.
    “It also helps the affected child’s siblings, because they don’t know what’s really happening or how to deal with this problem.”
     A graduate of Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center PhD, Professor Longtin is a believer and beneficiary of public education. “I am a CUNY product through and through,” she says with pride.