Autism PowerPoint Autism

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Autism PowerPointAutism The Musical
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Focus QuestionsPart One

• What are the general areas of delays and concerns
  that characterize individuals with autistic
  spectrum disorders?
• How do the characteristics of autism spectrum
  disorders impact teaching and learning?

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Autism Spectrum Disorders
Aspergers Disorder
Autistic Disorder
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
Retts Disorder
Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise
Specified

• Impairments in social behavior
• Communication difficulties
• Stereotypic or unusual behaviors

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Other Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Aspergers Disorder
• Social impairments and unusual behaviors
• Average or above cognitive abilities
• Communication and anxiety are issues
• Language development not significantly delayed
• Retts Disorder
• Occurs only in females, very rare
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
• Regression in multiple areas after normal
  development
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise
  Specified
• Does not meet diagnostic criteria for autism

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Communication

• Nonverbal communication difficulties
• Expressive language delays
• Oral language differences
• Language use not for social purposes
• Echolalia speech
• Perseveration on a topic
• Restricted vocabulary
• Difficulty with conversations
• Comprehension difficulties

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Social Interaction

• Establishing and maintaining relationships
• Playing with others
• Taking turns and sharing
• Theory of mind
• Understanding other perspectives
• Making sense of social behavior
• Making sense of feelings and emotions
• Making sense of communication

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Implications for InstructionIdeas and Examples

• Communication
• Instruction based on assessment results
• Instruction should emphasize
• Paying attention
• Imitating
• Comprehending words and instruction
• Using language for social reasons
• Developing functional communication

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Implications for InstructionIdeas and Examples

• Social Interaction
• Social Skill Development
• Tolerating others in own space
• Imitating the actions/vocalizations of others
• Engaging in parallel activities
• Taking turns
• Using eye contact
• Explicitly teach theory of mind concepts

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Unusual behaviors

• Diagnostic criteria
• Preoccupation with patterns of interest
• Inflexible adherence to routines
• Repetitive motor mannerisms
• Preoccupation with parts of objects
• Unusual response to sensory stimuli
• Challenging aggressive destructive behaviors
• Behaviors are the tip of the iceberg. It is
  essential to delve
• below the surface to identify the message of the
  behavior.

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Characteristics

• Patterns of Attention
• Stimulus over-selectivity
• Difficulty disengaging and shifting attention
• Short attention span
• Sensory Often hypersensitive or hyposensitive
  to
• tactile
• auditory
• visual and olfactory
• olfactory
• gustatory

• Anxiety
• Difficulty regulating emotions
• Inability to express oneself clearly
• Sensory processing needs
• High need for predictability
• Difficulty understanding social situations

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Implications for InstructionIdeas and Examples

• Unusual or Challenging Behaviors
• Teaching students new skills and interests
• Understanding responses to sensory stimuli
• Preparing the student for planned changes
• Developing calming strategies
• Assisting the student to monitor level of arousal
  or anxiety
• Adapting the learning environment

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Implications for InstructionIdeas and Examples

• Patterns of Attention
• Information and instructional activities should
  be provided in a format that
• Is clear and concise
• Is consistent with comprehension level
• Focuses their attention
• Emphasizes the most relevant information

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Implications for InstructionIdeas and Examples

• Sensory Responses
• Assess sensory responses.
• Be aware of different experiences of sensory
  stimulation.
• Use alerting strategies to help enhance students
  when hyposensitive.
• Implement strategies to calm students when
  hypersensitive.

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Implications for InstructionIdeas and Examples

• Anxiety
• Provide warnings about transitions and changes.
• Provide daily and weekly schedules.
• Use social scripts to encourage calming and teach
  coping skills.
• Provide facts about anxiety-arousing situations.
• Establish a calming area.