learners with autism spectrum disorders
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Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders. By: Drew Burns and Barb Marko. What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?. It's own category ever since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990) A group of developmental brain disorders, five similar conditions - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders
By: Drew Burns and Barb Marko
• It's own category ever since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1990)
• A group of developmental brain disorders, five similar conditions• collectively they are referred to as being on a "spectrum" • the term refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of
impairment, or disability, that children with ASD can have Autism Asperger Syndrome pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified
(PDD-NOS) Rett's Disorder Childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD)
(According to National Institute of Mental Health)
What is Autism Spectrum
Disorder?
Autism Spectrum Disorders Cont.
• The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has been working on modifying this definition • expects to publish a revised Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) in 2013
The Definition of ASD's
According to the DSM-V workgroupAutism- extreme social withdrawal and
impairment in communication; often includes stereotyped movements: resistance to change, and unusual responses to sensory experiences; usually manifest before age 3
Asperger Syndrome- very similar to Autism, but without significant impairments in cognition and language
Definition of ASD's Cont.
• Childhood disintegrative disorder: normal development for at least 2 and up to 10 years, followed by significant loss of skills; more prevalent in males• Pervasive developmental disorder not
otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)- persons who display behaviors typical of autism but to a lesser degree; onset later than 3 years old
Def. of ASD cont.
• Rett Syndrome- mostly affects girls; develop normally for 6-18 months before regression and autism-like symptoms begin; difficulties with coordination, movement, and speech; no specific treatment is available yet
Historical Context
• the study of autism began with two scientific papers- Kanner's and Asperger's • Kanner's Paper by Theo Kanner- In his
time, the term autistic meant "individuals who had extreme narrow range of personal relationships and restricted interactions with their environment" • reported on the cases of 11 children
from the Child Psychiatric Unit at Johns Hopkins University
Kanner's Paper cont.
These are some of the observations that he observed:
an inability to relate to others in an ordinary manner
extreme autistic aloneness that isolated the child from the outside world
apparent resistance to being picked up or held by parents
deficits in language obssevive desire for repetition and
sameness bizzare repetitive phyiscal movement
Kanner's Conclusion
• These children could be distinguished from children that had schizophrenia• 3 reasons
Schizophrenia children tended to withdraw from the world; children with autism never made a connection to begin with
Children with autism exhibited unique language patterns
o Reveral of pronounso Echolalia
They seemed to not detoriate in their functioning over time
Asperger's Paper
• Hans Asperger• reported on four cases of children in a
summer camp they preferred to play alone
• They were similar to Kanner's cases, but had notable exceptions
they had average intelligences; focused intellectual pursuits on a preoccupation in narrow areas; machinery or mathematics
Thier language was perceived as normal His work would lead to condiition being
recognized later in time
Prevalence
Prevalence cont.
• in the 1960's, the rate was at about 0.04% (1 out of 2,500)• stayed the same until the 2000 surveys • the prevalence rate increased to 1 in
333• The U.S. centers for disease control: 1
in 110 • saw a 57% increase from just 2002 to
2006• 4 times higher in boys than girls;
higher in European Americans than it is for Latinos or African Americans
Why this increase?
there are two groups/ Scientific camps• First group believes that there hasn't
been increase in the number of true cases; argue increases in three factors
a widening criteria greater awareness by the general public "Diagnostic Substitution"
• Second group believes that the first group is right but not entirely; unknown factors
Causes of ASD
• the early theories Hans Asperger and Theo Kanner:
biological, but Kanner thought there was something to say about the parents role (they were the leading cause of their child's autism; mothers especially
refrigerator moms- Bruno Bettelheim Today's theories • Scientists don't know what's wrong
with the brain, but believe the cause is neurological, and not interpersonal
Neurological Causes
• many areas of the brain are affected• a disorder of neuronal networks; not an
abnormality in one specific part of the brain • Brain cells exhibit deficient connectivity,
disrupts the cell's ability to communicate with each other• increasing head size; mostly during the
first two years of life; neurodevelopment stage• language, capacity for inference, sense
of self awareness, complex processing
Neurological Cont.
