1. Brain-Behavior Connections in Autism by Nancy J. Minshew & Diane L. Williams Chapter 2

2. Differences in the Brain People with autism think and perceive differently because of differences in their brains: Their size The way they function The way they’re organized

3. Two Approaches to Researching the Neurological Basis of Autism 1. Look for a single, or “core,” deficit that causes a cascade effect, resulting in the entire constellation of deficits in autism

4. Two Approaches to Researching the Neurological Basis of Autism 2. Investigate the evidence of all simultaneously occurring impairments and abilities, looking for common denominators Traditional approach of neurologists, because brain abnormalities rarely result in a single impairment Approach used by authors

5. 3 studies of individuals with HFA found these commonalities: Intact or Enhanced Abilities Attention Sensory Perception Elementary Motor Simple Memory Formal Language Rule Learning Visuospatial Processing Weaknesses Complex Motor Skills Complex Memory Complex Language Concept Formation Face Recognition

6. Results of those studies suggest: The acquisition of information in autism is in tact Information processing capacity is reduced or constrained, which in turn affects Higher-order information processing Capacity to process information when the demands of the task or situation are high

7. Results of those studies suggest: Autism doesn’t just affect the 3 domains (social skills, communication, & repetitive thoughts and behaviors), but other areas as well (e.g., motor, memory) This suggests that the basis of autism involves a mechanism that is general to the development of brain architecture

8. Reduced Information Processing Capacities When Garcia-Villamisar and Della Salla (2002) compared groups with HFA and normal controls: 2 groups had similar scores in digit recall and motor tracking BUT, when asked to perform both simple tasks simultaneously: Control group’s scores stayed the same HFA group’s scores dropped by 40%

9. Reduced Information Processing Capacities In authors’ studies: HFA group could comprehend sentences of the same length as control group, if they had simple grammatical construction But if grammatical construction was complex, HFA group had substantially more difficulty; for example: “Before you touch the blue square, touch the purple circle, then touch the black triangle.”

10. Processing Complex Sentences When there is a clause in a sentence, the brain must: Process the meaning of the first part of the sentence Hold it it in working memory Process the meaning of the second part of the sentence, then Process the first part in relation to the second part

11. Classroom Implications How might decreased information processing capacity affect a student’s ability to: Take notes while the teacher is lecturing and writing on the board? Simultaneously interpret another student’s words, facial expression, tone of voice, and body posture? Follow directions such as: “Before you line up quietly for recess, I want you to make sure your books are put away and your worksheets are in the basket on my desk.”

12. Best Practice When Teaching Students with Autism Convey information succinctly, using as few words as possible, then stop talking Allow plenty of time to process the information Adding numerous examples is not going to help them “get it”

13. Complex Information Information can be complex because of: Quantity (lots of small units) Structure (a complex visual scene or a story with a theme) Multiple modes of input that must be integrated Time constraints Multiple simultaneous processing demands Associated stress or anxiety

14. How Autism Is Different From Other Disabilities That Affect Learning In general intellectual disability, both simple and complex information processing are impaired In learning disabilities, only simple information processing is impaired In autism, only complex information processing is impaired

15. Insight from New Technology Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) records the electrical activity that’s occurring in the brain while the individual is performing a task

16. fMRI Studies During cognitive tasks, brains of individuals with autism (as compared to normal controls) show: More activity in some areas Less activity in others Fewer connections and correlations among different areas of brain Less synchrony between the activity in different areas

17. fMRI Studies: Example During sentence comprehension task: More activity in the word region of the surface gray matter Less activity in the area that processes the meaning of sentences Fewer connections and correlations among 10 regions of brain that participate in language function

18. fMRI Studies Similar results suggesting under- connectivity have been seen with tasks that involve Social thinking Problem solving Inhibiting inappropriate behavior

19. The Effect of Under-Connectivity When demands change and the brain has to come up with new ways of dealing with these challenges … Fewer connections mean less flexibility and fewer resources to draw upon

20. Implications for Intervention Focus on alternative approaches and strategy development, rather than memorizing facts and rote learning of responses

21. Thinking in Pictures In a working memory task with letters of the alphabet: Individuals with autism and control group got similar scores, but fMRIs showed brains in autism group processed letters as graphic figures, while Control group recoded them into letter names

22. Thinking in Pictures fMRIs done while reading 2 types of sentences: High imagery (“There was a rainbow over a cornfield.”) Low imagery (“Addition and subtraction are mathematical operations.”) Visual imagery areas in brains of individuals with autism activated for both types of sentences Same areas in control group only activated during high-imagery sentences

23. Implications for Teaching Use visual strategies to communicate information Pictures Written words

24. Keep in Mind, Though … Not ALL individuals with autism are visual thinkers Some think in words

25. Memory and Learning in Autism Basic memory abilities are intact, but Capacity to learn and remember deteriorates as the information becomes more complex Doesn’t matter whether info is visual or auditory More difficult if material requires a cognitive organizing structure or detection of organizational principles inherent in the material

26. To Improve Learning & Memory in Student w/ ASD Present material in small chunks Start with big picture, rather than examples Provide extra time Keep material for rehearsal at the individual’s own pace

27. Generalizing to More Impaired Individuals with Autism All studies cited used individuals with HFA (IQ of 80+) Assumption: Autism is a single disorder with a common pathophysiology, but a wide range of severity

28. Generalizing to More Impaired Individuals with Autism Extrapolation: More impaired individuals with autism have more severe neural under-connectivity Information-processing capacity is progressively truncated to the point, in the most severe cases of autism, that the brain attaches no meaning to sensory input

29. Implications of the Brain Basis of Autism Students with autism will not demonstrate the same level of common sense or problem-solving ability as neurotypical peers with same IQ Social behavior will lag behind academic abilities

30. Implications of the Brain Basis of Autism Students with autism may not have the executive function, decision- making process to override their initial tendency to resist doing a hard or unpleasant task The challenge is to figure out why the student thinks it’s hard, then change the task so he can do it

31. Implications of the Brain Basis of Autism Students with autism cannot change the way they think and perceive the world; it is the result of the way their brains are wired Changes have to be made to accommodate them

32. Implications of the Brain Basis of Autism Next time you feel like saying, “He can do it. He just won’t!” Remember that a child reacts in a certain way because of the information his brain gives him about the situation It’s the teacher’s job to interpret the child’s behavior and make changes so he will respond