Autism Kroeker

Slide 1: 

Autism Spectrum Disorder Presented by: Kylie Waters, Dave Lantaigne , Lorna Luxemburger

Slide 2: 

What do you know about Autism?

Slide 3: 

Autistic Disorder Rhett's Disorder Childhood Disintegrative Disorder PDD-NOS Asperger’s Syndrome

Slide 4: 

ASD = Variability! Measured IQ Severe Gifted Social Interactions Aloof Active, but odd Communication Skills Non-verbal Verbal Motor Skills Awkward Agile Uncoordinated Coordinated Sensory Regulation Hypo-sensitive Hyper-sensitive

Characteristics of ASD: 

Characteristics of ASD Social Understanding and Expression Impairments Communication and Language Impairments Stereotypic Behaviors (rocking, banging, spinning) ----------------------------------------------------------- + Executive Functioning Issues + Sensory Issues + Anxiety

Incidence: 

Incidence 1/150 considering entire spectrum Affects 3-4 boys for every 1 girl Number of cases is increasing Across all social classes and ethnicities

The Senses: 

The Senses Sight/Vision Smell/Olfactory Touch/Tactile Taste/Gustatory Hearing/Auditory Proprioceptive (pressure) Vestibular (movement)

Observable Signs of Sensory Dysfunction : 

Observable Signs of Sensory Dysfunction Unsure body position Poor motor planning, poor coordination, difficulty learning new motor tasks Avoids or seeks sensory input Easily distracted, limited attending skills High activity level or passive, self-absorbed

Impairment in Social Interaction: 

Impairment in Social Interaction Social understanding is the basis for appropriate social expression and interaction: Difficulty establishing and maintaining friendships Limited, rigid social interactions Difficulties in using social language and pragmatics Difficulty connecting thoughts to actions Tend to respond to emotions inappropriately Odd play Do not naturally learn to play through observation

Lack of perspective-taking…: 

Lack of perspective-taking… Can look like: Lack of perspective taking ability Lack of sympathy or empathy Talking as though the listener wants to hear more and/or already knows about the topic Ignoring or not responding Interrupting, not responding to greetings, raising topics that can be inappropriate or unusual Unexpected/disruptive behaviours Writing and reading difficulties/comprehension

Executive Functioning Malfunction : 

Executive Functioning Mal function Focus on the “parts”, rather than the “whole” Decision making and problem solving Initiating action Ineffective impulse control Disorganization Impulsivity, distractibility Transitions Inability to generalize

Stereotypic Behaviours: 

Stereotypic Behaviours Restricted repertoire of interests and activities (rigid, narrow, odd, preference for sameness) Problems with imagination (lacking or excessive) Repetitive motor mannerisms Impoverished, odd play Challenging behaviors Abnormal responses to sensation

Slide 13: 

Social Impairments Learning Challenges Communication Impairments Sensory Issues ANXIETY !!

Anxiety and ASD: 

Anxiety and ASD Anxiety symptoms are very common in people with ASD Anxiety co-occurs in 72% of children ages 5-17 with ASD (Leyfer et al., 2006) Anxiety interferes with the person’s functioning in home, school, and community activities (Russel et al, 2005) Without intervention, symptoms can persist

Slide 15: 

Behaviour = Communication

Understanding the ABC’s : 

Understanding the ABC’s Antecedent Behavior Consequences Stimulus Events Triggers What happened immediately before the behavior? When? Where? With whom? Look through the eyes of the student: - What happens after I do this behavior? - What did I gain? - What did I avoid?

Determine the Function: 

Determine the Function Obtain or Access Escape or Avoid Attention (from adults or peers) Tangible object or activity Sensory stimulus Attention or social interactions Aversive task or activity Aversive sensory stimulus

Slide 18: 

Respond to the FUNCTION of the behavior (the purpose it serves) Rather than … Responding to the FORM of behavior (how it looks, what we see)

Learning Strengths: 

Learning Strengths Tend to be visual learners Learn best with routine and repetition Strong desire for certainty and accuracy Gross and fine motor skills, once attained Can have average to above average intelligence Proficiency with factual knowledge

Slide 20: 

Class science project: Build a volcano. How would you incorporate the must-do’s in this assignment?

Must Do’s: 

Must Do’s Make things visual . Prepare the individual for changes or transitions . Break down large tasks into smaller chunks . Use clear, concrete language . Give time to process information

Must Do’s: 

Must Do’s 6. Offer choices Have an end in sight Reinforcement Try to decrease long waits or long amounts of unstructured time POPARD Website

Slide 23: 

“If you know one child with autism, then you only know one child with autism.” Slide show adapted from Kari Eaton – POPARD www.autismoutreach.ca