Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders

1. AutismandAutism Spectrum Disorders Dickey LaMoure Special Education

2. Autism Definition • Autism is a developmental disability that significantly affects verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally before age three, that adversely affects a child’s performance. It is one of the pervasive developmental disorders.

3. Autism Autism is a complex developmental disability. It appears during the first three years of childhood and continues throughout life.

4. Prevalence • Autism and associated behaviors are estimated to occur in as many as 2:1,000 to 6:1,000 people. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2001) • It is 4 times more prevalent in boys than girls. • It knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries. • Family income, lifestyle, and educational levels do not affect the chance it will occur.

5. Autism - Symptoms People with autism show 3 types of symptoms: • impaired social interaction • problems with verbal and nonverbal communication • unusual or severely limited activities and interests Symptoms vary in severity.

6. Impaired Social Interaction • Ignores others or does not engage in cooperative play; • Doesn’t follow directions; • Poor eye contact; • Tunes others out; seems to be in his/her own world; • May throw tantrums or display hyperactivity, or uncooperative or oppositional behavior.

7. Problems with Communication • Doesn’t converse with others; • Stereotyped receptive or idiosyncratic language; • Rarely points to an object to direct another person to look at the object; • May not respond to his/her name; • Cannot explain what he/she wants; • Delayed language skills or speech; • Seems to tune people out.

8. Unusual or Limited Activities and Interests • Preoccupied with objects, songs, commercials, etc.; shows unusual attachments to toys, or schedules (always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants); • Engages in nonfunctional routines; gets “stuck” on things and can’t move on to other things; • Odd movement patterns; • Lack of pretend play; • Prefers to play alone; not interested in other children; • Doesn’t know how to play with toys.

9. Doesn’t smile when smiled at; Resistance to environmental change; Abnormal responses to sounds, touch, and/or other sensory stimulation. Other Characteristics The term does not apply if a child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because a child has a serious emotional disturbance.

10. Early Intervention “It has been discovered that some children with autism have a dramatic response to early intensive behavioral interventions, and most are helped substantially. For example, early intervention can result in a significant increase in IQ and language ability and a decrease in support services needed later in childhood. These results stand in stark contrast to the very poor outcomes of children who do not receive early intervention.” (Autism Center, Univ. of Washington)

11. Educational Planning Educational planning for students with autism must address a wide range of skill development, including • academics • communication and language skills • social skills • self-help skills • behavioral issues • leisure skills

12. Educational Planning • Programs may include several treatment components coordinated to assist a person with autism. • One program may consist of speech therapy, social skill development and medication within a structured behavior program. • Another may include social skill development, sensory integration and dietary changes. • No one program or diet is perfect for every person with autism. It's important to try several approaches and find the ones that work best on an individual basis.

13. Educational Planning • Academic goals need to be tailored to the individual's intellectual ability and functioning level. • Some children may need help understanding social situations and developing appropriate responses. • Others may exhibit aggressive or self-injurious behavior and need assistance managing behavior.

14. Educational Planning - Curriculum Adaptations • Can the student participate in the unmodified activity? • Can the student participate in the activity with adapted materials, support, or modified expectations? • Can the student participate in this activity by working on embedded communication , motor, or social skills?

15. Educational Planning – Inclusion in the Regular Class Children whose needs are not at the severe end of the spectrum can be successfully included in the regular classroom.

16. Educational Planning – Considerations in the Regular Class • Lack of generalization of learning (every situation appears different to the child); • Lack of incidental learning (everything needs to be directly taught); • Literalness of understanding; • Difficulties becoming involved in group activities including play and games; • Possible reactions to over-stimulation.

17. Educational Planning – Considerations in the Regular Class • Realize that non-compliant behaviors may have other meanings for the child--they may be the child's only way of asking for help or attention; • Provide clear structure and a set daily routine; • Provide warning of any change of routine or activity; • Using clear, unambiguous language; avoid humor, irony, or phrases like “my feet are killing me” or “it's raining cats and dogs”.

18. Educational Planning – Considerations in the Regular Class • Repeat instructions and check understanding; • Using short sentences to ensure clarity of instructions; • Using various means of presentation (visual, physical guidance, peer modeling, etc.); • Teaching social rules/skills directly (such as turn-taking and social distance); • Minimize or remove distractions.

19. Educational Planning – Considerations in the Regular Class • Protect the pupil from teasing during free time, and provide peers with some awareness of the student’s particular needs; • Allow the pupil to avoid certain activities (such as sports and games) which s/he may not understand or like; • Explore word-processing and computer-based learning for literacy.

20. Educational Planning Parents and professionals need to work together. • Teachers should have some understanding of the child's behavior and communication skills at home; • Parents should let teachers know about their expectations as well as what techniques work at home.

21. Educational Planning • Open communication between school and home leads to better evaluation of progress; • Community goals(purchasing meals, grocery shopping) and leisure activity goals should be reinforced through work at school; • Cooperation between parents, teachers and other professionals leads to increased success for the individual with autism.

22. Other Autism Spectrum Disorders • Asperger’s Syndrome • Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder • Rhett’s Disorder

23. Asperger’s Syndrome • Characteristics similar to Autism: • Deficits in social interaction; • Unusual responses to the environment. • Characteristics different from Autism • Cognitive & communicative development are normal or near-normal in the first years of life • Verbal skills are an area of relative strength. • Idiosyncratic interests are common & may take the form of unusual or highly defined interest (e.g., whales, the weather schedules, number of signs).

24. Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS) • With PDD-NOS, some, but not all features of autism (or another identified Pervasive Developmental Disorder) are identified. • “Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified” is included in DSM-IV to include cases with marked impairment of social interaction, communication, and/or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest but full features for autism or another PDD are not met.

25. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder • A rare condition, only recently officially recognized; frequently incorrectly diagnosed; • Children develop a condition that resembles autism but only after a relatively prolonged period of normal development (usually 2 to 4 years); • Characterized by a loss of skills over time; • Differs from autism in the pattern of onset and course.

26. Rett’s Disorder (or Rett’s Syndrome) • A Pervasive Developmental Disorder often confused with autism in preschool years. • The course and onset of Rett’s is very distinctive.  • Normal development until 6-18 months of age, • Loss of acquired speech and hand skills, motor problems are quite striking; • Slowing of head growth, • Development of stereotyped repetitive hand movements;  • profound mental retardation is typical. • Occurs primarily in girls. 

27. The End For more information on mild forms of autism, see the presentation on Asperger’s Syndrome.