ELEMENTARY TA TRAINING Autism: Basic Characteristics and Educational Supports

What is Autism? It is a neurological disorder It is a spectrum disorder It is a developmental disorder It is lifelong It is NOT a result of poor parenting It is NOT curable at this time It does NOT have a determined cause, although there are many theories.

Commonly used Lingo Spectrum Disorder “On the spectrum” Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Asperger Syndrome “Aspies” “NT’s” Neurotypical’s Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)

Statistics school year District 204 We have 29,127 students in district % have IEPs (3,518) Looking at autism specifically  204 has 1.061% students with autism when comparing to whole population vs. other districts have.582% = DOUBLE  8.8% OF OUR STUDENTS WITH IEP’S HAVE AUTISM AS ELIGIBILITY VS. 3.6% IN OTHER UNIT DISTRICTS Reported 2010

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Looking at AD discretely Social Emotional Communication Sensory/Restricted Patterns Cognitive/Curriculum

Social Interaction Problem relating to people Socially awkward or unable to perform in social situations; problems with reciprocity Unable to establish or maintain relationships Lacks awareness / perspective of others; prefers to be alone Does not make friends; does not play with other children Does not seek comfort; not cuddly Difficulties with imitation Lacks understanding of reciprocity (turn taking) Seldom responds or initiates Poor eye contact

Communication Delay in or lack of development of spoken language Marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain social conversation Stereotyped & repetitive use of language Lack of varied, spontaneous or social imitative play Comprehension-following simple directions, processing time, response others. Literal interpretation of language

Repetitive and Stereotypical Behaviors Preoccupation with stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal in intensity or focus (lining up objects, narrow interests, picky about food or clothing) Inflexible adherence to specific nonfunctional routines or rituals (difficulty with transitions, difficulty with change) Repetitive motor mannerisms (hand flapping, rocking, pacing, etc.)

Cognitive A diagnosis of Autism does not mean the individual has a cognitive impairment If an individual has a diagnosis of Asperger's there is no cognitive delay Lack flexibility of thought Skills develop unevenly May over or under generalize information Difficulties in shifting attention They think differently!

Educational Implications Lacks understanding of body language, gestures, facial expressions and hand signals Ranges from no communication to adequate speech with idiosyncrasies Difficulties with conversational turn-taking (joint attention and reciprocity) Misunderstands the processes of communication (talk, listen, think, respond) Deficits in expressive / receptive language When it comes to talking.. LESS IS MORE

Resources Dan Marino video- No Myths 3 minutes t/video-library-3-Video t/video-library-3-Video 10 things every kid wishes you knew-handouts Autism and communication-5 ways to communicate IRCA-Is this an article on the IRCA website-handouts 5 column worksheet