1. EDU 564 MODULE 1 (CHAPTERS 3 AND 4)

3. CHAPTER 3 ASSESSMENT AND EARLY INTERVENTION  Children with ASD show characteristics and behavior that are outside the range of typical development  Remember that in early development, skills fall within a range because those early skills all develop at a different rate depending on brain development and stimulation or experiences in the child’s environment.  25%-30% of children diagnosed with ASD had typically developing skills in their infancy and early childhood years.  Regression of obtained skills is often seen and is a red flag for parents and caregivers.

4. Characteristic signs of ASD  Delays in the development of language  Difficulty in establishing relationships  Narrow and preservative interests  Inability to share  Lack of eye contact  Inability to engage in joint attention  Lack of imaginative play  Obsession with objects  Unusual responses to sensory stimuli

5. Diagnosing Autism  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) is used when diagnosing autism spectrum disorders  In the past ASD diagnosis were more specific in delineating Asperger's, PDD-NOS, Rhett's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and Autism. Criteria included deficits in three core areas: language delays, social skills deficits, and stereotypical behaviors  The updated DSM-V now used ASD as a single category with criteria now only in two core areas: communication and social skills deficits and fixed or repetitive behaviors

6. Early Detection  First line of defense: pediatrician or doctor  Use of a developmental screener based on parent interview/report and observation during the office visit  Tools Used: CHAT (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) STAT (Screening Tool for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Toddlers and Young Children

7. Next Steps  If there are imminent concerns a more comprehensive evaluation by a multidisciplinary team would be recommended.  Professionals that may be involved based on needs presented by the child: a representative from pediatric medicine, developmental and clinical psychology, special education, speech language pathology, audiology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.

8. Information Gathered through Evaluation  Developmental History  Autism Screening Instruments  Assessment Instruments  Behavioral Assessments

9. Developmental History  Interview with the parent as they know their child best  Interview to include: a)basic information on the child/family b)developmental milestone and age reached c)medical/health history d)current level of functioning in areas like following instructions, listening, communication, etc. e)other areas of functioning such as motor and social skills

10. Autism Screening Tools  CARS(Childhood Autism Rating Scale): behavioral rating scale for children over the age of 2 consisting of 15 questions used to identify children with autism.  PEP-3 (Psychoeducational Profile, third edition) is a standardized, norm referenced developmental play based assessment. Evaluation in seven developmental domains are assessed for children 6 months to 7 years of age. Skills are compared to typical developmental expectations and strengths/deficits are used to develop appropriate programming goals for children.

11. Autism Assessment Instruments  ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview- Revised)  ABC (Autism Behavior Checklist)  ASRS (Autism Spectrum Rating Scale)

12. Behavioral Assessments  Understanding of a child’s social and behavioral strengths and weaknesses is a vital part of planning a comprehensive treatment approach  Behavior and social is often one of the biggest challenges that families face. It can isolate the family from participating in daily routines in the community.  FBA (Functional Behavior Assessment): the assumption is every behavior serves a function. Functions may include: escape/avoidance, access to tangibles, assess to social reinforcement, sensory needs. Behaviors are often triggered by setting events such as : biological setting events (hunger, thirst, fatigue), environmental setting events (noise, temperature, overcrowding), and social /interpersonal setting events (disagreements, need for socialization)  Doing a FBA can help a team place interventions in place to change challenging behaviors or reinforce desired behaviors

13. Medical vs Educational Diagnosis  Medical Diagnosis does not always equal Educational Diagnosis for special education  In the state of North Dakota, a medical diagnosis is needed to support using ASD for special education.  Please reference the uploaded ASD Criteria Guidelines taken from IDEA

14. Chapter 4 Teaming with Families  What is teaming? a)family centered approach by the professionals b)shared vision, goals, and responsibilities among team members c)use of informed, ethical practices d)systems of effective and responsive communication

15. Family Challenges: Becoming sensitive to global needs  A unique challenge to “teaming” is understanding the human part of the family dealing with ASD 24/7. Being empathic, personal and formative in your mindset in approaching the family.  Building of trust is essential when working toward a “teaming” approach. Trust is built over time by consistently addressing the needs of the family in a safe non threatening manner. Understanding that somedays best intentions are all that can be expected from a parent or caregiver.

16. Challenges that Families Face  Economic  Social  General quality of life  Resources  Parenting

17. Family Perspectives Influence Successful Program Development  The family is the first line of intervention. If a successful intervention program can be developed to incorporate the family dynamics the child will have greater success. Understanding their perspectives will help the team develop an intervention program that will be attainable or doable for the family.

18. Fostering Trust 1) Follow through 2) Be consistent 3)Be proactive 4)Be caring 5)Be open

19. Understanding the Family Needs  Social Emotional needs  Daily living needs  Health related needs  How can we as professionals take into consideration the needs as a family as a whole instead of just the point of reference when we are interacting with them?  Many models are referenced in our text. All lend themselves to fully understanding the family and building a teaming approach.

20. Understanding the Mesosystem and Microsystem of a family structure:  Best description of this is in the direct example from the text on page 105: “One can think of these two ideas in terms of home (microsystem) and school interactions (mesosystem: the interaction between home and school). Chaos or stability at home can easily be translated to school, and effective or ineffective educational programs can greatly impact life at home, which can also tend to compartmentalize thinking about these systems a convenient way of easily managing complex ideas, in terms of the ecological approach, it is nearly impossible to separate these contexts o operation from one another in terms of their overall effects on family.

21. Communication  Keeping communication open and at a manageable level that everyone agrees on is important.  Choosing a communication style should take into consideration the purpose, frequency and level of detail needed. Options of how to communicate should be kept open and changed as needed. Don’t lock into one way.