Understanding Autism
April is Autism Awareness Month
Rey Vera
I am first and foremost a person
• I have Autism, I am not primarily Autistic.
• People first language
Background
• The CDC defines Autism Spectrum Disorders
(ASDs) as a group of developmental disabilities
defined by significant impairments in social
interaction and communication and the presence of
unusual behaviors and interests. Many people with
ASDs also have unusual ways of learning, paying
attention, or reacting to different sensations. The
thinking and learning abilities of people with ASDs
can vary – from gifted to severely challenged. ASD
begins before the age of 3 and lasts throughout a
person's life. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and
socioeconomic groups and is four times more likely
to occur in boys than girls.
Background
• ASD’s include:
▫ Autistic disorder
▫ Pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise
specified-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)
including atypical autism)
▫ Asperger’s Syndrome
▫ Rett Syndrome
▫ Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)
Autistic Disorder
• A complex neurobiological disorder that
typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime.
Autism impairs a person's ability to
communicate and relate to others. It is also
associated with rigid routines and repetitive
behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects
or following very specific routines. Symptoms
can range from very mild to quite severe.
Asperger’s Syndrome
• A developmental disorder on the autism
spectrum defined by impairments in
communication and social development, and by
narrow interests and repetitive behaviors. Unlike
individuals with typical autism, individuals with
Asperger's Syndrome have no significant delay
in language or cognitive development.
Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not
Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)
• PDD; A group of disorders characterized by delays in the
development of socialization and communication skills.
Symptoms may include problems with using and
understanding language; difficulty relating to people,
objects, and events; unusual play with toys and other
objects; difficulty with changes in routine or familiar
surroundings; and repetitive body movements or
behavior patterns. Autism is the most characteristic and
best studied PDD; other types include Asperger's
Syndrome (AS), Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
(CDD), Rett's Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental
Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
Rett Syndrome
• is a childhood neurodevelopmental disorder
characterized by normal early development
followed by loss of purposeful use of the hands,
distinctive hand movements, slowed brain and
head growth, gait abnormalities, seizures, and
mental retardation. It affects females almost
exclusively. Individuals with Rett Syndrome
often exhibit autistic-like behaviors.
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
(CDD)
• A fairly rare condition occurring in 3 to 4 year
olds who, having developed normally until age 2,
experience a marked deterioration in
intellectual, social, and language functioning.
Children with CDD come to resemble children
with autism, but only after a relatively prolonged
period of normal development.
A child or adult with an ASD might:
• not play “pretend” games (pretend to “feed” a doll)
• not point at objects to show interest (point at an airplane
flying over)
• not look at objects when another person points at them
• have trouble relating to others or not have an interest in
other people at all
• avoid eye contact and want to be alone
• have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or
talking about their own feelings
• prefer not to be held or cuddled or might cuddle only
when they want to
• appear to be unaware when other people talk to them
but respond to other sounds
A child or adult with an ASD might:
• be very interested in people, but not know how to talk,
play, or relate to them
• repeat or echo words or phrases said to them, or repeat
words or phrases in place of normal language (echolalia)
• have trouble expressing their needs using typical words
or motions
• repeat actions over and over again
• have trouble adapting when a routine changes
• have unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste,
look, feel, or sound
• lose skills they once had (for instance, stop saying words
they were using)
Autism Rates in Maryland
• In an average week 1429 babies are born in MD, 8.6
will be diagnosed with Autism.
• In MD, children with Autism are increasing by 18%
a year.
• There are 7510 students with Autism in MD schools.
• In Baltimore County 1 of every 98 kids has Autism.
• In Baltimore City 1 of every 187 kids has Autism.
• Information from Baltimore - Chesapeake Chapter
Autism Society of America
Part 2-Education & ASD
• Intensive intervention can have such a huge
impact on the symptoms of the disorder, it
makes the quality of the intervention for
children with autism of the utmost importance.
• ASDs are unique when compared to other
developmental disorders in that early
intervention= reduction in deficits.
