AUTISM

LANIE LEONOR A. CARBON

AUTISM

• It is a spectrum disorder

- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological and developmental disorder that

affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave.

• “Autism” comes from the Greek word “autos”.

• The word “autistic” meaning to escape form reality was first used by Leo Kanner in
1943 when he identified the symptoms characterized by autism.
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA)

1) A pervasive developmental disorder significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal

communications and social interactions.

2) The onset is before 3 years old.

3) Adversely affects a child's educational performance

4) Characterized by repetitive activities, stereotype movements, resisting to environmental

change or routines and unusual responses to sensory experience
CLASSIFICATIONS

• Autism is classified into mild, moderate and severe. Those who are classified as
mild, and moderate are called high functioning.
• In the past they were described in a French term "idiot savants" which means
unlearned skills. But today we describe these skills as autistic savant or savant
skills.
 CHARACTERISTICS

DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS (DSM IV, 2000)

1. IMPAIRMENT IN SOCIAL INTERACTION

2. IMPAIRMENTS IN COMMUNICATION

3. IMPAIRMENT IN BEHAVIOR

4. IMPAIRMENT IN SENSORY PROCESSING

CAUSES OF AUTISM
 THEORIES ON AUTISM

 Gargiulo (2009) discussed several of these theories. One of the most popular is the "bad

mothering". This is known as psychogenic theories of autism. According to the theory, the

parents especially the mothers are causing their child's autism.

 Another theory assumes autism is organically based and that mother's behavior was a

reaction to the child's condition. Lastly, some researchers believe that children with autism

were not conditioned properly by their parents. These theories have long been disproven and

there is not enough evidence to test previous hypothesis.

GENETIC FACTOR

 Researchers believe that some people have a strong genetic predisposition

to autism. It means that they are more prone to develop this condition and it

can be passed on from parents to children.

 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR

 National Autism Association believed that parental age could cause autism. This

organization also believes that babies that have been exposed to cigarettes, alcohol and

medicines such valproic acid and thalidomide during pregnancy has the higher risk of

autism. They also suggest that children born to mothers who live within 1000 feet of

freeways have twice the risk of autism. Other environmental factors that this group believes

that may cause autism are pesticide and chemical exposure such as lead and mercury.
SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAMS

TREATMENT AND EDUCATION OF AUTISTIC AND RELATED

COMMUNICATION HANDICAPPED CHILDREN (TEACHC)

Susan Strokes, an autism consultant, mentioned in her website the

Structured Teaching Intervention as one of the teaching techniques in this
model. It was introduced by Eric Schopler in the late 1970s from the
University Carolina TEACCH Division.
FOUR MAIN DIMENSIONS

1) SCHEDULING

2) PHYSICAL ORGANIZATION

3) TASK ORGANIZATION

4) WORK SYSTEMS
PHYSICAL ORGANIZATION

By setting a physical organization, such as providing clear areas and

boundaries for specific activities inside the classroom can help the students
remember the activities that take place in each area. Also, a clear physical
organization can also help minimize the visual and auditory distractions.
WORK SYSTEMS

Through this technique, the student will be guided by visual cues what and
how much activities should be done independently. It also helps the student to
monitor their task and session completion.
TASK ORGANIZATION

According to Schopler and his co researchers, they pointed out that the
organization of task determines the students can work independently, how are
tasks need to be accomplished, how items must be completed, and the final
outcomes.
 ALTERNATIVE AND AUGMENTATIVE COMMUNICATION
According to National Autistic Society and Research Autism, alternative and augmentative communication is a form
of communication used by people who are unable to use the standard form of communications.

Alternative Communication is a replacement for standard communications while the Augmented Communication
enhances the communication that the person knew.

1) Facilitated communication - In this strategy, a facilitator of the communication buddy will physically support the
person with autism demonstrate what he likes to communicate by pointing the pictures, symbols, letters or words for
him. This form of communication is usually combined with sign language.

2) Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) - In this strategy, students who struggles in talking or writing
can learn to communicate by the use of pictures. The teacher can train the students with autism to use a picture to
express what he wants.
 BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS

Behavioral intervention encourages appropriate behavior and discourage

inappropriate behavior.

Inappropriate behaviors are screaming, inflicting harm to self or others.

Task Analysis is breaking complex skills into a series of small steps.

Backward chaining method it is the process that teacher or the therapist prompts
the child through the entire process, leaving the last part or parts for him to complete.
APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) focuses on objectively defined and

observable behaviors. The teacher assesses the current skills and behavioral
deficits of the child in his environment. ABA teaching focuses on the priority
skills that the child needs.
INCIDENTAL TEACHING

Anderson and Romanczyk as cited in Lovaas Institute website explain

incidental teaching further. They said, "In incidental teaching, the instructor
assesses the child's ongoing interests, follows the child's lead, restricts access
to high-interest items, and constructs a lesson within the natural context, with
a presumably more motivated child."
 DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING (DTT)

In this teaching strategy, there is a one-on-one session during which a sequence of
routines of fixed or planned learning trials are presented one at a time by the teacher to
the student. The child and the teacher sit at the table together.

DTT is a method of teaching in simplified and structured steps. Instead of teaching

entire skill in one go, the skill is broken down and “built- using discrete trials that
teach each step one at a time”
DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING (DTT)

DTT has six parts namely;

1) ANTECEDENT
2) PROMPTS
3) RESPONSE
4) CONSEQUENCE FOR CORRECT RESPONSE
5) CONSEQUENCE FOR INCORRECT RESPONSE
6) INTERTIAL INTERVAL
 DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING (DTT)
 ANTECEDENT - Antecedent is the element in the discrete trial that leads the child to respond.

