Autism Spectrum Disorder

Overview

Autism:  a brain disorder that affects the social and emotional behavior of someone. It also includes restrictive and repetitive behaviors. 

Prevalence: 1-36 people and it is more common in males than females 

ASD is... 

• a neurodevelopmental difference (different brain wiring) a natural variation 

• affects every aspect of a person's being: how they perceive, experience, interact with and interpret the world 

• a minority neurology

• lifelong

ASD is not...

• a learning disability 

• an illness or disease 

• bad behavior/willful defiance 

• bad parenting 

• affects only children

NUERODIVERGENT DIFFERENCES 

Kids with Autism tend to have a larger frontal cortex making their head larger than a typical head. Kids with Autism also experience a less reactive brain stem which leads them to stemming to help wake up their brain stem. They stem to wake up their brain, so it is important to not stop them while they are as long as it is not harming or distracting them or others. If the action is then trying to redirect them to something safer.  

some differences are.. 

• sensory input

• higher need for stimulation

• sleep disturbances

• retention of primitive reflexives

• repeated or compulsive behaviors

• lack of generalization

• difficulty in novel situations

• poor eye contact

• poor prediction skills

• attention to irrelevant details

• difficulty shifting attention

• high habit memory (good at memorizing)

• high rote motor acquisition

• poor generalization

• difficulty with higher level information processing

Spectrum 

Autism is a spectrum disorder so it can look different in everyone that has it. 

• Mild: (Level 1)

  • Requiring support  (Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments).  Previously diagnosed as Asperger’s syndrome

  • Difficulty initiating social interactions, and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful response to social overtures of others. 

  • May appear to have decreased interest in social interactions. 

  • Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty switching between activities. Problems of organization and planning hamper independence.

• Moderate: (Level 2) 

  • Requiring substantial support

  • Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place; limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others.

  • Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors appear frequently enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts. Distress and/or difficulty changing focus or action.

• Substantial: (Level 3) 

  • • Requiring very substantial support

    • Severe deficits in verbal and non-verbal behavior causing severe impairments in functioning, very limited social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others.

    • Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restrictive/repetitive behaviors markedly interfere with functioning.

    • Little or no interest in interacting with others.

Deficits in... 

social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions. 

nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.

DEVELPOMENTAL 

• Motor Imitation:  Children with ASD have difficulty with imitating.  When they do imitate they imitate exactly as they saw it and  may recreate errors

• Joint Attention: This is one of major indicators of ASD-they are unlikely to respond to another person's attempt to engage them.  When they engage eye gaze is is often not for the purpose of sharing information 

• Object Play:  Children with ASD will not use toys in the way they were intended or engage in imaginative play 

Criteria

To meet diagnostic criteria for ASD according to DSM-5, a child must have persistent deficits in each area of social communication and interaction plus at least two of four types of restricted, repetitive behaviors. 

DOS AND DON'TS IN THE CLASSROOM (for the teacher)

MN Eligibility

Support Tool: Sensory Supports Guide Sheet, Visual Schedules