Austism spectrum disorders have become an issue of central concern in relation to educational provision, due to its rising profile in society and in particular education. (Marwick et al., 2005) For this reason, this review will outline the background to autism and present information about various approaches used to teach children with severe autism. Recent work has extended knowledge of the effect of autism on interpersonal, communicative, cognitive, imaginative, sensory, perceptual, physiological and behavioural processes, which has allowed for a widening range of interventions and approaches to the education of children with ASD. (Marwick et al., 2005)
The terms autism, autism spectrum disorders and autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) will be used interchangeably throughout this report in relation to the group of pervasive developmental disorders characterised by qualitative difficulties and differences in reciprocal social interactions, in reciprocal communication, and by a restricted repertoire of interests and activities. (World Health Organisation, 1993; American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
Development:
“Autistic spectrum disorders are lifelong, complex, controversial, challenging to service providers, they can cause severe impairments and they are not uncommon.” PHIS Report (2001, p.7). Communication problems in individuals with ASD and associated ID are often very severe and heterogeneous (Boucher et al., 2007). Irish Autism Action funded a study that determined the number of people in Ireland who are on the autism spectrum. This study was carried out in conjunction with DCU and led by Professor Anthony Staines. The c...
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...ious oral instruction (Tissot and Evans, 2010). An alternative to traditional teaching approaches can be found in employing visual teaching strategies. The use of either movement-based or materials-based systems can (when paired with limited spoken language) help break this barrier and allow this subgroup to gain communications skills by channelling instruction through visual means. Although several systems exist, each has its relative merits. It is important to match these with an individual child when choosing a visual system (Tissot and Evans, 2010). For example it must be noted that hyper- or hypo- reactivity to sensory inputs may also be present in a child that has ASD, this may present itself as an aversion to particular environmental stimuli such as lights or sounds may be displayed. (ICD-10, 1992). This may impact on learning and behaviour in the classroom.
Those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) see the world in a diverse way; teachers and adults need to recognize this. Robison gives examples of his childhood where he misinterpreted information from others including social cues, as well as instructions. He was in these situations punished either socially or academically.
The most typical component of ABA used is positive reinforcement, which studies have shown to be an effective technique within a variety of settings and circumstances. Ferguson and Rosales-Ruiz (2001) conducted a study in which they utilized positive reinforcement in order to modify the behavior of horses. Prior to the study, the five horses observed were demonstrating inappropriate behaviors while loading into a trailer, which can be dangerous for both caregivers and the animals (p. 409). In order to deter these behaviors, the researchers provided the mares with preferred foods as positive reinforcement as the behavior was gradually shaped. They began by reinforcing approximate behaviors until the desirable behavior was achieved. At first, the horses were reinforced with food for several trials if they simply stepped near the entryway and touched their noses to a towel (the distance marker) without maladaptive behaviors. Over the series of eight steps, the target was pushed farther back into the trailer and the horses were reinforced for each successive approximation (p. 412). After all of the trials, each horse ended up completing the tasks and the inappropriate behaviors thereafter fell to zero. This was completed simply through the use of shaping and positively reinforcing the successive approximations of the behavior without the use of punishment or negative reinforcement (p. 421).
It can be noticed by the parents at early age (congenital) or during childhood (from 3 to 6 years). Recognizing ASD is by observing the patients' communication skills, interaction with people and things around him\her and sometimes by some health problems like sleeping problems and gastrointestinal distress. This changes are usually noticeable in the first two years in children because these are the most interactive and transitional years of the children's lives. (2,5) These symptoms are reduced down to three main symptoms which are social interaction, communication, and repetitive behavioral issues. Social impairment is what distinguish ASD from other developmental disorders. Most patient with ASD finds interaction with others difficult and challenging or lack the intuition about people. They also tend to avoid eye contact, fail to respond to their own names, and prefer to be alone. However they form attachments to their primary caregivers. (2,4,5)Second, communication problems which can occur in different verbal abilities from no speech to fluent, but impropriate and awkward. They are noticed when trying to ask for something or tell something, and it can appear as delay in talking or difficulty in following or starting a conversation. (5,6)Finally, is the behavioral issues which mainly are focusing on unnecessary things like the far train's voice, inability to live without daily routine, and stereotyped behavior like hand
There is no standard ‘type’ or ‘typical’ person with autism. Parents may hear more than one label applied to the same child: autistic-like, learning disabled with autistic tendencies, high functioning or low functioning autism. These labels don’t describe differences between children as much as they indicate differences between professionals’ training, vocabulary and exposure to autism (1)
“Your child has autism spectrum disorder” are words no parent wants to hear. They are words that will instill fear, worry, and sadness. When parents hear this for the first time, they will have many questions. “Is there anything I can do to help my child? If so, what can be done?” Early intervention services; such as applied behavior analysis therapy, occupational therapy, sensory integration therapy, and speech therapy before the age of three; can help improve the development of children with autism spectrum disorder. As an educator, early intervention is a subject teachers should be well educated in. It would be beneficial to the educator and the student, for a teacher to know and understand early intervention strategies.
