A PARAPROFESSIONAL’S Guide to Understanding

Autism

Presented byVicki Sandoval

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Autism? Typical Development vs Autism

Sensorimotor Stage Pre Operational Stage Concrete Operational Stage Formal Operational Stage

Difficult Behaviors Examples Understanding Behaviors Changing Behaviors Behavioral Interventions

Typical Services Helping Students in Cl

ass Create a Setting… Instructional Approach

es Developing Skills Resources

Autism is a life-long developmental disability

that prevents people from understanding what

they see, hear, and otherwise sense

This results in severe problems with:

Social interactions

Communication

Repetitive Behaviors

Sensory integration

WHAT IS AUTISM?

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There are five disorders that fall under the umbrella of

Pervasive Developmental

Disorder (PDD)

WHAT IS AUTISM?

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1

•Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

2

•Asperger’s Syndrome

3

•Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

4

•Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)

5

•Rett Syndrome

WHAT IS AUTISM?

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Typical Developmental Stages

According to Jean Piaget’s Theory there are 4 main stages of

Cognitive Development

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Sensorimotor Stage - birth to age 2

TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

Smiles / coos / babbles Responds to voice and

sound Reaches out for objects Sits up, rolls over,

crawls Follows objects with

eyes Stands / walks Feeds self finger foods Gives hugs and kisses Shows interest in peers

AUTISM No babbling / cooing May have feeding problems Dislikes being changed or bathed Changes in routine causes distress Does not like being cuddled Doesn’t respond to voices /

sounds Fails to grasp objects Doesn’t sit, pull up or stand No eye contact Doesn’t respond to name Avoids physical contact such as

hugs and kisses Doesn’t listen or understand

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Pre Operational Stage - age 2 to 7

TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

Uses sentences to expresses wants and ideas

Climbs / runs / jumps Fine motor skills develop

– holds a pencil, uses scissors

Engages in dramatic play Interacts with peers Tells a simple story, asks

questions Shows empathy for others

AUTISM Unable to manipulate

small objects Has a language delay No interest in peers or toys Little balance when

running Limited communication

skills – points to address needs

Expresses insistence on sameness and resistance to change

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Concrete Operational Stage - 7 to 11

TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

Rides a bicycle, plays sports/games

Writes short paragraphs Understands and

follows three or more instructions

Complex language skills – narrates /describes experiences

Understands how to play games with rules

AUTISM Clumsy/awkward

movements when running Poor sense of balance Difficulty printing or writing Needs coaching to follow

simple instructions Unable to sequence events

when narrating Oral language skills are

limited Prefers to play alone Trouble making friends

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Formal Operational Stage age 11+

TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

Imagines different

realities

Solves hypothetical

propositions

Understands

consequences

AUTISM

Has difficulty thinking

“outside the box”

Displays rigidity and gets

stuck on certain activities

Seems to be in his “own

world”

May struggle to

understanding new concept sBack

DIFFICULT BEHAVIORS

Children with autism display many challenging behaviors. Sometimes they seem unreachable and impossible

to deal with. It’s important to look at the underlying deficits

that contribute to the problems. It will give us a better understanding of how to

help.

The behavior has a function for the child. Discover it, then Change it

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• Possible underlying cause: • Receptive language is impaired• Needs absolute consistency in

discipline or becomes confused • Needs discipline simplified for it to

make sense

The child won't follow rules,

doesn't respond to discipline,

and is difficult to control

• Possible underlying cause:• Can't communicate his needs• Is overwhelmed by sensory

experiences

The child screams

without cause, destroys things,

bites, is self-injurious

DIFFICULT BEHAVIORSExamples

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The child hits, pushes, spits, throws things, bites, and is mean to

other children or adults

•Possible underlying causes: •Frustration at not being able to communicate•A change in routine•Over-sensitivity to noise, crowds, smells, touch, sight•Feeling unwell, tired, hungry, thirsty, uncomfortable •Doesn’t want to do something

Suggested strategy:

•Stay calm, use a monotone

voice, don’t show any emotion.

Tell the student to keep their

hands down and feet down.

Say, “No pinching, slapping or

kicking” then redirect them.

DIFFICULT BEHAVIORSExamples

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The child fiddles with strange objects, stares into space, rocks, flaps hands or twists wrists, jumps, spins

or slams things, bangs head

• These are motor processing problems where the child has only limited control of what his body is doing

• Is overwhelmed by sensory input

• Needs repetitive behaviors to comfort himself

• Redirect the motions from unintentional to intentional

DIFFICULT BEHAVIORSExamples

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UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIORS

Remember: All behaviors have a purpose for the child The behavior may be the only way the

child knows how to communicate his/her needs

It may also be a way to get your attention It could be a way to escape or avoid a

situation Tantrums develop as a result of a child’s

inability to express their wants and needs. ▪ Anger, anxiety, fear or frustrations can all lead

to tantrums.

