Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder
Michele Blick
RTLB cluster

Diagnosis of ASD-who, how, when and why
Interviews with child, family, etc
Observations in different setting
Medical diagnose

Diagnosis Criteria
Restricted, repetitive patterns on behaviour, interests or activities
Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts

The brain functions differently
It is a lifelong neurodevelopment disorder
It is more often to male than female

Time of diagnosis
Diagnosis typically occurs
1-3 years due to difficulties with language and play
5-8 yrs when increased social and education demands highlight difficulties
Social isolation and relationship difficulties result in depression during adolescence or adulthood

Benefits of a diagnosis
Early diagnosis helps them to put them in the right place to support/help them and take them to the right channel

Areas of challenge
Interpersonal
Difficulty initiating maintaining relationships
Unable or inappropriate attempts to join in play
Difficulty understanding what others are thinking or feeling
Language
Developmental language delay
Echolalia -repetition or echoing of words/sounds
Behaviour
Stereotyped behaviour patterns, routing, rituals
Difficulty making choices
Difficulty coping with unstructured space - may stay on the perimeter
Attention difficulties
Affect
Fears and phobias
Difficulty appreciating humour
Inappropriate emotional expression
Cognition
80% have IQ below 70
Non-verbal
Sensory sensitivity
Hyper responsive-nervous system is responding too much
Hypo responsive-nervous system is responding very little
Anxiety
The nervous system is on high alert and under constant stress due to sensory, cognitive, social and emotional vulnerabilities
Types of Anxiety
Anxiety of uncertainty
social anxiety
performance anxiety
Behaviours to cope with anxiety
control experiences to avoid anxiety
Fix routines and rituals
Strengths and abilities
Exceptional and reliability
Ability to focus on a detailed task
Expert in their area of interests
Providing support in the school setting
Sensory sensitivities
Environment
Language
Social stories helps them to get settled and support their emotional needs
ASD friendly school
Identify the students strengths, interests and needs
Identify what the student has in common with other learners. Use commonalities to plan learning opportunities
Involve the students family in collaborative planning process
Include the students voice and acknowledge the perspective of the student when planning
Use key competencies to identity goals rather than goals only being content-driven. Goals may relate to functional skills, e.g. toileting
What Next?
I understand how these learners brain works and what kind support they need while they are at school. I will try to provide the suitable environment for the ASD learners to support their needs. I will try to give a proper place for them to get settled in our environment even though we work in a modern learning environment.