Autism By Arika & Michele

Autism Spectrum Disorders Asperger’s Syndrome Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)

Statistics Begins before the age of three and lasts through the person’s life 4x more likely to occur in boys than girls 1:166 affected with ASD Possibly 1:86 as of recent stats 6th most commonly classified disability in the U.S. There is no cure

Early Signs Regression in the development of language 1st year Regression in the development of language Sensitivities to touch, movement, light, and sound...worsens later 2nd year Words and phrases that were established disappear Disengage in eye contact and participation Behavior becomes rigid and inflexibile

Later Signs Unusual interests Unusual social interactions Unusual physical movements Unusual reactions to objects people and situtations Unusual speech and language Unusual abilities

Causes Complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors Certain medical conditions Immunizations

Interventions Developmental screening Early intervention Crossing the mid-line and other “brain” exercises Music therapy Sign language

How does this apply to me? THE HINDERANCES OF ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION: SOCIAL SKILLS COMMUNICATION SKILLS COGNITIVE SKILLS PHYSIOLOGICAL SKILLS AN EFFECTIVE PROGRAM WILL ASSIST FUTURE ACADEMIC LEARNING, SOCIAL INTERACTION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDENT’S SELF CONTROL AND SELF DISCIPLINE

How does this apply to me ? (cont) Asperger’s Syndrome require a mixture of the following structures to have successful achievement in the classroom Behavior is an indicator of stress and frustration! The following ideas will assist their management and are also beneficial to all students!

Social Helps Teach others to greet and how to wait turns. Have multiple lines to line up Use peers as examples to demonstrate proper social etiquette Social stories

Communicative Helps Provide a bridge between literal and imagination Clear, simple, specific instructions Be sensitive towards testing Sign language in the classroom is both helpful to an Autistic child

Cognitive Helps Cooperative and group learning instead of one-on-one help Peers should be those who participate and attend Present new concepts in a concrete manner Organizational skills develop schedules, homework assignments, Make a copy for the student

Physiological Helps Routine! Routine! Routine! Let child know of any anticipated changes as soon as possible

Other helps… Keep white board as neat as possible Visual aids Place student up front and away from distractions Be aware of “personal space” issues Teacher Resources: www.asperger.org www.aspergersyndrome.org www.teacch.com (affliation of University of North Carolina: Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children)