The Autistic Spectrum

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TheAutistic Spectrum
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What is autism?

• Autism is a lifelong developmental difference
  that affects how a person communicates with, and
  relates to other people. It also affects how they
  make sense of the world around them.
• They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome,
  childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive
  developmental disorder-not otherwise specified
  (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. With the May
  2013 publication of the new DSM-5 diagnostic
  manual, these autism subtypes will be merged into
  one umbrella diagnosis of ASD.

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• It is a spectrum condition, which means that,
  while all people with autism share certain
  difficulties, their condition will affect them in
  different ways.
• Some people with autism are able to live
  relatively independent lives but others may have
  accompanying learning differences and need a
  lifetime of specialist support.

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Triad of Impairment

• difficulty communicating or expressing their own
  emotional state.
• difficulty using the right words in the right
  situation
• taking everything that is said literally.

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What causes autism

• Scientists arent certain about what causes AS,
  but its likely that both genetics and
  environment play a role.
• Researchers have identified a number of genes
  associated with the difference
• Studies of people on the autistic spectrum have
  found irregularities in several regions of the
  brain.

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Prevalence

• Autism statistics from the U.S. Centers for
  Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify
  around 1 in 88 American children as on the autism
  spectruma ten-fold increase in prevalence in 40
  years.
• Careful research shows that this increase is only
  partly explained by improved diagnosis and
  awareness.

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• People with autism may also experience over- or
  under- sensitivity to sounds, touch, tastes,
  smells, light or colours.

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Asperger Syndrome - Clay Marzo
Just Add Water

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vHKRIRZEV4B4

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(No Transcript)
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• Both children and adults with autism also tend to
  have difficulty interpreting what others are
  thinking and feeling. Subtle social cues such as
  a smile, wave or grimace may convey little
  meaning. To a person who misses these social
  cues, a statement like Come here! may mean the
  same thing, regardless of whether the speaker is
  smiling and extending her arms for a hug or
  frowning and planting her fists on her hips.
  Without the ability to interpret gestures and
  facial expressions, the social world can seem
  bewildering.

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• Many persons with autism have similar difficulty
  seeing things from another person's perspective.
  Most five year olds understand that other people
  have different thoughts, feelings and goals than
  they have. A person with autism may lack such
  understanding. This, in turn, can interfere with
  the ability to predict or understand another
  persons actions.

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Perspective Taking

• To better understand how we take perspective in a
  group environment, Michelle Garcia Winner
  developed the The Four Steps of Perspective
  Taking to help all of us (adults and students),
  understand the process through which we share
  space effectively. Imagine you are in an elevator
  while you think of each of these four steps

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Step 1 of Perspective Taking

• When you come into my space, I have a little
  thought about you and you have a little thought
  about me.

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Step two of Perspective Taking

• I wonder why are you near me?, what is your
  purpose for being near me? Is it because you
  are just sharing the space, do you intend to talk
  to me or do you intend to harm me? I have to
  consider all these things in order to keep me
  safe around people as well as to predict what
  will happen next.

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Step 3 of Perspective Taking

• Since we have thoughts about each other, I wonder
  what you are thinking about me?

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Step 4 of Perspective Taking

• To keep you thinking about me the way I would
  like you to think about me, I monitor and
  possibly modify my behaviour to keep you thinking
  about me the way I want you to think about me.

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• These Four Steps of Perspective Taking are what
  is expected every student does across the school
  day while sitting in a classroom, on the
  playground or just hanging out. Social regulation
  is at the heart of social participation and we
  each participate socially just when we are in the
  presence of others, even when we are not talking
  to them!

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Communication

• Some mildly affected children exhibit only slight
  delays in language or even develop precocious
  language and unusually large vocabularies yet
  have difficulty sustaining a conversation. Some
  children and adults with autism tend to carry on
  monologues on a favourite subject, giving others
  little chance to comment. In other words, the
  ordinary give and take of conversation proves
  difficult. Some children with AS with superior
  language skills tend to speak like little
  professors, failing to pick up on the kid-speak
  thats common among their peers.

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Communication

• Another common difficulty is the inability to
  understand body language, tone of voice and
  expressions that arent meant to be taken
  literally. For example, even an adult with autism
  might interpret a sarcastic Oh, that's just
  great! as meaning it really is great.

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Repetitive Behaviours

• Unusual repetitive behaviours and/or a tendency
  to engage in a restricted range of activities are
  another core symptom of autism. Common repetitive
  behaviours include hand-flapping, rocking,
  jumping and twirling, arranging and rearranging
  objects, and repeating sounds, words, or phrases.
  Sometimes the repetitive behaviour is
  self-stimulating, such as wiggling fingers in
  front of the eyes.

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• There is no cure for ASDs. Therapies and
  behavioural interventions are designed to remedy
  specific symptoms and can bring about substantial
  improvement. The ideal treatment plan coordinates
  therapies and interventions that meet the
  specific needs of individual children. Most
  health care professionals agree that the earlier
  the intervention, the better.

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Inclusion

• Faculty must have an understanding of how autism
  may present itself in the individual student
  individual profile of the student
• School must be able to provide or outsource
  needed therapies if possible SALT, O/T, etc.
• Need to educate students in their understanding
  of AS and how to include and communicate with
  these individuals building bridges of
  understanding between those with AS and socially
  typical students
• When there is a will there is a way!

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References

• http//www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-a
  sperger-syndrome-an-introduction/what-is-autism.as
  px
• I am Special by Peter Vermeulen
• www.socialthinking.com Michelle Garcia Winner
• www.autismspeaks.com