Autism
Autism is a developmental disorder that significantly affects a student’s verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction, and educational performance.
Characteristics of Autism
There are 6 characteristics of Autism: atypical language development, atypical social development, repetitive behavior, problem behavior, sensory and movement disorders and differences in intellectual functioning.
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Atypical Language Development- students with Autism can have no verbal communication all the way up to complex communication. Regardless, Autistic students tend to have limited communication skills; two language disorders that these students may have involved sounds of speech and grammar and the other involve the communication and the meaning of language.
Communication with students with Autism involves:
-focusing attention on one topic only
-using limited gestures to supplement verbal skills
-reversing pronouns (ex. You want have a snack now)
-repeating or echoing other people’s language (echolalia)
-difficulty with receptive and expressive language
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Atypical Social Development-delays in social interaction and social skills. According to the American Psychiatric Association 4 characteristics must exists (1) impaired use of non-verbal behavior; (2) lack of peer relationship; (3) failure to spontaneously share enjoyment, interests, and achievements with others; (4) lack of reciprocity. Theory of Mind is one explanation for atypical social development, in which “[people] with autism do not understand that their own beliefs, desires, and intentions may differ from those of others”(Turnbull, et al, 2010). Understanding others feelings, even when those feelings are stated are difficult. Similarly being able to decode social cues and non-verbal signals are a challenge. These challenges make it difficult making friends.
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Repetitive Behavior: Autistics students also displays repetitive behavior, which includes repeated movements and verbalizations; such as motor movement-hand flapping; persistent attention to parts of objects and strict adherence to routines. Students use these repetitive behaviors to communicate being bored or agitated or to control their levels of awareness.
Problem Behavior: There are four categories of problem behavior for students with autism; self injurious behavior, aggression, tantrums and property destruction. Two of these behaviors ( self- injurious and aggression) tend to be problematic in academic settings as well as other settings.
Self Injurious Behavior: Some students with Autism may bang their heads, bite themselves or scratch themselves. Sometimes these self injuries are permanent and when severe students may continue these behaviors through adulthood.
Aggression: Aggressive behavior is directed at others not to self.
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Sensory and Movement Disorders-Students with Autism have frequent experiences with sensory and movement disorders related to taste/smell, tactile sensitivity, visual/auditory sensitivity and energy levels. ( Turnbull, Turnbull & Wehmeyer, 2010). Some of theses students may have over-responsiveness or under responsiveness to sensory stimuli. Students with movement disorder tend to have abnormal posture, abnormal movement in the face, head, trunk and limbs; abnormal eye movements, repeated gestures and mannerisms; and awkward gait.
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Differences in Intellectual Functioning- Autism may occur in students with all levels of intelligence t include gifted. Over 64% of students who are classified with Autism have an intellectual disability. Some people with Autism may have savant syndrome; in which the individual has extraordinary talents in areas such as calendar calculating; musical ability; mathematical skills, memorization, and mechanical abilities. (Turnbull, et al, 2010)
Causes of Autism
Historical Perspective on the Causes
In the early 1940’s the parents of children with autism used to be blamed for the disorder. They were referred to as refrigerator mothers and being cold. However, by the 1970’s, researchers found that autism is caused by brain and biochemical dysfunction that occurs before, during and after birth. Parents were not to be blamed. In 1977, the National Society for Autistic Children stated that there were no known factors in the psychological environment of a child to cause autism. Today, parents are not seen as the cause for the disorder; instead they are seen as partners working together with educators to solve their children’s problem.
Biomedical Causes
According to a study done on twins by Hyman & Towbin,2001; Pickles et al., 2000) there is a strong genetic etiology for autism. Siblings of a child with autism are ten times more likely to have autism than children without a sibling with the disorder. The only “research based results to document causation for autism lies in an environmental substance that result in a higher prevalence of autism are some medications that pregnant women might take during the early months of pregnancy”. (Turnbull et al., 2010) The National Institute of Health has sponsored an international network of research to find the cause and treatment for autism.
Inclusion Ideas
Inclusion in the general education classroom is important for students with Autism as well as any other disability. One strategy to help these students is to incorporate mnemonic strategies. Mnemonic strategies are helpful in helping students to learn and retain information.
Keyword strategy: Using keywords to teach students to link a keyword to a new word or concept to help them remember the new information. In this case, a keyword would be another word that sounds like the word or concept in question and can be easily pictured.
Pegword: The peg word strategy help students to remember numbered or ordered information by linking words that rhyme with numbers.
Letter strategy: The use of acronyms or a string of letters to help students remember a list of words or concepts. For example; POV- privately owned vehicle is an acronym that helps to recall the meaning of the term in questions.
School wide positive behavior support ( SWPBS) is a systems-level and evidence based method for improving valued social and learning outcomes for all students, not just those with autism. It is a proactive, problem-solving-oriented, and data-based; it elicits appropriate behavior and contributes to academic, social and communication outcomes throughout a school building. It rearranges school environment to discourage students from engaging in problem behaviors
Autism Support
Disability and Behavioral Health Services/CSS
Docking State Office Building
915 SW Harrison St. 9th Floor East
Topeka, KS 66612
Phone (785) 296-3561
Fax 785-296-0557 (Fax)
Autism Program Manager:
Pamela Keller
Autism Society of the Heartland
PO Box 860984
Shawnee, Kansas 66286-0984
(913) 706-0042
https://www.asaheartland.org