• Brain growth; possibly linked to the elevated levels of growth hormones
androgen- found in the amniotic fluid before birth
• Extreme Male Brain (EMB)• researchers are skeptical
Genetic Causes
• Hereditary link if child is diagnosed, the younger sibling
has a 15% chance of being diagnosed Monozygotic vs dizygotic family members
• Gene Mutationso more research needs to be conducted
Identification
• Diagnosis is made by a psychiatrist• established by the APA • they must meet the following criteria: • Clinically significant, persistent deficits
in social communication and interactions, as manifested by the following:• Marked deficits in nonverbal and verbal
communication used for social interaction;• Lack of social reciprocity [give and
take]
Id Cont.
o Failure to develop and maintain peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
• Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, manifested by at TWO of the following:o Stereotyped motor or verbal behaviors, or
unusual sensory behaviorso Excessive adherence to routines and
ritualized patterns of behavioro Restricted, fixated interests
Cont.
• Symptoms must be present in early childhood (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities) (APA:DSM-V Development, 2010). • Two standardized test
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised
Early signs of ASDAutism- begins at 3 years and sometimes
earlier, autistic regression Asperger syndrome- takes longer because
the symptoms don't appear as severeParents can see a difference, usually after
3 years old 6 months: no big smiles other joyful
expressions9 months: no back-and-forth sharing of
sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions
Early Signs Cont.
12 months old:o no consistent response to own nameo no babbling o no back-and-forth gestures; pointing, showing,
reaching, waving, or three pronged gaze16 months old:
o No words24 months old:
o No two-word meaningful phrases Any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age
Psychological/ Behavioral Char.
• impaired Social Interactiono deficits in social responsivenesso Asperger Syn.: They can't read social cues.
H.C.• Impaired communication
o 50% are thought to be muteo if they develop speech, they show
abnormalities volume, rate , content- pragmatics robotic echolaia- parroting what they hear
o joint attention• Repetitive behavior
o ritualistic motor behaviors
cont. • extreme fascination with objects
o upset if the environment is changedo want sameness, same routine
• impaired cognitiono difficulty coding and categorization o example of shoppingo excel at activities like puzzleso Autistic Savants- remarkable talent- playing
music,drawing, calculating,etc.o react poorly to verbal comprehension and
expressive language• Abnormal Sensory perceptions
o hypersensitivity - lights, sounds
Construct Unifying theory of
ASD's • Three theories
o Executive function working memory, self-regulation of
emotions, plan aheado central coherence
get caught up in the detailso Theory of mind
ability to know what others are thinking• intentions• feelings• beliefs • desires
Autism Speaks: Videos
http://autismspeaks.player.abacast.com/asdvideoglossary-0.1/player/autismspeaks
Educational Considerations
• No set treatmento Experimental treatment
• However educational programs should includeo Direct Instructiono Instruction in natural settingso Behavioral management
Educational Considerations:
Direct Instruction
• APA - Applied Behavior Analysis o Highly structured approach that focuses on
teaching functional skills and continuous assessment of progress
o Developed in the 1960's o Emphasizes the positive desired behaviorso Do not use punishment as a way to teach ASD
children right from wrong
• It is important to have the ASD students in a normal setting where students without ASD or a disability learn
• Keeping them in the general ed classroom with guided instruction may be better than complete isolation
Educational Considerations:
Instruction in a Natural Setting
Educational Considerations:
Behavioral Management
• Two forms of treatment of behaviora. Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
Determine: Consequences, Antecedents, and Setting Events
AKA --- A-B-C Approach --- (App)• Antecedents - tired, sick, lack of structure, too long
waiting time, not getting attention• Behavior - type and degree of aggression • Consequences - result of behavior - child punished,
ignored, what were the reactions of other studentsb. Positive Behavior Intervention and Support
(PBIS) Focuses on supporting the positive
behaviors rather than punishing the negative
Educational Considerations:
Examples of Educational
