Transcript Asperger Disorder - Kansas State University

Elevating the Success of College Students
Experiencing Autism Spectrum Disorders
(Asperger’s Disorder):
A Dialogue
NACADA
Salt Lake City
October 7, 2013
Workshop Facilitators
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Julie Preece
Ronald Chapman
Cynthia Wong
Michael Brooks
Norm Roberts
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
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“Caveats”
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Session’s Purpose:
– To enhance awareness of best advisement practices; not
prepare psychological service providers.
– Recognition, Reconnaissance, Respect, and Referral (4R’s)
help a majority of students experiencing autism spectrum
disorders.
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“Caveats”
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Session’s Purpose
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A thorough review of ASD disorders is beyond the scope of one workshop.
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In the DSM 5 there has been a change in terminology and diagnosis. Now
Asperger's Disorder is no longer an independent diagnosis and is viewed
as part of Autism Spectrum Disorder. For the purpose of this presentation
a milder form of the Autism Spectrum Disorder will still be referred to as
Asperger’s Disorder.
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ASD/Asperger’s Disorder (past nomenclature) may vary in its signs and
symptoms from person-to-person.
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In the United States, by law, students with disorders that rise to the level of
a disability receive reasonable accommodations that do not violate the
essential elements of the academic programs.
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Session Overview
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Data on students with Autism Spectrum Disorders,
specifically (old school nomenclature) Asperger’s Disorder,
among college age students
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Asperger’s Disorder– How to recognize the signs and symptoms.
– Problems the student may have in your office and class.
– Cases, discussions, and recommendations.
– Ideas on how to assist students you advise.
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Concluding Comments
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Overview of Autism Spectrum
Disorder
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United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention
(2012) issued a report stating that 1 in 88 children have
been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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People with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are
significantly more likely to choose STEM majors, if they
attend college. (Shattuck “STEM Participation Among
College Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder,”
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
November, 2012).
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Students with ASD enter college at a lower rate that
students with any other disability
Autism Spectrum Disorder
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This is a new diagnosis, superceding the old diagnoses of Autistic Disorder,
Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
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Autism Spectrum Disorder includes:
Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple
contexts, as manifested by:
* deficits in social-emotional reciprocity
* deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors (lack of eye contact, lack of
facial expressions and gestures)
* deficits in developing and maintaining relationships
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Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, activities, etc., must have at
least two:
* stereotyped/repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech
* insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, etc.
* highly restricted, fixated interests
* hyper/hypo reactivity to sensory input
Autism Spectrum Disorders:
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Until 6 months ago comprised:
Autistic Disorder (also called "classic" autism)
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Asperger Disorder
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Pervasive Developmental Disorder – NOS
Typically advisors in a college setting will work with
students on the higher functioning end of the spectrum
which in the old nomenclature would include higher
functioning students in all three previous diagnosis.
For the rest of this presentation we will refer to students
in this higher functioning group as students with
Asperger’s while acknowledging the name changes.
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Asperger’s Disorder
Asperger’s Disorder—”Caveats”
Variety of presentations and/or degrees!
 What it is not:
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Just shyness
Social awkwardness
Social opportunity disadvantage
Intellectual impairment
Delay of language development
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Areas Impacted
Social and Emotional
 Language and Communication
 Flexibility of Thought
 Repetitive behaviors, interests or actions
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What you may observe
in an advisment session?
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Impairment of social and emotional interaction
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use of nonverbal behaviors
lack of peer relationships
lack of emotional reciprocity
obsessive about an issue
May not respond to what is interesting to another
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Language and communication
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Flexibility of thought and imagination
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Repetitive behaviors, interests or actions:
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What you may observe
in an advisment session?
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Impairment of social and emotional interaction
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Language and communication
− understanding of ironic language
− understanding metaphor or words with double meanings
− avoidance of eye contact
− difficulty in reading professors/advisors/counselors
− may interrupt others or make inappropriate comments
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Flexibility of thought and imagination
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Repetitive behaviors, interests or actions:
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What you may observe
in an advisment session?
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Impairment of social and emotional interaction
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Language and communication
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Flexibility of thought and imagination
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may have problems following directions
may have problems with change
poor organizational skills
poor problem solving
difficulty with abstract concepts
Repetitive behaviors, interests or actions:
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What you may observe
in an advisment session?
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Impairment of social and emotional interaction
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Language and communication
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Flexibility of thought and imagination
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Repetitive behaviors, interests or actions
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restricted pattern of interests
adherence to routines
repetitive motor activities
preoccupation with parts of an object
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Asperger’s Disorder: Advisor Interventions
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Generally:
– Be aware and change if necessary sensory stimuli in your
office: bright screensavers, scented candles, music, etc.
