Christine Williams Howard University Spring 2012

 A developmental disability including poor social development and rigid behavior  About 1 in 88 babies is born with an ASD  Autism spectrum disorders (aka pervasive development disorder) include autistic disorder (AD), Rett’s, Asperger’s, childhood disintegrative disorder, and PDD-not otherwise specified

 The least severe spectrum disorder  Children with PDD-NOS do not meet enough of the qualifications for any other ASD

 Lack of social reciprocity  Occurrence of echolia  Repetitive or ritualistic behavior, “stimming”  Self-injurious behavior

 Autistic disorder is identified as early as 2 or 2 ½ years old  Early diagnosis is due to the nature of the symptoms- lack of language ability, social interactions

 Delay in pointing at new objects, recognizing their own name, and looking at faces  Babies don’t make noise or babble  By sixteen months, they may not know any spoken words  Disinterest in games like “peek-a-boo”

 Crucial time for intervention!  Toddlers don’t have basic linguistic skills, can’t say two-word phrases  Repetition, echolia  Toddlers do not like to be picked up  They don’t engage in imaginative play

 Children tend to play alone, isolating themselves  Awkward, rigid personalities  Repetition  Learning numbers and the alphabet takes longer because of cognitive delays

 Increased awkwardness, anxiety around other peers  Puberty may trigger seizures in boys, more stress and anxiety in girls  Children with AD hate change, so adapting to new schools is very difficult  Continued delay in linguistic ability Inability to understand figurative language

 Early intervention is essential  Parents should screen children that show symptoms ASAP  Sensory input  Breaks during class  Sign Language  Interactive Language Board  Voice Output Communication Board