Understanding Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

1
Understanding Students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders

• ESE 380
• March 24/26, 2009

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IDEA Definition of Autism

• Autism is a developmental disability that
  significantly affects a students verbal and
  nonverbal communication, social interaction, and
  educational performance. It is generally evident
  before a child reaches age 3 and is manifest when
  the child engages in repetitive activities and
  stereotyped movements, resists environmental
  change or changes in daily routines, and displays
  unusual responses to sensory experiences.

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Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

• Autistic Disorder
• Retts Disorder
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
• Aspergers Syndrome
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise
  Specified (PDD-NOS)

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Some Statistics

• Males are 4 times more likely to have autism than
  females (41)
• Autism affects approximately 1 of every 150
  children (1 in every 94 boys)
• Arizona experienced a 22.8 increase in children
  with autism from 2004 to 2005
• New Hampshire experienced a 58 increase
• New Jersey has the highest prevalence of autism
  in U.S. (1 in 95 children)

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Typical Characteristics

• Atypical language development
• Atypical social development
• Repetitive behaviors
• Problem behaviors
• Need for environmental predictability
• Sensory and movement disorders
• Differences in intellectual functioning

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Problem Behaviors

• Self-injurious behaviors
• Aggression
• Obtain something positive
• Avoid or escape something unpleasant
• Increase or decrease sensory stimulation

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Etiology

• Abnormality in brain development
• Neurochemistry
• Genetic factors

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Interventions

• Functional behavior assessment
• Positive behavior supports
• Social stories

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The FBA

• Specify a target behavior
• Identify events before, during, and after target
  behavior (antecedents and consequences)
• Identify the setting event (obtain something,
  escape or avoid something, increase or decrease
  sensory stimulation)

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Positive Behavior Supports