History of Education & ASD
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) (20 USCS 1400 et seq.) requires states to
provide children with disabilities with a "free
appropriate public education," which is defined
in 20 USCS 1401(a)(18) as special education
and related services that
• (1) have been provided at public expense, under
public supervision and direction, and without
charge;
History of Education & ASD
• (2) meet the standards of the state educational
agency;
• (3) include an appropriate preschool,
elementary, or secondary school education in the
state involved; and
• (4) are provided in conformity with an
individualized education program (IEP).
F.A.P.E.
• Specifically designed instruction, at no cost to
parents and guardians, to meet the unique needs
of a child with a disability.
• What is the definition of appropriate?
▫ Suitable for the occasion or circumstances.
▫ This is a big grey area that often leads to
discrepancies between parents and school districts
F.A.P.E
• BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE HENDRICK
HUDSON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT v. ROWLEY
• IDEA provides reasonable services that enable a student
to receive educational benefit.
• Student was provided with services that enabled her to
receive such benefits under the law.
• Rowley gave parameters regarding “appropriate” as not
being the absolute best/ most expensive.
• Families are not satisfied with the programming their
child with Autism is receiving.
• Parents and LSS’ have different viewpoints about what
FAPE is.
F.A.P.E and Education of Students with
ASD
• F.A.P.E has lead many public schools to develop
special education programming that focuses on
the education of students with ASD.
• Local special education school programs allow
school districts to keep their students in district
rather than pay tuition to a school that
specializes in the education of students with
ASD.
FAPE and Education of Students with
ASD
• Issues can range from:
• Reimbursement costs of speech/language
and occupational therapy services
• Continuation of services from IFSP to IEP
• Funding of private (or non public) schools vs.
leaving a student in a public school
• Districts failing to implement an IEP
• More services
21
Common Types of Treatments
• Discrete Trial Therapy (DTT)
• TEACCH
• Picture Exchange Communication System
(PECS)
• Floor Time
Lovaas Therapy(UCLA, Dr. Ivar
Lovaas)
• Follows principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) and uses child
specific reinforcement to increase the likelihood of student success.
•Follows 1:1 (teacher:student) instruction format. (most often beginning in the
home with early intervention).
•Skills are taught using discrete trial techniques paired with positive
reinforcement. Once the skills are mastered, they are generalized to other
settings.
•Very formalized
•Individualized for each student according to the student’s needs. Uses
prompting, fading and shaping procedures.
T.E.A.C.C.H. (UNC Chapel Hill)
“Treatment and Education of Autistic and related
Communication Handicapped Children”
•The main objective of TEACCH is to enable students to function as
“meaningfully and as independently” as possible in the community.
•Format is often one teacher leading more than one student, but it can be 1:1
(teacher: student) structure depending on the independence level of the
students).
•Skills are taught through the use of personal schedules, small group
instruction and work systems, all of which are designed to improve visual
clarity and organization for the student.
•Individualized for each student according to the students needs.
•Uses structure , routines, and organization to teach skills.
Picture Exchange Communication
System (PECS)
• Uses aided symbols (illustrations or
photographs) to teach a student to exchange for
a desired item or activity
• Once the person can initiate the exchange with a
wide variety of people and settings, the system is
expanded to teach additional communicative
functions such as labeling and information
gathering.
• 6 Phases of PECS
Floor time (Stanley Greenspan)
• Follows the child’s lead with toys and activities.
• Adults are persistent in the pursuit of joint
attention.
• Treats behaviors as intentional and purposeful.
• Help the child do what they want to do.
• Adults position themselves in front of children.
• Join in perseverative play.
• Expand, expand, expand – keep activity going,
play dumb, do wrong moves.
Part 3- Education, Administration &
ASD
• As an administrator or supervisor what
components would you look for in a typical
classroom?
• What components would you look for in a
special education classroom?
• What components would you look for in a self
contained special education classroom?
• Video
Reflection
• Many students with Autism have difficulties
understanding verbal direction and verbal
language in general.
• Too much ineffective prompting can make
students feel the same way as the person in this
game.
• These are points an administrator needs to be
aware of when they have a classroom with
students with autism.
Sources
• CDC
• http://www.bcc-asa.org
• Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You
Knew by Ellen Ntbohm