UNDERSTANDING THE AREA OF SPECIAL NEEDS/DISABILITY
1. The nature of area of special needs/ disability
Autism is a lifelong condition that affects the way a person relates and communicates with others. A person with autism, generally has impairment in his or her communicative, social interactive and imaginative abilities. It is important to note that autism is not a mental condition but a brain development disorder that starts before a child is three years old.
The term Autistic Spectrum Disorder covers a wide range of conditions, including autism and Asperger syndrome that are characterized by impaired social interaction, communication difficulties and restricted, stereotypical and repetitive activities and interests. Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder that is usually diagnosed in childhood. Children and adults with this condition have a wide range of intelligence. Some (up to 75%) have learning disabilities, while others have normal or above average intelligence and intellectual capacity. Those in the latter groups are described as having high functioning autism.
People with autism have trouble functioning adequately in the following 3 aspects:
(i) Interaction i.e. difficulty with social relationships
- Appearing aloof and indifferent to other people
- Unable carry out simple instructions
- Does not maintain eye contact or smile back to others
- Delays to normal development of speech
- Responding to some sounds, but not human voices
(ii) Communication i.e difficulty with both verbal and non-verbal communication
- Not really understanding the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice
- Difficulty coping with changes to routines
- Self-injuring behavior
- Emotional outbursts with no apparent cause, or overly passive
(iii) Imagination i.e. difficulty in the development of play and imagination
- Engaging in only a limited range of play, possibly copied and pursued rigidly and repetitively like and waving, teeth grinding, rocking movements and nail biting
- Will only play with certain toys, possibly in unusual ways
- Prefers not to play with others
- Does not engage in pretend play.
2. Causes of disability (if any)
The exact cause of autism is still not known. Research suggests a genetic link. It also indicates that autism may be associated with a variety of conditions affecting brain development which occur before, during or even soon after birth.
3. The general impact of the special need or disability on a student in terms of development and learning
Early intervention is crucial for children with autism during their young age and the importance of family involvement in the intervention programmes cannot be neglected. Such intervention approaches may include elements of communication skills, social skill development, cognitive development, structured teaching methods and applied behaviour analysis, delivered by trained teachers in a consistent, comprehensive and co-ordinated manner.
Special arrangements required to be made to the learning environment of an autistic child:
- structured teaching environment where an individualized educational plan is tailored and implemented to meet each child's present needs in developing his/her optimal potential
- Small classroom size
- Teacher to pupil ratio has to be based upon the children's needs and ranges and typically ranges from 1 to 1, 1 to 2 or 1 to 3
References
Autism Association Singapore. http://www.autism-help.org/
Autism, Asperger's syndrome & related developmental disorders. http://www.autismsg.org/autism/index.html