PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (PDD)

1. PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (PDD) MRS. IRIS POOLER, MS SPECIAL EDUCATION

2. PDD: refers to a group of five disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. • Rett Syndrome: • A neurodevelopmental disorder of the grey matter of the brain that affects girls almost exclusively • Childhood Disintegrated Disorder (CDD): • also known as Heller's syndrome and disintegrative psychosis, is a rare condition characterized by late onset (>3 years of age) of developmental delays in language, social interaction, and motor skills. • PDD-NOS : Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Atypical personality development not otherwise specified (Atypical Autism most common) • PDD-NOS is often referred to as atypical autism. It lies in between the less severe Asperger’s Syndrome and more severe, typical Autism on the Autism Spectrum. • Autism-Best Known • A disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior • Asperger • An Autism Spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

3. Autism: • Three types of disabilities • Rigidity of thought and behavior • Limited imagination or imaginative play • Ritualistic actions • Focus on minor details (Part of a toy rather than the whole thing) • Limited verbal and non-verbal communication • Lack of true two-way conversational skills • Failure to understand the emotions, gestures, or ideas of others and an over-literalness in interpreting what is said • Difficulty with social relationships • Appearance of aloofness or indifference • Inappropriate or repetitive style of approach if contact is initiated • 1943, Leo Kanner • Documented Autism Disorder through his observations of eleven children with developmental disorders • Children displayed • Marked solitariness • Inability to relate to others • Obsessive desire for sameness • Intense insistence upon repetitive activities • Poor language development

5. Diagnosis Points of Autism • Abnormal perceptual experience (hearing, tactile and vision) • Failure to develop speech beyond a very limited level • Distortion of movement • Learning difficulties, but some islets of particular skills or abilities or knowledge • Sustained impairment of interpersonal relationships • Unawareness of personal identity • Pre-occupation with particular objects • Striving to maintain sameness • Acute anxiety produced by change

6. Asperger Syndrome • Hans Asperger 1944 • Less severe form of Autism within the spectrum • Characteristics • Marked and sustained impairment in social interaction • Restrictive patterns of behavior and activities • Strong preference for routines • Avoidance of change • Motor delays or clumsiness • Adequate expressive language • Cognitive scores falling in the average or above average ranges • Rarely experience additional learning difficulties

7. PREVALENCE1 IN 110 LIVE BIRTHS

8. Challenges of Students with Autism in Inclusive Settings • Absence or delay of speech and language • Difficulty relating to peers and adults • Odd behaviors • Self-stimulation, spinning, rocking, hand flapping, etc. • Inappropriate laughter or tantrums for no apparent reason • Inappropriate attachment to objects • Repetitive odd play for extended periods of time. Example stacking blocks for a half hour at a time • Insistence on routine and sameness • Difficulty dealing with interruption of routine schedule and change • Possible self injurious behavior or aggressive behavior toward others • Sensory Challenges • Hyper (over) or Hypo (under) sensitivity of the five senses • Abnormal responses to the senses • A lack of response to pain or an overreaction to something minor such as door closing

9. Strategies • Assign individual roles for group work. • Assign a peer buddy. • Model strategies. • Set up a routine and procedure for homework and long-term assignments, and tests in a daily day planner. • Laminate daily schedules and place on the student's desk or in the front of a binder. • List tasks or work assignments to be completed during the day. • Create a color-coding system for pocket folders or binders in each subject area. • Make it a rule that all students keep their school supplies in a pencil case.

10. Strategies • Use consistent classroom routines. • Give visual instructions, rules and use visual classroom schedules. • Watch for signs of high anxiety or difficulties a student may be having with sensory and emotional overload, and other signs of stress. • Understand the need for transition time and plan for it. Set up and practice transition activities for students to do when finished with their assigned tasks. • Structure the layout of the room.

11. A Walk Through the Neighborhood A typical individual has no problem walking down the street with a friend, having a conversation, hearing the sounds of the neighborhood , smelling the blooming spring flowers, and maybe chewing gum all at the same time. For an individual with autism, who has a dysfunctional sensory system, this typical experience may be completely overwhelming. The individual may be completely oblivious to the sounds of the neighborhood such as an ambulance screaming by, or may be totally overpowered by the smell of blooming flowers. The sun shining through the trees may be such an intense experience, it may inhibit the individual from being able to concentrate on walking down the sidewalk. Thus this inability to mesh the senses appropriately may profoundly impact someone’s ability to “act and communicate in a “normal” fashion.

12. Conclusion Work Hard! Demand That Others Work Hard! Learn, and Educate Yourself!!