Transcript Autism - Beavercreek City Schools

Autism
Jennifer M. Schmidt, M.Ed.
According to Autism Speaks…
 What is Autism?
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex
developmental brain disorders known as Pervasive Developmental
Disorders (PDD). The other pervasive developmental disorders are
PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not
Otherwise Specified), (what was formerly known as) Asperger's
Syndrome now HFA, Rett Syndrome and Childhood Disintegrative
Disorder. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism
Spectrum Disorders.
What are the early signs?
 Lack of reciprocity
 Language; lack of language =Autism/overabundance of
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language (little professors)= HFA (Asperger’s Syndrome)
Routine
Special Interests
Sensory Challenges
Difficulty conveying emotions
 DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of Autism
I. A total of six (or more) items from heading (A), (B), and (C), with
at least two from (A), and one each from (B) and (C):
(A) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at
least two of the following:
• Marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors
such as eye-to- eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures
to regulate social interaction.
• Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental
level.
• A lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or
achievements with other people, (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing,
or pointing out objects of interest to other people).
• A lack of social or emotional reciprocity.
 (B) Qualitative impairments in communication as manifested
by at least one of the following:
• Delay in or total lack of, the development of spoken
language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate
through alternative modes of communication such as gesture
or mime).
• In individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in
the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others.
• Stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic
language.
• Lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social
imitative play appropriate to developmental level.
 (C) Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests
and activities, as manifested by at least two of the following:
• Encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and
restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or
focus.
• Apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or
rituals.
• Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. Hand or finger
flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements).
• Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects.
II. Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas,
with onset prior to age 3 years:
(A) Social interaction.
(B) Language is used in social communication.
(C) Symbolic or imaginative play.
III. The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett's
 Disorder or Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.
Source: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Fourth Edition
Asperger’s Syndrome vs. Autism
 Asperger’s Syndrome is Autism. The difference is that people
with Autism often lack language where as people with
Asperger’s Syndrome have an overabundance of language.
 People with Asperger’s Syndrome are typically much higher
functioning.
 With the recent DSM-IV revisions Asperger’s Syndrome is
not longer recognized, now it’s called High Functioning
Autism or HFA.
DSM-V
Autism Spectrum Disorder
One of the most important changes in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders (DSM-5) is to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The revised diagnosis represents a new, more
accurate, and medically and scientifically useful way of diagnosing individuals with autism-related
disorders.
Using DSM-IV, patients could be diagnosed with four separate disorders: autistic disorder, Asperger’s
disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, or the catch-all diagnosis of pervasive developmental
disorder not otherwise specified. Researchers found that these separate diagnoses were not consistently
applied across different clinics and treatment centers. Anyone diagnosed with one of the four pervasive
developmental disorders (PDD) from DSM-IV should still meet the criteria for ASD in DSM-5 or
another, more accurate DSM-5 diagnosis. While DSM does not outline recommended treatment and
services for mental disorders, determining an accurate diagnosis is a first step for a clinician in defining
a treatment plan for a patient.
The Neurodevelopmental Work Group, led by Susan Swedo, MD, senior investigator at the National
Institute of Mental Health, recommended the DSM-5 criteria for ASD to be a better reflection of the
state of knowledge about autism. The Work Group believes a single umbrella disorder will improve the
diagnosis of ASD without limiting the sensitivity of the criteria, or substantially changing the number of
children being diagnosed.
People with ASD tend to have communication deficits, such as responding inappropriately in conversations,
misreading nonverbal interactions, or having difficulty building friendships appropriate to their age. In
addition, people with ASD may be overly dependent on routines, highly sensitive to changes in their
environment, or intensely focused on inappropriate items. Again, the symptoms of people with ASD will fall
on a continuum, with some individuals showing mild symptoms and others having much more severe
symptoms. This spectrum will allow clinicians to account for the variations in symptoms and behaviors from
person to person.
Under the DSM-5 criteria, individuals with ASD must show symptoms from early childhood, even if those
symptoms are not recognized until later. This criteria change encourages earlier diagnosis of ASD but also
allows people whose symptoms may not be fully recognized until social demands exceed their capacity to
receive the diagnosis. It is an important change from DSM-IV criteria, which was geared toward identifying
school-aged children with autism-related disorders, but not as useful in diagnosing younger children.
The DSM-5 criteria were tested in real-life clinical settings as part of DSM-5 field trials, and analysis from that
testing indicated that there will be no significant changes in the prevalence of the disorder. More recently, the
largest and most up-to-date study, published by Huerta, et al, in the October 2012 issue of American Journal
of Psychiatry, provided the most comprehensive assessment of the DSM-5 criteria for ASD based on symptom
extraction from previously collected data. The study found that DSM-5 criteria identified 91 percent of
children with clinical DSM-IV PDD diagnoses, suggesting that
What is an Autistic Savant
 Splinter Skills-meaning they are weak in one area but very
gifted in another.
 They may draw extremely well or play the piano perfect, but
still have trouble relating to the world.
Artist video clip/William Wiltshire
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5421836n
How do people with Autism process
information differently?
 Many think in pictures which can be beneficial (William
Wiltshire, Temple Grandin).
Video link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fll676-aTQU
 They are using different part of their brain to process the
information.
What is sensory overload?
 Sensory things overwhelm people with Autism…a small sound
like the humming of a computer etc, can cause them to go into a
“melt down”.
 Florescent lights/no hats
 We give our students passes so that they can leave 5 min. early.
This allows them to avoid all of the chaos in the hall. My
classroom is also open to students during lunch so that they can sit
and eat in a calm environment.
Daily obstacles…
 Schedule changes
 Different rules/expectations in different classes
 Sensory overload
 Organization/turning in assignments
 Internal/External distractions
 Relating to peers/teachers
 Navigating socially
Communications Class
?’s…