Characteristics of Social Behavior

Characteristics of Social Behavior

Give little attention to or make little eye contact with others.

Difficulty participating in the normal give-and-take social interaction.

Limited engagement in social interactions

Rarely display emotions.

Rarely seek out affection or physical contact from others, including parents.

Difficulty forming attachments.

Characteristics of Communication

Echolalia.
Limited meaningful speech.
Limited initiation of conversation.
Difficulties in comprehending language, especial abstract language.

Characteristics of Interests
and Activities

Limited cooperative play and play skills.
Repetitive, stereotypic manipulations of objects.
Ritualistic patterns of activity.
Self-stimulatory behavior.
Strong resistance to change in environment and routine.

Cognitive and Learning Characteristics

75% have concurrent diagnosis of MR.
Higher scores in visual or manipulative skills; lower scores in linguistic skills, abstract or symbolic processes.
Savant skills.
Stimulus overselectivity in information processing and learning.

Physical Characteristics

No particular external physical features or anomalies.
Autism may be found in children with identified genetic or chromosomal disorders such Down syndrome or fragile X.

Other Charactiristics

25% display seizure activity.
Inconsistent sensory responses.
Unusual or affective emotional behaviors
Disruptive behaviors: aggression & self-injurious behavior.

IDEA Definition of Autism A developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and social interaction, generally evident before age 3, that adversely affects a childís performance. Other characteristic often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or changed in daily routine, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. The term does not apply if a childís educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has a serious emotional disturbance. Autism Society of America Definition The essential features are typically manifested prior to 30 months of age, including disturbances of (a) developmental rates and/or sequences; (b) responses to sensory stimuli; (C) speech, language, and cognitive capacities; and (d) capacities to relate to people, events, and objects. Disturbances in developmental rates may include delays, arrests, or regressions in motor, cognitive, or social behavior. Disturbances in response to sensory stimuli may include overreactivity or underreactivity to visual, auditory, tactile, or olfactory stimuli. Autism

First defined by Leo Kanner in 1943.
Previously classified under other categories including ED/BD.
Prevalence rate: less than 0.5%. One category of low incidence disabilities.
Autism is diagnosed 3 to 4 times more often in males than in females.
Autism is a lifelong disability.

Causes and Types of Autism

First thought to be an emotional disorder caused by parental rejection.
Now believed to have biological or neurological abnormality or dysfunction.
Strongly related to genetic disorder.
Structural abnormalities or lesions in brain.
Elevated levels of chemicals in brain (serotonin and dopamine).

Assessment Issues

Structured interviews with parents or caregivers, e.g., Autism Diagnostic Interview.
Observations in a variety of settings, e.g., Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.
Standardized tests, checklists, and rating scales, e.g., Childhood Autism Rating Scale.

Instructional Approaches

Developing Instructional Goals: teach skills appropriate in different settings based on individual needs, e.g., home, school, and community.

* Toy-play skills, functional communication skills.
*Community-based training.

Instructional Approaches

Effective Strategies and Techniques

        * Applied behavior analysis.
        * Generalization may not occur.
        * General case programming.
        * Self-management strategies.

Managing Problem Behaviors: move from consequence-oriented procedures to functional assessment or functional analysis.

Educational Program and Placement Option

P.L. 94-192 led to service delivery in public school & IEP.
TEACCH - Structured Teaching
Self-contained or segregated classroom.
Inclusion: physical structure of classroom, minimize distractions, pictorial schedules, clearly structured tasks, and maximum opportunities to interact with peers.

Issues in Education: For Low Incidence Disability

Supported education - intensive and pervasive
Educational needs may be quite similar. Educational planning should always be individualized.

Issues in Education: For Low Incidence Disability

Educational services should always special education principles:

*assessments functionally related to interventions

*individualized decisions

*collaboration among members of

multidisciplinary team

*accommodation of unique learning styles

*ongoing, frequent evaluation of progress and

modification of IEP

Issues in Education: For Low Incidence Disability

Inclusion, transition services and outcomes
Critical role of Assistive and instructional technology
working with families, creating support system

Other Treatment Approaches

Psychoactive drugs.
Megavitamin therapy.

Family Needs &
Support Strategies

Determining & providing support systems.
Family issues.
Early identification, intensive intervention, & training in home settings.