Chapter 7: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Question 1

IDEA Definition (3)

Answer 1

-Developmental disability affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, before age 3, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
-Other characteristics include repetitive activities, stereotyped movements, resistance to change in environment or routine, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
-Not autism if educational performance is primarily affected by emotional disturbance (EBD)

Question 2

Characteristics (8)

Answer 2

-Impaired social interactions (extreme aloofness, deficits in theory of mind, deficits in joint attention)
-Communication and language deficits (echolalia, literal processing of verbal info)
-Repetitive, ritualistic, unusual behavior patterns (stereotypy - persistent, repetitive motor or vocal behavior with no purpose and produces self-stimulation)
-Unusual responsiveness to sensory stimulation (overresponsive - hypersensitive, under responsive - hyposensitive)
-Cognitive functioning (deficits in executive functioning -planning, goal setting, working memory, etc, uneven skill development, over selectivity, savant syndrome, obsessive attention to specific object or detail
-Challenging Behavior (sleep problems, food and eating problems, pica, destruction, aggression, self injury)
-Asperger’s: mild, impairment in social areas, deficits in nonverbals.
-Strengths: synthesizing info and creating systems out of it.

Question 3

Prevalence (4)

Answer 3

-Increased dramatically in recent years
-1 in 54 children
- 4 times as common in boys
-fourth largest special ed category, fastest growing

Question 4

Causes (4)

Answer 4

-85% idiopathic/unknown
-Neuropathy (brain development)
-Genetic Factors (having one child w/autism increases the chances of having a 2nd w/autism)
-Environmental factors (air pollution)

Question 5

Identification & Assessment (4)

Answer 5

-Reliably diagnosed at 18 months
- 1/3-1/2 aren’t diagnosed until after 6 years
-Screening at 18 and 24 months (SCQ, ASSQ)
-Diagnosed through Childhood Autism Rating Scale CARS-2 (rating scale by clinicians), ADI-R, ADOS-2 (semi-structured interviews, provoking child), ASDS for Asperger’s (yes or no items)

Question 6

Educational Approaches (5)

Answer 6

-Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI)
-Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA)
-Discrete Trial Training (one on one learning trials)
-Visual Activity schedule
-Social Stories

Question 7

Placement

Answer 7

-40% regular classrooms
-18% resource rooms
-33% separate class
-9% special schools or residential facilities