Chapter Ten
Individuals With
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Defining Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Fastest growing developmental disability
Students with autism spectrum
disorders exhibit a range of cognitive
and functional skills
One of five pervasive developmental
disorders (PDD)
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Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act
Autism is a developmental disability significantly
affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and
social interaction, usually evident before age 3, that
adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Other characteristics often associated with autism are
engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped
movements, resistance to environmental change or
change in daily routines, and unusual response to
sensory experiences. The term does not apply if a
child’s educational performance is adversely affected
because a child has an emotional disturbance.
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Asperger Syndrome Characteristics
Social disorder
 Average to above average intelligence
 Ability to read at grade level (with or without
comprehension)
 Language development not significantly delayed
 Representative common characteristics:
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Social awkwardness
Difficulty understanding non-verbal social cues
Concrete and literal thinking
Restricted range of interests
Good rote memory skills
Difficulty understanding feelings of others
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– Students with ASD may have strong visual-spatial
abilities, nonverbal problem- solving skills or
exceptional auditory memories
•
Brief History of the Field
– Psychogenic theories
• Early work blamed families, particularly mothers, for the child’s
autism. The phrase “refrigerator mothers” was used for mothers who
were thought not to show their children enough affection. This
theory has been discredited but caused great stress in families who
were blamed for their child’s disability.
– Organic theories
• Research in the 1940s and 1950s showed the likelihood of biological
or hereditary factors. Incidence of seizures and association with
intellectual disability lead to biological or hereditary factors.
– Behavioral theories
• Environmental factors may contribute to autism. Alteration of the
environment may help the individual to achieve success. Applied behavior
analysis (ABA) seeks to modify students’ behavior through reinforcing select
behaviors
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• CDC's most recent surveillance data indicate
that about one in 68 children has been
identified with ASD (CDC 2015)
Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Differing statistics:
– 51,00 preschoolers were identified with autism
in 2013
– Autism spectrum disorders are five times higher
in males than in females
– 1 in every 88 pupils at age 8 identified (CDC)
– 1 in 68 children are diagnosed
– U.S. government indicates that approximately
407,000 pupils ages 6-21 were identified in the
2011-2012 school year
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Suspected Etiologies of
Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Suspected Etiologies of ASD
– No single cause
– A genetic link is suspected based on family and
twin studies
– Environmental stressors
– Brain abnormalities in the cerebellum, cerebral
cortex, and brain stem
– Neurochemical research investigating
neurotransmitters in the brain
– Vaccinations have not been scientifically linked to
ASD
•
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Characteristics of Individuals
with Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Social interaction symptoms
Communication symptoms
Repetitive and restrictive behaviors
Other characteristics
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtvP5A5OH
pU
• http://www.parents.com/videos/v/78954740/ear
ly-signs-of-autism.htm
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbVG8lYEsN
s
• http://www.interactingwithautism.com/section/t
reating/floort
• http://www.interactingwithautism.com/video/ro
bins_0007
• Characteristics of Individuals with ASD
– Social interaction symptoms
• Difficulties with nonverbal language use and interpretation, difficulty
developing peer relationships, lack of social and emotional reciprocity with
others, difficulty understanding other’s perspectives and opinions
– Communication symptoms
• Limited or lack of speech, speech often is not functional or echoes the speech
of others, deficits in conversational skills and pragmatics, lack of spontaneous
language use, rhythm of speech in abnormal
– Repetitive and restrictive behaviors
• Preoccupation with at least one interest area, inflexibility to changes in
routines, stereotypical and repetitive behaviors, attachment to inanimate
objects
– Other characteristics
• Refer to Table 10.2 for others commonly associated characteristics
•
Assessment of Individuals
with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Intellectual Assessment
– Often significant cognitive deficits
Screening and Diagnosis
– Based on behavioral symptoms
– Developmental screening
– Comprehensive evaluation
• Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2)
• Autism Diagnostic Interview—Revised (ADI-R)
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TREATMENTS
• http://www.autismsciencefoundation.org/wh
at-is-autism/autism-diagnosis/treatmentoptions
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Haw5m3
Zxvy4
Services for Young Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorders
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Early intervention services
Emphasis on communication and social
skills and safety issues
Curriculum issues
Preschool programs
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is often an
effective intervention for many young
children with autism spectrum disorders
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Transition into Adulthood
Transition planning: Questions to ask
 What does your child like to do?
 What does your child need to reach his goals?
 What about college and getting a job?
 Where will your child live?
 What about transportation?
 What about friendships and leisure activities?
 Will supports exist for your child as an adult?
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Adults with
Autism Spectrum Disorders
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Living arrangements
 Adult foster care
 Residential services
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Employment opportunities
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Family Issues
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Quest for a diagnosis
Accessing appropriate services
Family dynamics
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Issues of Diversity
According to the Autism Society of America,
ASD knows no racial, ethnic, or social
boundaries. ASD occurs in all parts of the
world, in all races and societies, and in all
types of families. As we saw earlier, no social
or psychological characteristics of parents or
families have proven to be associated with
autism spectrum disorders.
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Technology and Individuals with
Autism Spectrum Disorders
High-tech
– Augmentative or alternative communication (AAC)
– Voice output communication aids (VOCAs)
Low-tech
– Visual strategies such as the use of signs or pictures to
communicate; e.g. the picture exchange
communication system (PECS)
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Trends, Issues, and Controversies
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Multitudes of treatments that promise results
but have no scientific evidence (including:
dietary treatments, hormone injections, music
therapy, optometric training, facilitated
communication)
Lack of rigorous research into new treatments
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