1.+What+is+Autism?

1. What is Autism?
__Changes to Autism Diagnosis in DSM 5:__

__A complex neurological developmental disorder that affects the brain and creates deficits in__: __**Educational Definition (IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i)**__ “Autism” means a developmentaldisability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbalcommunication and social interactions, generally evident before age 3,that adversely affects a child’seducational performance.
 * 1) Communication and language
 * 2) Social Interaction
 * 3) Behavior (restricted and repetitive)

**1. __Communication Impairments__**

 * Individual may not develop any spoken language, or may have significantly delayed language development.
 * Difficulty initiating and maintaining conversations with others
 * Stereotyped, repetitive, or idiosyncratic use of language
 * It may be difficult for students with autism to understand the communication of others:
 * questions
 * instructions
 * body language & gestures
 * tone of voice
 * facial expressions

**2. __Impairments in Social Interaction__**

 * Impairment in the use of multiple non-verbal behaviors
 * Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
 * May have little interest in interacting with others, often preferring to be alone.
 * Does not seek to share enjoyments, interests, or achievements with other people
 * Lack of social or emotional reciprocity
 * Difficulty understanding social rules such as turn-taking or sharing
 * Does not “read” or understand feelings of others, making it difficult to adjust their own behavior accordingly.
 * Difficulty seeing another person’s perspective
 * Difficulty with regulating own emotions, or has emotional reactions that are out of place for the circumstance

__**Educational Definition (IDEA) 34 CFR §300.8(c)(1)(i)**__ Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement inrepetitiveactivities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in routine, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

**3. __Restricted & Repetitive Behavior__**

 * May prefer to repeat the same activities in a variety of situations, such as lining up objects
 * Has narrow interests and often an intense focus on specific topics
 * Changes in settings or routines may be upsetting
 * May insist on sameness, struggling with even minorchanges to the environment

__**Associated Features**__
__This difficulty with sensory processing may affect the student in many possible ways__:
 * __Sensory Difficulties__**: Students with autism often have significant sensory differences when compared to typically-developing peers. May be under-responsive or over-responsive to:
 * Light (sunlight, fluorescent lights, TV images)
 * Noise (music, crowd noise, alarms)
 * Smells (food, cologne, household cleaners)
 * Touch (clothing, hugs, social situations)
 * Textures of foods (food jags)
 * Avoid / Escape (cover ears/eyes, attempt to leave)
 * Seek out a higher intensity (larger quantity, louder, brighter)
 * Emotional responses (crying, tantrum)
 * Motivation: The desire for items/activities, like reinforcers, is affected.
 * Willingness to comply with non-preferred requests (i.e., academic) may be reduced.

__**Challenging Behaviors:**__ These interfere with learning and other activities within the classroom, such as:
 * Difficulty in attending to activities and people
 * Hyperactivity
 * Impulsivity
 * Verbal outbursts
 * Tantrums
 * Non-compliance to adult requests


 * __How prevalent is Autism__**?
 * Currently: Between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240, with an average of 1 in 110 children (Centers for Disease Control, CDC)
 * 4X more likely to occur in boys

__**Autism is a Spectrum Disorder, so the severity of impairment varies from person to person. Higher-functioning individuals:**__
 * May have no significant general language delay (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communication phrases by age 3 years)
 * May not have a significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
 * May show an interest in social interactions, but has difficulty navigating them.


 * __Educational Implications of Autism:__**
 * Academic performance
 * Organizational skills
 * Adaptive / daily living skills
 * Generalizing skills across settings and/or people
 * Difficulties working in groups
 * May require direct teaching and repetition to acquire new skills
 * Challenging behavior