AutismShauni GernerED300

Autism

A developmental disability, generally evident before age 3

Affects: Verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction

Affects a child’s performance

Often referred to as a spectrum disorder one of 5 in the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders

History of Autism:

•1943- was named by Leo Kenner (a child psychiatrist at John Hopkins University Medical School

1940’s-60’s it was thought that people with Autism were just socially withdrawn

Today it is known as neurological and biochemical alterations in the brain.

1911-Eugen Bluer, a Swiss psychiatrist had first used the term autism, but it was not yet classified

Cause of Autism?

The exact cause is unknown. Most evidence indicates that it comes from a biological origin.

Lack of love and attention theory…true or false?

It is a metabolic dysfunction of the brain.

It has 1/4th of the signs of a neurological disorder

Measles and mumps vaccine theory

Autism Statistics:

Boys are affected 4 to 5 times more than girls

5 to 15 of every 10,000 people are diagnosed

Rarely more than one person in a family is affected

Center of Disease control estimated 2 out of 1,000 are diagnosed

Autism society of America states 1 of every 150 births are diagnosed and 1 to 1.5 mil Americans have it with a growth of 17% since 1990

Symptoms of Autism and challenges:

Difficulty in communication

Repetitive behaviors

Lack of spoken language

Grasping and touch

Difficulty understand perspective

Displays of affection and emotion are not typical and difficulty regulating emotions

How to accommodate an Autistic student:

Keep to a repetitive and routine schedule.

Use of direct instruction which is very structured with many varieties of stimuli

Use of direct language. Autism students do not understand figurative language.

Practicing communication strategies with a routine

Warning and preparation when a change is coming

Must feel safe and may require a private area at times

Working with specialists to have a co-ordinated approach to

References

A History of Autism. (n.d.). WEb MD. Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/history-of-autism

Nielson, L. B. (2009). Disabilities and Health Disorders. In Brief References of Student Dissabilities. (2nd ed.). (p. 65). Thousand Oaks , California: Corwin press.

Richmond, M. L. Autism in the classroom. Retrieved July 20, 2012, from http:// www.superduperinc.com

(n.d.). Teaching students with Autism. In Teaching Students with Autism. (p. 27). Victoria, BC: Ministry of Education special programs branch.