1. Autism & Learning Disabilities Workshop
Mariam Al Rashdi - Anzima – Workshop Organizer
Liz Price - Scientific Learning
Karl Smith - Accelerations Educational Software

2. Autism Overview Karl Smith Accelerations Educational Software
Mariam Al Rashdi
Anzima - Middle East Representative

3. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Neurological – Environmental Disorder
Current Frequency
US Center on Disease Control (CDC)
1/150 children born today
up from ~1/ years ago
1/96 boys
3 boys to 1 girl
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

4. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Impairments
Speech
Communication
Social
Learning
Sensory
Present range of disabilities at once
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

5. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Usually a dramatic developmental regression
Seem to be typically developing
Starting 1 to 3 years old “Falls off the cliff”
Looses Skills
Teaching
Extremely hard to teach
Normal parenting and teaching methods do not work – makes them worse!
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

6. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Poor at
Observational Learning
Mimicking
Eye Contact
Understanding Language
Expressing Language
Understanding our world
Developing Relationships
Generalization
Retention of Skills & Knowledge
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

7. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Atypical experiences results in atypical and limited (usually) world knowledge and abilities
Symptoms
Vary Widely between individuals
6 or more of 12 general criteria
from the DSM IV
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders)
Diagnosis from Specialist
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

8. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Spectrum
Low, Moderate, and High Functioning
Aspergers Syndrome
PDDNOS
(Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified)
Information Sources
Start with
Autism Society of America
Autism Speaks
Mariam Al Rashdi
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

9. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Impacts Children Worldwide regardless of parents
Race
Social Economic Status
Occupation
Religion
Country
This common problem unites parents worldwide
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

10. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Strong Advocacy and other Autism Related Groups
Autism Society of America
Autism Speaks
Organization for Autism Research
Dan Marino Foundation
Dough Flutie Foundation
Many others in the US and elsewhere
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

11. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Behaviors:
Tantrums
Self Stimulation
Sensitive to:
Light
Sound
Touch
Taste
Smell
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

12. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Biomedical Issues:
Large head size
Constipation
Irritable Bowel
Illnesses / Immune System
Reflux
Digestion
Sleeping Problems
Sensory
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

13. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Causes
Genetics + Environmental Trigger
Probably not just one disorder but several
Substantial Research into causes
US: National Institute of Health, Autism Speaks, Organization for Autism Research, …
Solutions will prevent new cases & may help inflicted individuals some, but will not automatically give inflicted individuals missing world knowledge & skills.
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

14. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Family Stress
Emotional
Economic
High rate of divorce
Treatments
Biomedical
Educational
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

15. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Current Biomedical Treatments
Diets
Enzymes
Hyperbaric Chambers
Squeeze Machines …
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

16. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Intensive Education
Good News: Individuals usually makes dramatic improvements with proper intervention
Brain is very adaptive with intensity and duration of treatment
“Rewiring Brain”
Without Intensive Intervention
~80% of moderately to severely impaired individuals would never toilet train or speak
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

17. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Behavioral Teaching
Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
Recommended by US Surgeon General & National Academy of Sciences
B.F. Skinner
Father of Behavioral Psychology (ABA)
Ivar Lovaas
Applied ABA Methods to intensive teaching of children with autism
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

18. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Ivar Lovaas
Showed intensive behavioral intervention drastically improves most individuals with autism IQ
Basic Learning Skills
Receptive & Expressive Language
Social Interactions & Skills
Self Care
Independence
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

19. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Ivar Lovaas
In his famous autism study
~50% made huge improvements
~40% made substantial improvements
~10% made little to no improvements
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

20. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
Behavioral Teaching Involves
Motivation (reinforcement)
Not Reinforcing incorrect answers or behaviors
Task Analysis (breaking down tasks)
Finding a level of success and building from there
Prompts & prompt fading
Systematic Teaching
Intensive
Individualized (typically 1-on-1)
Data driven
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software

21. Accelerations Educational Software
Autism
“Our kids can learn when we figure out how to teach them”.
The DT Trainer is targeted to teach individuals with autism and other learning or retention disorders.
The educational content is appropriate for students developmentally between 2 and 6 years of age.
Accelerations Educational Software