Programs• Picture Exchange Communication
System (PECS)o Use pictures to help student initiate and
maintain functional communication without being verbal
• Social Storieso Used for students who may be able to
verbally communicate but do not understand or interpret social cues
o Teachers use real life learning situations to teach students the proper way to act or react in the form of a narrative
Educational Considerations:
Examples of Educational
Programs• Pivotal Response Teaching (PRT)o Based on the assumption that some skills are
critical/pivotal for function in other areaso Emphasizes using ABA's (direct instruction)
structured approach of continuous assessment and reliance on behavior learning theory
o Four Areas1. Motivation - natural rewards of child's choosing2. Self-Management - leads to autonomy and independence from control of others3. Initiations - Asking questions, start conversations4. Responding to multiple cues - i.e. going to grab a green shirt
Assessment of Progress
1. Language Development
a. Natural language samples collected in various communicative contexts
b. Parent report via questionnaire or interviews
c. Direct assessment through structured measures
Language Development
Assessment
• MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory Second Edition (CDI-II)o Works for kids eight to thirty monthso The CDI-III works with kids up to 37 monthso Monitors progress of language development
• Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 (CELF-4)o Works for kids 5 to 21 o Measures receptive, expressive, grammatical,
and semantic skills
Assessment of Progress
Continued2. Social/Adaptive Behavior
a. Maladaptive behaviors assessedi. Sensory/perceptual approach behaviorsii. Ritualisms/resistance to changeiii.Social pragmatic problemsiv.Semantic/pragmatic problems v. Arousal regulation problems vi. Specific fearsvii.Aggressiveness
b. Adaptive behaviors assessedi. Receptive social communication abilitiesii. Expressive social communication abilities
Social/Adaptive Behavior
Assessment • Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS)
o Used for ages 4 to 18o Monitors progress in:
Social awareness, Social Information Processing, Reciprocal social communication, Social anxiety, and Avoidance
• Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP)o Used to assess social skills of children with ASD such as Social
Reciprocity, Social Participation/Avoidance, and Detrimental Social Behaviors
• Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)o Used for ages above 2 o Mainly used for screening and diagnostic purposes o Focuses on behaviors that deviate from normal development
Early Intervention
• Most programs focus on severe ASD for early intervention• No intervention
program has been proven to help overcome childrens ASD
• National Research Council (NRC) on successful programso Entry into intervention programs as soon as an
autism diagnosis has been established o Active engagement for a full day, five days a
week, for a whole year o One on one teacher-student interactions - small
group worko Parent involvemento Low student-teacher ratio (1:2)o Assessment and adjustment
• Early Intensive Behavioral Interventions (EIBI)
Transition to Adulthood
• Autism: o Majority do not live independently o Depends on level of cognitive functioningo Person-centered planning
Make own decisionso Small residential facilitieso Supported livingo Competitive and Supportive Competitive
Employment
Transition to Adulthood
• Asperger's:o Focuses on social
interaction skills Peer Connections
o Focus on the minimum survival skills needed for independence
o Misunderstood - difficulties adjusting to jobs
Success Story
• Temple Grandino Born August 29, 1947o High-functioning Autismo Diagnosed with autism at age 4 o Early interventiono American Doctor of Animal Scienceo Professor at Colorado State Universityo Advocate for Autism o Never been married "the part of other people
that has emotional relationships is not part of me”
Awareness
Clips of show Parenthood on NBChttp://movies.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70157304&trkid=3325853Season One: Pilot 17:20 and 34:00Season Two: Episode 18 35:49
Autism Speaks websitehttp://www.autismspeaks.org/
Resources • Temple Grandin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin• Textbook:
o Hallahan, Daniel P., James M. Kauffman, and Paige C. Pullen. "Chapter 9: Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders." Exceptional Learners: An Introduction to Special Education. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2012. 232-63. Print.
• Netflix • Autism Speaks http://www.autismspeaks.org