Autism Spectrum Disorders 101:

Unraveling the Mystery

Goals for our session

►Provide information about the definition and eligibility of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

►Discuss history of disability and statistics

►Provide a brief overview of the characteristics of learners with ASD

►Provide a brief overview of instructional strategies

What’s your experience with individuals with ASD?

►Family

►School

►Friends

Describe these individuals

Jargon you will hear TODAY!

►Autism Spectrum Disorder

►Prevalence

►Communication Impairments

►Social Skills Deficits

►Repetitive Repertoire

► Sensory Issues

►Evidence Based Practices

Fact or Fiction

► ASD is curable

► ASD is caused by environmental factors

► Students with ASD must be taught by teachers endorsed in ASD

► ASD is a medical diagnosis

► Individuals with ASD prefer to be alone and dislike human contact

► Students with ASD learn skills more slowly than their peers

► Students with ASD are all alike in behavior- they all flap their hands, spin in circles, have violent outbursts, etc…

Autism Spectrum Disorders

►Covers Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, PDD-NOS. All disorders are referred to as Autism for the purposes of eligibility for special education.

►Neurological disorder that impacts communication skills, social skills, and results in behavioral differences.

Definition

► Autism spectrum disorder is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a child's ability to communicate and interact with others. It also includes restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities. These issues cause significant impairment in social, occupational and other areas of functioning.

► Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is now defined by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a single disorder that includes disorders that were previously considered separate — autism, Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/basics/definition/con-20021148

Autism

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Pervasive Developmental Disorder- NOS Asperger’s Syndrome

The Autism Spectrum

Statistics

► Center for Disease Control:

1 in 68 children

5x more prevalent in boys than girls

Boys 1 in 42

Girls 1 in 89

► CDC: The rate of Autism has increased 30% since 2012 (http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/27/health/cdc-autism/)

► Why increase in numbers:

Better diagnostic tools

Broader definition

http://vcoy.virginia.gov/DOE%20Commission%20on%20youth%20(3).pdf

Commonwealth of VA

10

162,960 students with disabilities • Many SWD Categories Decreasing • Represents 12.3% of the overall school population

http://vcoy.virginia.gov/DOE%20Commission%20on%20youth%20(3).pdf 11

Students with Disabilities

ID= Intellectual Disabilities SD= Severe Disabilities HI= Hearing Impaired SLI= Speech/Language Impairment

VI= Vision Impairment ED= Emotional Disturbance OI=Orthopedic Impairment OHI= Other Health Impairment

SLD= Specific Learning Disability DB= Deaf Blind MD= Multiple Disabilities AUT= Autism Spectrum Disorders

TBI= Traumatic Brain Injury DD= Developmental Delay

11

Autism reresents 5.2% of SWD

Upward Trend in Child Count

http://vcoy.virginia.gov/DOE%20Commission%20on%20youth%20(3).pdf

Dramatic Rise of Autism Spectrum Disorders

tp://vcoy.virginia.gov/DOE%20Commission%20on%20youth%20(3).pdf

tp://vcoy.virginia.gov/DOE%20Commission%20on%20youth%20(3).pdf

What do individuals with Autism have in common?

►Varying degrees of impairments in communication skills

►Varying degrees of social skills deficits

►Varying degrees of restrictive and repetitive behaviors that interfered with learning

►Varying degrees of sensory issues

What does it “look like”

► Difficulty communicating needs

► May demonstrate aberrant behavior

► Flat affect and flat facial expression

► Echolalia and use of odd phrases

► Intense interests in particular subjects or objects

► Appears aloof

► Poor eye contact

► Plays in repetitive, non-symbolic way

► Difficulty imitating

► Difficulty responding to other’s feelings

► Protest when environment or routine is changed

► Engages in odd rituals

Language and Communication

►Difficulty understanding and using verbal and non-verbal communication May not gesture toward objects to show shred of interest or shake head to

indicated yes/no, may not imitate others

Most communication is non-verbal-90%-facial expressions, body language, etc.

Limited understanding of body language and gesture and symbol use

► Difficulty with turn taking (listener vs. speaker)

► Limited range of topics

► Difficulty attending to voice

► Difficulty communicating needs and thoughts that may result in behavioral challenges

► Some individuals don’t develop speech

► Every student needs a functional alternative communication system

Language and Communication

►Difficulties with: Asking questions

Conversational skills

Expressing emotion

Prosody

►Prosody:

rate, rhythm, inflection, volume issues

►Trouble with comprehension

Language and Communication

►Difficulties with:

Echolalia, perseverative speech, jargon

Literal interpretations

Social Relationships

►Difficulties with: Social smile

Joint attention ►The process of sharing one’s experience of observing

an object or event, by following gaze or pointing gestures

Lack of ability to shift attention or attend to multiple stimuli

Eye contact (may appear aloof)

Peer relationships

Social Relationships

►Difficulties with:

Empathizing with others

Understanding other’s feelings

Reading and responding to social cues

Examples

“Why do I need to line up at school?”

Sometimes I need to line up when I am at school. I need to line up when I go to assembly, or lunchtime (add any other

times your child lines up at school). Sometimes I get excited when I line up, this is ok, but I must remember

that I need to walk in the line and try not to push or shout at my friends.

I must remember not to run when I am lining up. If I run I might fall

over, running can cause accidents. I must walk this will make my teacher happy and make me happy too.

Examples

Restricted and Repetitive Repertoire

of Activities ►Intense interests in particular fact based

subjects (ex. Dinosaurs, trains, etc…)

►Plays in repetitive, non-symbolic way

►Engages in odd rituals

►Students with ASD may:

Protest when environment or routine is changed

►Lack of flexibility in thinking

Sensory Issues

►Dysfunction in the processing of sensory information

►May manifest itself in reactions that reflect “hyper” sensitivity or “hypo” sensitivity or a mixed pattern (low threshold vs. high threshold)

►We all seek out sensory experiences that we crave and seek to avoid sensory experiences that are unpleasant.

►Occupational therapists are excellent resources!

Evidence Based Practices

►National Professional Development Center for Autism

Evidence based practice-

►Two high quality experimental or quasi-experimental group design studies

►Three different investigators must have conducted five high-quality single subject design studies OR

►ONE high-quality randomized or three high-quality single subject group design studies

Evidence Based Practices

► Antecedent Based Interventions

► Computer Aided Instruction

► Differential Reinforcement

► Discrete Trial Training

► Extinction

► Functional Behavior Assessment

► Functional Communication Training

► Naturalistic Interventions

► Parent Implemented Intervention

► Peer Mediated Instruction

► Picture Exchange Communication (PECS)

► Pivotal Response Training

► Prompting

► Reinforcement

► Response Interruption & Redirection

► Social Narratives

► Social Skills Groups

► Speech Generating Devices

► Structured Work Systems

► Task Analysis

► Time Delay

► Video Modeling

► Visual Supports

Examples

Examples

Examples

Examples

Autism Internet Modules

What to teach

►“The single most important skill a person with autism can learn is functional spontaneous communication.”

Joanne Cafiero, National Academy of Sciences Report: Educating Children with Autism, 2001

Temple Grandin

►“I can remember the frustration of not being able to talk. I knew what I wanted to say, but I could not get the words out, so I would just scream.”

Yup!

Questions?

Resources

►Bron Hansboro, Instructional Specialist- Low Incidence Disabilities, 780-4295, bhansboro@richmond.k12.va.us

►Holly Walker, Teacher Mentor-Low Incidence Disabilities, 780-6267, hwalker@richmond.k12.va.us

►Keri Lagow, Teacher Mentor-Low Incidence Disabilities, 780-6267