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CHANGING BEHAVIORS

There are many triggers for negative behaviors

Finding the trigger is the beginning of the solution A functional analysis helps analyze and

understand the child’s behavior Gives a clear idea about what is

triggering the behavior Shows if there are any patterns to

the behaviorBack

BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONA B C CHART

Antecedent What happened? (Trigger)

Behavior What did the child do? (What function does the behavior have?)

Consequence What happened after? (Did the child get what he wanted?)

This chart will pinpoint patterns

A-B-C Chart Student’s name: ______________________________________ School/site: ________________

Observed from ___/___/___ to ___/___/___ Completed by: ______________________________

Behavior of concern: (be specific and clear) ____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Date/Start & end time

A=Antecedent: Location, activity, people, etc.

B=Behavior What did the child do?

C=Consequence What happened after the behavior

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TYPICAL SERVICES

Occupational Therapy

•Services relate to self-help skills, adaptive behavior and play, and sensory, motor, and postural development.

Speech-Language Therapy

•Services for children with delay in communication skills or with motor skills such as weakness of muscles around the mouth or swallowing.

Physical Therapy

•Services to prevent or lessen movement’s difficulties and related functional problems.

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HELPING STUDENTS in CLASS

There are many ways to assist children with autism that improve their quality of life.

Children with autism are often confused, anxious and disconnected by everyday events and situations because they do not understand.

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CREATE a SETTING that ENCOURAGES LEARNING

Environme

nt

• Visual cues can be very helpful • R

einforces spoken instructions or plans,

• Can include pictures, objects and even written instructions

• A visual timetable of what is happening each week, combining routine and visual cues• H

elps student to understand the sequence in which things will happen and when they will happen.

• It has the added bonus of allowing the child to be more independent.

Attention

• The environment around the child should be calm

• Low amounts of stimulation to avoid anxiety.

• Things that might set off a sensory reaction can include intense sounds, touch, taste, vision, smell and pain so these should be reduced as far as possible.

Orga

niz

ation

• Paying attention is often a problem area for children with an autistic spectrum disorder• T

hey may prefer to pay attention to other things that interest them

• Their focus might switch from one thing to another very quickly, especially in the case of sounds, so keeping their environment quiet can be helpful.

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INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES

Children with autism are concrete, literal thinkers • Have difficulty

communicating both verbally and non-verbally.

No single method for teaching students with autism is successful for all students • Students’ needs change over

time, making it necessary to use different approaches.

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INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES

Visual Approaches

• Pictographic and written cues can often help the student to learn, communicate, and develop self-control

• Using visual supports enables the individual to focus on the lesson being taught 2 of 4

INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES

Other Approaches

• Provide praise while student is learning• Use meaningful reinforcements• Plan tasks at an appropriate level of difficulty

• Use age-appropriate materials• Provide opportunities for choice• Break down oral instructions into small steps• Pay attention to processing and pacing issues• Use concrete examples and hand-on activities

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INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES

Discrete Trial Methods

• Using prompts to help students learn is an important element of instruction for some students with autism

• Prompts may be physical, gestural, or verbal• Introduce unfamiliar tasks in a familiar environment• Prepare the individual for the new task prepare the individual for the

new task using aids such as pictures, videotapes, and/or social stories

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DEVELOPING SKILLS

Conversation skills Most people with autism have difficulty with the

pragmatics of communication (the interpretation and use of language in social situations).

Encourage informal and formal communicative social exchanges during the day.

Social skills Most students with autism do not know how to

interact socially or be involved with others.▪ They have not automatically learned the rules of interaction

with others, hence are unable to follow these unwritten rules of social behavior▪ Students need opportunities to practice social interactions

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DEVELOPING SKILLS

Functional skills These are skills needed to function as

independently as possible in the world.▪ May need direct instruction in personal hygiene,

grooming, and dressing.▪ Basic academic skills in reading, writing, and

mathematics in real life situations is another important area to teach

▪ Students need to learn how to communicate personal information such as their name, birth date, address, and telephone number

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References

EDUU 675z - Developmental Treatment Modality Planning PowerPoint slideshow (week 3)

EDUU 675z - Developmental Milestones in Autistic Children –PowerPoint slideshow (week 6)

http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/formaloperation.htm

1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with Autism or Asperger's, 2nd Edition by Ellen Nothohm/Veronica Zysk

Reaching and Teaching children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Best Practices Guide

http://special-needs.families.com/blog/flapping-spinning-waving-whirling-the-child-with-irregular-motor-behavior

http://www.brighttots.com/early_intervention.html http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/docs/autism.pdf http://www.do2learn.com/sitemap/index.htmBack