An Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Karla Saval, M.Ed. Maryland State Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services

Overview

●What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?●Your child has been diagnosed

with Autism: Now What? ■Early intervention ■Autism Waiver registry ■Elements of Effective Service Delivery to children with Autism■Resources

What is Autism?

“Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first 3 years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development .”

-Autism Society of America

What is Autism?

● Video from the Centers for Disease Control (3:38)

http://www.cdc.gov/NCBDDD/autism/videos/whatisautism.html

Diagnosis ●Three main criteria: ●Qualitative impairment in social interaction ●Qualitative impairment in communication●Restricted, repetitive, stereotypic patterns of behavior/ circumscribed interests, activities ●Three main categories: ●Autism ●Asperger’s Disorder●Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

Autism

●Interferes with development of reasoning, social interaction, and communication skills ●Is a “spectrum disorder” ●has implications for an array of social, language, educational, sensory, behavioral, and medical issues

Autism, by numbers…

●1 in 88 boys will be diagnosed with ASD●The number of children in Maryland identified as having an ASD has dramatically increased from 260 in 1993 to 8,827 in 2010●There are 900 slots for Maryland’s Autism Waiver, and 3,700+ children on the Registry

(CDC, MSDE, 2012)

Autism results in difficulties in the following areas:

●Self Regulation ●Executive Functioning ●Socialization/Communication●Biomedical Complications/

Comorbid Disorders

Let’s explore each of these…

A Steady Rise in Autism in Maryland Schools

Produced by the Maryland State Department of Education 4/20/10 *

Produced by the Maryland State Department of Education 4/20/10

What are the challenges experienced by youth with ASD?

●Academic●Behavioral●Social

Self Regulation

●As a result of biomedical issues, individuals with Autism may have difficulty with regulating their: ●Attention●Wakefulness●Stress●Frustration●Response to sensory stimuli

Executive Functioning

●Children with Autism exhibit deficits in executive functioning, specifically with reference to these domains:●Planning ●Organization●Flexibility●Self-monitoring

Socialization/Communication

Youth with Autism have may have difficulty: ●Communicating wants and needs●Establishing shared attention with peers●Monitoring social signals ←→●Reading social cues●Responding to others’ stress●Reading others’ expression of emotion●Making social inferences ●Understanding others’ perspectives

Biomedical Complications/Comorbid Disorders

●Gastrointestinal problems●Sleep Disturbance ●Anxiety ●Depression●Seizure Disorder ●Vitamin Deficiency

Did you know…

…that the average child with Autism Spectrum Disorder is engaged in a minimum of 5 complimentary and alternative medical interventions to remediate his biomedical symptoms? ●Dietary regimens●Psychopharmacological treatment●Neurological interventions●Vitamin/Nutritional Supplementation●Detoxification therapy●Physical Therapy ●Experimental Therapies

(IAN, 2008)

Challenges to Learning

●Biomedical Complications●Environmental factors●Communication ●Choices●Social/Emotional Competence●Methodological approach to instruction●Setting in which IEP is being implemented

Behavioral Challenges

Environmental factors that make youth with Autism “NUTS”●Novelty●Unpredictability●Threatening ●Sense of control is limited

(Sonia Lupien)

Resources

●Autism Society of America●Education, advocacy, services, research and support ●http://www.autism-society.org/●1-800-328-8476

Resources

●Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit●Action planning for the first 100 days after a diagnosis of autism

http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/tool-kits/100-day-kit

Resources

●Pathfinders for Autism ●We’re newly diagnosed. Where do we begin? http://www.pathfindersforautism.org/articles/category/newly-diagnosed ●This site provides a comprehensive listing of the variety of supports, services, and resources available in Maryland

Resources

●Maryland State Department of Education■ AutismConnect ■This site contains recommendations made in the Autism Task Force Report, released in 2004, as well as MSDE research, education, and advocacy initiatives and partnerships focused on autism. ●www.autismconnectmd.org

Resources

●Maryland State Department of Education ●The Early Childhood Gateway ●A resource for providers and families with young children with disabilities, birth through fivehttp://www.mdecgateway.org/home

Family Support Services

●Maryland has Family Support Services Coordinators in each jurisdiction that assist families of children with disabilities ages birth to 21. A directory of Family Support Services is on the web at www.mdecgateway.org.

●For additional information, call:1-800-535-0182

Questions?

Contact: Karla M. Saval, M.Ed.Interagency Staff Specialist- Autism, Children’s Mental HealthMaryland State Department of EducationDivision of Special Education/ Early Intervention Services200 West Baltimore StreetBaltimore, MD 21201ksaval@msde.state.md.us(410)767-0827