Autism and ABA

Question 1

What is the ASD Diagnostic Criteria?

Answer 1

1.) Differences in Social Communication and Interaction
2.) Restricted Range of Interests or Activities and Repetitive Behavior

Question 2

What are examples of differences in social communication and social interaction?

Answer 2

1.) Difficulty with social-emotional reciprocity (i.e. conversational back-and-forth, reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect, difficulty responding or initiating social convos)
2.) Difficulty with nonverbal communicative behaviors (i.e. difficulty understanding and using gestures, absence of facial expressions)
3.) Difficulty in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships (i.e. adjusting behavior to various social contexts. difficulty with imaginative play or making friends, absence of interest in peers)

Question 3

What are examples of Restricted patterns of behavior, interests, or activities?

Answer 3

1.) Stereotyped, repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (i.e. lining up toys, repetition of word spoken by another)
2.) Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines (i.e. distress to small changes, difficulties with transitions)
3.) Highly restricted, fixated interests (i.e. intense, strong attachment with unusual objects or perseverative interests)
4.) Hyper- or hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects - indifference in pain/temperature, adverse response to sounds, textures, smalling, touching)

Question 4

What is Ableism?

Answer 4

Discrimination and oppression of disabled people; societal belief that being abled is “normal” and is preferred
* Language
* Structural
* Cultural
* Medical
Can be explicit/implicit, intentional/accidental

Question 5

Behaviors to Increase

Answer 5

• Language + Communication
• Play skills
• Social Behavior
• Motor Skills
• Self-care | Daily Living Skills
• Perspective Taking
• Executive Functions

Question 6

Barriers to Learning

Answer 6

• Stereotypy
• Non-responsiveness
• Tantrums
• Aggression
• Self-Injurious Behavior (SIB)
• Rigidity | Inflexibility

Question 7

What is Stereotypy?

Answer 7

Repetitive, nonfunctional movements, postures, or utterances
* Object manipulation - line up toys, hold things, spin wheels
* Perseveration on parts of objects - repetitive button pushing, flicking string
* Visual - watching lights, looking at lines
* Vocalizations - echolalia, repetitive sounds, “scripting”
* Body movements - hand-flapping, body tensing, jumping, spinning in circles

Question 8

What is SIB?

Answer 8

May be a combination of stimuli and behaviors related to stereotypy/self-stimulation, tantrums + aggressive behavior

Question 9

What is Applied Behavioral Analysis?

Answer 9

A science devoted to the understanding and improvement of human behavior
* Systematic
* Individualized
* Flexible
* Data-based decision making
* Meaningful
* Motivational

Question 10

What is behavior?

Answer 10

The whole range of observable and measurable activities of a living animal; everything people do and say