First off, autism is not a form of mental retardation despite what the general public may have you believe. In actuality, autism, which was first described by Kanner (1943) in his study of 11 children with “autistic disturbances of affective contact” (US: American Psychological Ass...
Children with autism have multiple characteristic impairments in their social interaction skills. This results from the lack of “Theory of Mind” in autistic individuals. Autistic children have difficulty interpreting what another person may be thinking or feeling. Social impairments may cause the child to act inappropriately in social interactions and prevent the children from truly taking part in interactions. The children have difficulty recognizing social cues and responding to cues. Autistic children have a hard time forming relationships as a result of these impairments. Social stories, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Pivotal Response Training are three therapy techniques that help children with autism learn appropriate social behavior. Social stories allow the children to practice the situation in a lower stress environment. Applied Behavior Analysis utilizes positive reinforce to teach desired skills. Pivotal Response Training allows the child to learn social skills while in a natural play environment. Learning social skills through these techniques enable the children to have more meaningful relationships and engage more in their community.
This paper was reprinted with permission of Susan Moreno on the O.A.S.I.S. (Online Asperger's Syndrome Information and Support)
Snell, M. E. (2003). Autism, Education of Individuals with. In J. W. Guthrie (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Education (2nd ed., Vol. 1, pp. 161-162). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.
Stephanie Lindsey the author of the article Autism and Education addresses some serious issues in the education system between the special needs students and the highly gifted students. Stephanie writes the article based off her children and how they are treated in school. Her son has autism, which affects his capability to learn, speak, and to train himself when it comes to bathroom use. Also never being alone in school due to him having a personal aid alongside him with special classes he is treaded with a different type of education. Her daughter on the other hand tests in the 95th percentile nationwide on standardized testing. She’s twelve and her capability of progressing information and taking complex ideas apart and putting them back together to form new thoughts is like no normal twelve year old. She reads entire novels, solves Sudoku puzzles, and also participates in her school
Autistic children are isolated from most schools, socially and within the classroom. Although most children with auti...
As the prevalence of Autism continues to grow rapidly, it is proven fact that Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States. “On March 27, 2014, this surveillance study identified one in sixty-eight children (one in forty-two boys and one in one-hundred eighty-nine girls) as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).” (DSM-IV, 2000). Eight-hundred thousand people younger than eighteen years are on record as having Autism Spectrum Disorder in the United States. Most children display abnormalities within the first year of life; although most are diagnosed with Autism between the ages of two and three. Boys are nearly five times more likely than girls to have Autism. However, females with the disorder are more feasible to exhibit serious mental retardation. There are “approximately seventy-five percent of children with Autism are mentally handicapped; meaning their IQ ranges from thirty-five to fifty. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV, 2000) research suggests that only a small percentage of individuals with Autistic Disorder go on as adults to live and work independently.” ( DSM-IV, 2000)
Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that effects the brains development. It is characterized by affecting communication, cognition and social interaction. The spectrum of the disorders ranges from a mild condition called Asperger’s syndrome to a more severe form, which severely impairer’s development. The Office of Communications and Public Liaison states that the disorder affects one and eighty-eight children, however ASD effects boys more frequently than girls (Office of Communications and Public Liaison, 2013). ASD emerges in all age, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The significant varied character and severity of the disorder is why ASD is considered a spectrum that poses a broad range of symptoms.
Autism is a disorder characterized by significant problems in communication and social functioning. Autism is actually called Autism Spectrum Disorder and encompasses a broad range disabilities such as Asperger syndrome, Rett’s Syndrome, and Pervavasive Development Disorder (Dunlap & Fox, n.d.). There are also varying degrees of the disorder from low-functioning (no communication and no social interaction) to high-functioning (some communication and inappropriate but existent social skills.)