Autism Spectrum Disorders are: :
Autism Spectrum Disorders are: A developmental disability
Affects communication and social interactions
Characteristics include repetitive behaviors, resistance to environmental change, unusual sensory responses
Under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD)
Background :
Background Genetic component to Autism
More prevalent in boys than girls
Increased by 17% since the 1990’s
Onset is most common at 18 months of age
Instructional Strategies :
Instructional Strategies Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approach
Use of visuals whenever possible
Information should be in “chunks”
Clear expectation and rules
Learning should be practical, real life as much as possible