Autism Spectrum Disorders

1. Autism Spectrum Disorders Angela Freniere Dori-Ann Delatizky Keryn Sullivan Tonique Clay

2. What it is like to walk down a street when you have autism or an ASD • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plPNhooUUuc

3. What is Autism? • “Autism is a neurobehavioral syndrome marked by qualitative impairments of social interaction and communication, and by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped pattern of behavior” (Heward, 2009, p.257)

4. Autism According to the DSM-IV • What used to be pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) is now more commonly referred to as autism spectrum disorders (ASD) • Autistic disorder • Asperger Syndrome • Rett Syndrome • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder • Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

5. Rett Syndrome • Neurological condition that begins between 5 and 30 months but had a normal early infancy • Physical elements: head growth slows, purposeful use of the hands is replaced with stereotypic hand movements, unsteady and awkward walk • Impairments in language and cognitive abilities • Seizures are common • Mostly affects girls • Although it is on the ASD continuum, Rett syndrome is considered to be a distinct neurological condition. (Heward, 2009, p.260)

6. Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD) • Does not begin until after age 2 and sometimes not until the child is 10 years old • Shares behavioral characteristics with autistic disorder • Medical complications are common, and the prognosis for significant improvement is usually very poor. (Heward, 2009, p.261)

7. Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) • Children who meet some, but not all, of the qualitative or quantitative criteria for autistic disorder are often diagnosed as having PDD-NOS. • Children with PDD-NOS have significant social impairments with difficulty in communication or restricted interests. • Boundaries are not well defined for PDD-NOS, thus children may be misdiagnosed. (Heward, 2009, p.261)

8. Focus Question #1- • How are the two major subtypes of autism spectrum disorders—autistic disorder and asperger syndrome—defined and differentiated from one another?

9. Autistic Disorder • Defining features that occur during the first three years: • Impaired social interaction (lack of social or emotional reciprocity) (Heward, 2009, p.258) • Impaired communication (delay or total absence of spoken language) (Heward, 2009, p.258) • Delayed development of symbolic or imaginative play (Morris, 2008) • Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patters of behavior, interests, and activities (Heward, 2009, p.258)

10. Common Characteristics of Autistic Disorder • Difficulty relating to others • Very lonely and isolated • Resistance to being picked up or held by parents • Significant speech deficits • In some cases, very good rote memory • Early specific food preferences • Desire for repetition and sameness • Repetitive behavior such as rocking back and forth • Lack of imagination • Normal physical appearance (Heward, 2009, p.257)

11. Boy with Asperger’s • Spent 11 days on the subway • After getting in trouble at school and fearing getting yelled at at home lived on subway • Kept wrappers in backpack—potato chips, croissants, jelly rolls, bottled water • No friends, spoke softly

12. Asperger Syndrome • Mild end of autism spectrum • Inability to understand how to interact socially • No language delay • Average or above average intelligence (Heward, 2009, p. 258) • Brains process info and sensory stimuli differently than brains of neurotypical people • People with AS are extremely bright, with excellent rote memories and verbal skills, so expectations are high • Became an official diagnosis in 1994 (Asperger’s Association of NE, 2010)

13. Common Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome • Repetitive and stereotyped behavior • Intense interest in a particular subject • difficulty with fine- and/or gross-motor skills. • Trouble understanding nonverbal behaviors on such as eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures. • Need for routines • Superior rote memory, tendency to look up many related facts. • Difficulty judging personal space. • Difficulty understanding others’ feelings. • Extensive vocabulary, reading commences at an early age (hyperlexia). • Perfectionist, frustrated when asked to submit work one feels is below standard (Heward, 2009, p.259-260)

14. Differences?? • Language development • Intelligence • Social interaction- children with AS may have motivation to socialize but have trouble keeping friends (Attwood, 2003) • No clinically significant delay in age-appropriate self- help skills, adaptive behavior and curiosity about the environment for children with AS (Attwood, 2003)

15. Focus Question #7 • What features of an educational environment (a general education classroom, resource room, or special class) will enable a child with autism spectrum disorders to benefit optimally from placement in that setting?

16. General Education Classroom • Children with autism are being placed into general education classrooms more frequently for the purpose of social integration • Will not be the least restrictive environment for all students with ASD • A big argument for educating children with autism in inclusive settings is that socially competent children are an essential part for peer-mediated interventions which is one of the best-researched and most effective types of interventions for young children with autism

17. 5 Strategies to Providing Effective Education for Young Children with Autism • Teach Communication and Social Competence • Use Instructional Strategies That Maintain the Class’s Natural Flow • Teach and Provide Opportunities for Independence • Build a Classroom Community That Includes All Children • Promote Generalization and Maintenance of Skills

18. “Most children with severe and pervasive disabilities need a classroom that will start at their unique skill levels. The children need to learn numerous and diverse behavior changes, probably different in each of their cases, that, cumulatively, would enable each child to enter and benefit from the general curriculum. To assign children with autism who do not possess those skills to the usual public school classroom is to assign them to regression.”

19. Resource Room and Special Classes • High frequency of instructional trials • Careful planning and specification • Specific strategies for using newly learned skills to the regular classroom, the community, and at home • Continuous recording of data on each child’s performance of targeted skills • Daily review of data to help make curricular and instructional decisions

20. Stations • Take My Hand By Madison Georgi • Wrote and recorded the song about her autistic brother, Jake when she was 14 years old

21. Stations • What do you think? • What are some pros? And cons? • Which are your favorite? • How do you think they can be used in a classroom?

22. 10 Things a Child With Autism Wishes You Knew http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbeyIG7Fz8s

23. References •  Attwood, T., (2003). Is There a Difference Between Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism? Retrieved from http://www.sacramentoasis.com/docs/8-22-03/as_&_hfa.pdf • Asperger’s Association of New England, (2010). What is Asperger Syndrome? Retrieved from http://www.aane.org/about_asperger_syndrome/what_is_ asperger_syndrome.html • Cooks.com, (2011). Cooked Playdough. Retrieved from http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/ 0,199,150177-253203,00.html •  Child-Behavior-Guide.com, (2009). Free Social Story Examples. Retrieved from http://www.child-behavior-guide.com/free-social-stories.html • Hernandez, B., (2010). Autism Awareness Printables. Retrieved from http://home schooling.about.com/ od/freeprintables/ss/autismprint.htm • Heward, W.L., (2009). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. • Morris, B.K., (2008). Overview of Autism. Retrieved from http://www.autism-help.org/autism- overview.htm • Psychoparent79, (February 21st, 2010). 10 Things Every Child With Autism Wishes you Knew. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbeyIG7Fz8s • Semple, K., (November 23rd, 2009). Runaway spent 11 days in the subways. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/nyregion/24runaway.html?_r=1&pagewanted • Thomson, C., (2010). What it's like to walk down a street when you have autism or an ASD. Video. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plPNhooUUuc