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What is Autism ?

What is Autism ?. Gabe Hatfield ASD Specialist MCESA. What is Autism?. Life long neurodevelopmental disability characterized by difficulty in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication. Repetitive behaviors. What is Autism?. Most obvious signs emerge between 2-3 years old.

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What is Autism ?

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  1. WhatisAutism? Gabe Hatfield ASD Specialist MCESA

  2. What is Autism? • Life long neurodevelopmental disability characterized by difficulty in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication. • Repetitive behaviors

  3. What is Autism? • Most obvious signs emerge between 2-3 years old. • Early intervention is critical

  4. Social Challenges • Typically developing infants are social by nature • 8-10 month olds with autism – not responding to name, delayed babbling, reduced interest in people • Toddlers – difficulty with social games, do not imitate

  5. Communication Difficulties • Delayed in babbling, speaking, and gesturing (pointing) • May use speech in unusual ways • Difficulty understanding non-verbal body language, tone of voice

  6. Repetitive Behaviors • Hand-flapping, rocking, jumping, twirling, arranging and rearranging objects, repeating sounds, words, phrases • Can be see as the way many children with autism play with toys • Special interest

  7. Prevalence of Autism • 4-5 times more common among boys than girls • Autism Speaks: • 1:42 boys • and 1:189 girls

  8. Causes of Autism • No one cause, just as no one type of autism • Past 5 years – identified rare gene changes associated with ASD • Combination of ASD risk genes and environmental factors

  9. Pruning

  10. Studies • Yawning Study • object vs. person – parts of the brain

  11. Cognitive Differences • Cognitive development typically ranges from average to very superior IQ. • Difficulties may include: • Difficulty shifting attention • Difficulty processing two cognitive tasks simultaneously • Generalizing information • Retrieving information on demand • Developing problem-specific solutions • Difficulty with sense of time

  12. Attention • Studies have suggested at least 75% of children with Aspergers also have a profile indicative of ADHD. • Difficulty with four aspects of attention: • Ability to sustain attention • Attention to relevant information • Shifting attention • Storing/encoding information • Memory Attwood, 2007

  13. Executive Functioning Elementary: Difficulty with: • Inhibition (age 8) • working memory • using new strategies Attwood, 2007

  14. Cognitive Inflexibility • Difficulty with change • Insistence on sameness • Rule-governed • Routines/rituals • Concrete thinking • Difficulty letting go of thought and ideas • Over-focus on details (weak central coherence)

  15. Theory of Mind (ToM) means the ability to recognize and understand thoughts, beliefs, desires and intentions of other people in order to make sense of their behavior and predict what they are going to do. (Atwood, The Complete Guide to Aspergers Syndrome, 2007)

  16. Theory of Mind Task • A young boy with ASD was shown a Crest Toothpaste box and asked to guess what was inside.  He guessed toothpaste.  • The box was then opened and revealed that, instead of toothpaste, there were pencils inside.  • Next, he was told that his mother was going to be invited into the room and asked what he thought that she would say was in the box.  • Unable to separate what was in his mind (based on his experience) the boy said that his mother would think there were pencils in the box.

  17. Theory of Mind Deficits • Difficulty understanding the perspective of others • Difficulty explaining own behavior (late) • Difficulty understanding emotions (I’m not sad) • Difficulty predicting the behavior or emotional state of others (You’re different from me?) • Problems inferring the intentions of others (selling) • Lack of understanding that behavior impacts how others think and feel (I am you and you are me)

  18. Theory of Mind-Perspective Taking • “Mind reading” ability is located in the orbito-frontal cortex-superior temportal sulcus-amygdala area of the brain. • Difficult to engage in lying • Difficult to engage in manipulation • Winning/losing concept difficult

  19. Early Childhood Interventions • Highly Structured Activities • Visual Schedule • Reinforcement • Free Play = Work! • Speech, OT

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