– Avoid ironic language or expressions, puns or jokes
– Have same appointment time & be reliable
– Cancel well ahead if possible and contact student so
student knows the appointment has been changed
– Appreciate student’s intelligence
– Provide opportunities for students to find their way to and
around campus
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Other issues to be aware of
Easily stressed
 Anxiety
 Difficulty tolerating mistakes
 Prone to depression
 May have rage reactions and temper
out bursts
 Problems with sensory stimuli
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Summary
Social & Emotional
Language & Communication
Difficulty processing & retaining
verbal information
Difficulties with:
1. Friendship
2. Managing Unstructured parts
of the day
3. Difficulty understanding the
emotions of others
4. Working co-operatively with
others
Difficulty understanding:
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Jokes & Sarcasm
Social use of language
Literal interpretation
Body language, facial expression
and gesture
ASPERGER’S
Flexibility of Thought (Imagination)
Difficulty with:
1. Coping with change and routine
2. Empathy
3. Generalization
The difficulties
faced by someone
with Asperger’s
Syndrome. (Taken
and adapted from
the National
Autistic Society
Website, originally
by Lorna Wing and
Judith Gould 1979)
How might these signs and
symptoms impact your
advisment session?
How about performance in classes
in your major?
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Potential Strengths
for Individuals with ASD
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Usually average to above average intelligence
Good recall of factual information
Tend to do well in mathematical computations
Reliable
Strong sense of social justice
Attention to detail
Encyclopedic memory of some ideas
Highly skilled in a particular area
Visual learner
J&C
Honest
Video
Demonstration
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Challenge
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What do you see happening between the advisor
and the student?
What is the advisor attending to?
Where is the student’s attention
What would you do if this student was in your office?
What resources could/would you call on?
What issues need to be addressed?
How have you worked with students with this issue?
What concerns do you have contemplating working
with students with this concern.
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Best Practices: Be Logical
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Be clear with the student:
Ambiguity, lack of clarity, unclear expectations, can
perpetuate confusion which causes anxiety
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Do not expect the student can read what you or
another means or is feeling:
Difficulty with understanding what is in another
person’s head can make it hard for the student to
work out what the lecturer means
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Spell out how “A” relates to “B”; help students
see the links
http:www.brainhe.com
Nicola Martin “Real services to assist students who have Asperger’s syndrome”
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Logical Strategies
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Communicate in an unambiguous way
Write straightforward explanation for
assignments or direction
In class, students may respond best if the
relative weightings of pieces of work and how
much effort is expected is clearly spelled out
Explain the potential consequences of choices
Put achievement and failure in context
Say what you mean and mean what you say
http:www.brainhe.com
Nicola Martin “Real services to assist students who have Asperger’s syndrome”
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Asperger’s Disorder: Advisor Interventions
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In the office:
– Focus on one topic at a time at a time
– Use concrete observations or examples
– Provide a reminder of the topic of conversation; ask
specific questions to bring a student back on task
– Create specific—but limited in number— assignments or
activities to accomplish
– Write out, with the student, assignments
– Arrange for specific follow up
– Facilitate appropriate behaviors
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– Contact by email
What I Have Found Important
in Advisement
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Struggles with diagnoses and labeling –
– Pros and cons of a formal diagnosis?
How does a diagnosis affect advising
sessions?
 General Skills
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– Self-advocacy
– Creating a quantitative formula for success
– Navigating the nuances when things go wrong
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Academic Accommodation
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Extra time on exams (typically 50% extra)
Addresses rumination and executive functioning
deficits
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Distraction reduced exam rooms
Students can be easily overstimulated
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Note takers
Addresses attention and executive functioning
deficits , i.e. what’s important to note, how lecture
is structured, multitasking
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Academic Accommodations
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Priority Registration
Addresses student’s best time of day to function,
best match with instructors
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Copies of Instructor’s Notes
Addresses planning deficits/reduces anxiety
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Audio-recorded Lectures (use of Smart Pen)
Addresses fears of missing information; inattention
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Recurring appointments and helps (not
technically accommodations)
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Sample Letter to Faculty
Dr. Ed Martinelli
Utah Valley University
I am writing you at the request of a student in your class,
STUDENT, who is working with our office and receiving
accommodations due to a disabling condition. My hope is
that through this letter I can better convey the difficulties
STUDENT has had in other classes, and we hope to
provide a better and more successful experience for him.
The suggestions that follow are not necessarily
accommodations, but give a sense of strategies he is
trying to employ to find success at college. Since social
interactions are often more difficult for STUDENT than for
other students, this letter format is thought to better
convey the concerns and suggestions.
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One request that STUDENT would make is to have a very
brief meeting with you following each class so that he can
check out what is due for the next class… Second,
STUDENT would greatly appreciate, from time to time,
feedback on how he is doing in the course… Finally, due
to varying difficulties with social interactions, STUDENT
often finds it hard to initiate joining a study group. His
performance once in a group has never been a problem,
but the nuances of joining a group are difficult. Should a
study group be a frequently utilized aspect of your class,
any help you could offer STUDENT in helping to join a
group would be greatly appreciated.
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References
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http://blogs.wayne.edu/turninginformationintoknowledge/2013/03/1
2/academic-libraries-and-college-students-with-autism-spectrumdisorder-how-can-we-help/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html