 PROMPTS - Prompts are usual way to start teaching a behavior. The goal of using prompts is to extensively shape

behavior and for skill acquisition.

 RESPONSE - Response is also called the target behavior. The child's response may be successful or not.

 CONSEQUENCE FOR CORRECT / INCORRECT RESPONSE - When the child's response is correct, the teacher

will have to show the correct answer and continue prompting the child until he is able to get the correct answer.

 INTERTIAL INTERVAL - It signifies the end of the discrete trial and before starting another one.
DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING (DTT)
TYPES OF PROMPTS

 Full Physical Assistance - assisting the learner to pick up a cup, the teacher must take
the child's hand and guides in picking it up.
 Partial Physical Assistance - assisting the learners to pick up a cup by guiding the
child's hand to the cup by tapping his elbow.
 Full Model - assisting the learners how to clap, by performing the clapping while telling
the child to clap.
 Partial Model - assisting the learners how to clap by putting his hands in front of him,
but does not actually clap.
DISCRETE TRIAL TEACHING (DTT)
TYPES OF PROMPTS

 Full Verbal Prompts - the teacher expressively label "car", the teacher asks, “What is it?
Say car”.
 Partial Verbal Prompts - the teacher expressively label "car", the teacher asks, “What is
it? Say c__”.
 Gestural Prompts - teaching the function of an object, the teacher says, "What do you
drink with?" while holding his hand to his mouth shaping it like a cup.
 Positional Prompt - assisting the child to label "toy", the teacher places the toy closest
to the child.
PIVOTAL RESPONSE TRAINING

• Robert Koegel, Ph.D. and Lynn Kern Koegel, Ph.D. are the educational psychologists who
developed the pivotal response training in the 1970s at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Pivotal Response as derived from the applied behavioral analysis (ABA) is a naturalistic
intervention model.

• It targets the important or the "pivotal" areas in the child's development such as motivation,
responsiveness to multiple cues, self-management and social initiation. The first pivotal area is
motivation. Doctors Koegel and colleagues explained that improving the motivation of children
with autism can increase their responsiveness in environmental stimuli.
 PIVOTAL RESPONSE TRAINING

They suggest ways to improve the motivation of the child with autism.

1. Allow the child to choose materials during activities to give them a sense of engagement.

2. Combine previously learned tasks with a new one to give them a sense of success.

3. Encourage the child from the moment he attempts to respond.

4. Use natural and direct reinforcement. For example, the student can request for the train model. His reward

is to play with the train. He will not be given stickers or points for requesting the toy properly.
SENSORY-BASED INTERVERNTION

Jean Ayres, Ph.D, a licensed clinical psychologist and an occupational therapist developed sensory

integration in 1970. In her observation, she noticed that most learners with autism are experiencing a

variety of sensory deficits in the areas of tactile, visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and

vestibular and proprioception. These individuals were categorized into hyper-sensitive and hypo-

sensitive. These deficits may often lead to their disruptive behavior and learning difficulties since

there is a defective sensory integration and the brain cannot process it normally.
SENSORY-BASED INTERVERNTION

 Tactile (touch). Weighted vests, weighted blanket, resistive putty, handheld fidgets, holding something

cold, writing in sand or salt.

 Vestibular (balance). Hanging upside down on a jungle gym, jumping on a trampoline, swinging on a

swing, twirling and spinning, rocking on a rocker, and sitting on a therapy ball.

 Proprioception (body awareness). Exercise, handing out books, running an errand, weighted backpack,

seat cushion, pushing a cart, and wheelbarrow walk.

 Visual (sight). Lights turned off, sunglasses, cap with ill, elevated slant board, highlighting pen and

study carrel.
SENSORY-BASED INTERVERNTION

 Auditory (hearing). Talking calculator, music, earplugs, headphones, chimes, squeeze toys,

and books on tape.

 Gustatory (taste). Sucking a thick liquid through a straw, blowing bubbles, playing a

musical instrument, drinking cold water, and eating crunchy foods.

 Olfactory (smell). Nose plug, scratch-and-sniff stickers, scented candles, and scented pens

or markers.
 EMOTIONAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL MODEL

 The National Autistic Society and Research Autism revealed that Developmental Interventions works

to focus the core deficits within each learner rather their outward behaviors. Educators and professional

workers must engage on the learner's actions and interests in order to definitely build socialization,

communication, affection, and the specific skills of symbolic thinking and logical reasoning.

 One typical teaching technique in this model is the use of floor time. Floor time is a play-based

interactive intervention that was created by Greenspan and Wieder. It aims to increase socialization,

improve language and decrease repetitive behavior.

SOCIAL NARRATIVES

 Social stories were developed by Carol Gray in 1991. According to her webpage, social

stories help teach social skills, develop self-help skills, academic abilities, develop self-

esteem and help a person to cope with changes to routines and unexpected events. It is

also used as behavioral strategy and improves individual understanding of events and

expectations that may lead to more effective response.

SOCIAL NARRATIVES

 Comic strip is another technique developed by Carol Gray to help children with autism to

gain social understanding. It is a simple visual representation of conversation that uses

stick figure, symbols and color. It includes the dialogue during the conversation, the

feelings and intentions of the people in the conversation. This can be helpful for children

with autism in teaching how to recognize feelings and emotions in social communication.
SOCIAL NARRATIVES

 Power Card. According to Gagnon (2001) as cited in Texas Guide in Effective Teaching,

the Power Card Strategy is designed around a student's special interest. The procedure,

consist a brief scenario and a visual cue which will assist learners in progressing

appropriate interest in both interactions and social behaviors. The power card strategy

includes a short script written in the first person on a card with colored illustration or

photographs. It is also helpful to use characters that will catch the child's interest.
THE END