110 likes | 358 Views
Autism and Vision. Stephen G. Viola, Ph.D. University of Missouri-St. Louis One University Drive 201 EAB St. Louis, MO 63121 314-516-5332 viola@umsl.edu. Autism Spectrum Disorders. Autism Asperger’s Disorder Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Autism Definition.
E N D
Autism and Vision Stephen G. Viola, Ph.D. University of Missouri-St. Louis One University Drive 201 EAB St. Louis, MO 63121 314-516-5332 viola@umsl.edu
Autism Spectrum Disorders • Autism • Asperger’s Disorder • Pervasive Developmental Disorder
Autism Definition “Autism” means a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal or nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
Prevalence Rates 1/166 children 400% increase in 5 years 4 boys to every 1 girl
Research Shows the Following Perception Patterns in Individuals with Autism • Have higher rates of visual perception deficits. • Can perceive detail but has difficulties separating detail from the whole of the object that is being perceived. The child might be able to describe a house in the smallest detail, but not know where the house is. • Perception difficulties are more noticeable around the second half of primary school when more formal-operation thinking is required.
Research Shows the Following Perception Patterns in Individuals with Autism • In facing new situations, the child relies on verbal memories. • The concept of time is difficult for them. • Often stares due to visual overload. • Children with autism seem to have difficulty recognizing their own and other people’s emotions.
Research SupportedPedagogical-Didactical Climate • Their visual-spatial and planning weaknesses have a negative impact on their social interaction. They do not understand non-verbal reactions (signs, facial expression, body language, the pitch of someone’s voice). • Children with autism, as a consequence of their visual-spatial weakness, do not trust the visual appearances of a word, but rather its sound.
Unusual Visual Abilities • Superior on embedded-figure tasks, block design tasks, visual-discrimination tasks, and visual-search tasks. • Visual acuity is often highly variable • Intermittent strabismus rates as high as • 88%Refractive error rates as high as 44% • Pursuit deficiencies • Saccade deficiencies