Autism

AUTISM
A developmental disability that severely
hinders the way information is gathered and
processed by the brain, causing problems in
communication, learning and social
behaviors.
 Autism
It typically appears during the child’s
first three years, occurs in roughly 15 to 20
of every 10, 000 births and is four times
more common in males and females.
 Developmental Disabilities
• Social Behavior – related to environment and to
interact with others in a social setting
• Cognitive Behavior – reflected in how the child
solves problems or achieves tasks that require
thinking
• Communication Behavior – has difficulty in
language
• Self-Help Behavior – delay in acquiring self-help
skills
SUBGROUPS and RELATED DISORDER
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder ( PDD)
Category is a general category of disorders which
are characterized by severe pervasive impairment
in several areas of development.

• Individuals who fall under this category exhibit

commonalities in communication and social
deficits but differs in terms of severity.
 Classifications of PDD
1. AUTISTIC DISORDER
- impairments in social interaction, communication,
imaginative play prior to 3 years; stereotype
behaviors, interests and activities.
2. ASPERGER’S DISORDER
– impairments in social interactions and the presence
of restricted activities with no clinically significant
general delay in language and testing in the range
of average to above average intelligence.
• High functioning autism
3. Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not
Otherwise Specified ( PDD-NOS )
• The child does not meet the criteria of a specified
diagnostic but there is severe and pervasive
impairment in specified behavior.
• Atypical autism
4. RETT’S DISORDER
- a progressive disorder which occurs only to girls
- period to normal development and then loss of
previously acquired skills
- loss of purposeful use of hands replaced with
repetitive hand movements beginning at the age of
1 – 4 years old.
5. CHILDHOOD DISINTEGRATIVE
DISORDER
- characterized by normal development for at least
the first 2 years then followed by a significant loss
of previously acquired skills.
- regressive autism
 Causes of Autism
1. Biological or neurological differences in
the brain
2. Physical disorders of the brain
3. genetic
 Symptoms of Autism
• Profound failure to relate to other people
• Impaired or delayed language acquisition and
comprehension
• Sensory Dysfunction
• Inappropriate and/or flat effect
• Stereo-typed, repetitive, self-stimulatory behaviors
• Normal appropriate play
• Obsessive ritualistic
 Characteristics
• Difficulty in mixing with other children
• Acts as deaf
• No fear of dangers
• Resists change in routine
• Indicates need by gestures
 Characteristics
• Inappropriate laughing or giggling
• Not cuddly
• Marked physical over-activity
• No eye contact
 Characteristics
• Inappropriate attachments to objects
• Spins object
• Sustained odd play
• Standoffish manner
 Indicators
• Physical Health
- The child is generally healthy
- Good looking
- Picky eater
- Exhibits disturbed sleeping patterns
- Has no apparent sense of pain; unable to
localize pain
 Indicators
• Fine Motor

- The child may either have good or poor

perceptual-motor skills

- Is absorbed by some objects with tendency to get

attracted to spin/round/whirl/tap objects

- Self-stimulates by touching surfaces/ edges /

arranging objects precisely repetitively
 Indicators
• Psychosocial
- The child exhibits limited/fleeting eye contact
- is aloof, passive, prefers solitary activities to
group activities
- manifests inappropriate emotional responses
- demonstrate unusual fears
- is socially immature and handicapped
- is maladaptive to changes in food, clothes,
routines, route or arrangement of things
- tend to be self injurious
 Indicators
• Language-cognitive/ Intellectual
- The child shows deficit in the use of language
- Under reacts to language visuals
- Demonstrate rote learning
- Exhibits inappropriate recall experiences
- echolalic
 Indicators
• Self-help Skills
- The child is delayed in performing tasks such as
eating, dressing and grooming
- Is unable to assume age-appropriate
responsibilities
- Lags behind in discriminating and avoiding
dangers
Is there a cure for Autism?
There is no definite cure but behavior
can be managed through:
Behavior Management Through family training and
reinforcements
Special Education •Individualized Instruction
•Structured and predictable schedules or
routine
•Extensive visual cues
•Task analysis
Behavior Modification • It is aimed to eliminate unwanted
behaviors, develop desirable ones and
teach skills that will permit the child to
develop and learn as normally as possible.
Community Programs •Vocational education and
placement programs
•Recreational programs
necessary for enjoyment and
physical well-being
Government Awareness • Autism Week – observed
Program every 3rd Week of January
 Curricular Emphases for CWA
• Communication Development – expressive skills through
speech or augmentative systems.

• Increase understanding of the environment

• Socialization – with emphasis on appreciating and

communicating feelings, managing frustrations, impulse
control and relaxation.

• Use academic instruction appropriate to the developmental

level of the student

• Vocational and community-living skills including self-help

skills.
Learning Problem to be Addressed
1. Organization – when face with complex organizational
demands, CWA are frequently immobilized and
sometimes will not be able to begin their required task.

2. Distractibility – it takes many forms in the classroom:

reacting to outside noises or visually following
movements instead of completing the required work.

3. Sequencing – difficulty in remembering precise order or

tasks because they focus concretely on specific details and
do not see the relationship between them.
4. Generalization – difficulty in applying what has
been learned in one situation to similar things.

5. Uneven profiles of skills and deficits – some

CWA can have extraordinary abilities to see
spatial relationships or understanding concepts but
unable to use these strengths because of
organizational and communicative limitations.

6. Receptive language – many CWA, especially at a

very young age, may not understand language.
Educational Methods
 Structured Teaching
Aspects of structure
• Physical environment
• Schedules
• Proactive routines
• Visual structure
 Structured Teaching
Physical structure refers to the way we set up and
organize each area in the classroom, where we
place the furniture and materials.
• Clear physical and visual boundaries
• Minimize visual and auditory distractions
• Develop basic teaching areas
 Sample of a Physical Structure

B
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Board AREA L
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Entrance MIRROR FEMALE CR MALE CR
 Sample of a Physical Structure
B
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White Board Media I
table L
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TABLES
For Group Activities table I
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table A
Table
Table Table B
For 2 Book Shelf
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Book Shelf N
Holding Area E
Entrance
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MIRROR Computer
FEMALE CR MALE CR
Sample Job Works with Visual Cues
 Job Work for Higher Level
1. Read Sentence
John works in the hospital.
2. Underline the noun
John works in the hospital.
3. Write the noun under its classification.
Person Place Thing Event
John hospital ____ _____
_____ ______ ____ _____
 Sample of a Daily Schedule
NAME :________________________
DATE :________________________

TIME TASK FINISHED

7:00 -7:15
7:15-7:30

7:45-8:15
8:15 – 8:30
8:30-9:00