Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Lecture Info from a Lab Day!

Autism Statistics

it is a developmental disability that affects 1 in 88 children and is 5 times more common in boys.

Clinical Definition for Autism

challenges with social communication and interactions and with the ability to develop and maintain relationships, stereotyped movements and use of objects, ritualized patterns of behavior, excessive resistance to change, preoccupation with objects, and unusual interest in sensory aspects of environments that affect function and participation.

Educational (IDEA) Definition of Autism

a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age three, that adversely affects a child's educational performance.

Basic Characteristics

engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

Comorbidity

anxiety, attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, seizures, gastrointestinal disorders, and allergies.

Symptoms of Autism

disturbances in… social interaction that affect the child’s ability to meaningfully interact with people as well as inanimate object, communication that may be mild to severe, behavior reflective of intolerance (evidenced by resistance to change, stereotypical behavior, and bizarre attachments to objects) and sensory and perceptual processing and associated impairments (problems of sensory and perceptual processing that may be either registration (acknowledge/orient to sensation) or modulation (control over input) ).

Social Interactions

affect meaningful interactions, delayed language, difficulty reading nonverbal cues, body language, expressions, sensory, unusual interests, preoccupations with interests, controlling topics, behaviors, eye contact, personal space, decreased awareness of others, and difficulty with humor.

Behavior

intolerance, resistance to change, stereotypical behaviors, unusual attachment to objects, withdrawn, anxious, afraid, repetitive behaviors, and transitions.

OT Role with Behavior

be consistent, need to read cues quickly, FBA, visual supports, and social stories.

Delayed Language or Language Deficit

mild disarticulation or absence of meaningful speech, social language, eye contact, repetitive speech, scripted language, echolalic, decreased receptive and expressive, and literal meaning.

OT Role with Delayed Language or Language Deficit

know child’s communication method (verbal, signs, gestures, pictures) and understand processing time.

Early Signs of Sensory Processing Deficits

infant may stiffen when held, does not calm when held, startles to touch.

Sensory Processing

difficulty with registration and/or modulations, low registration, hypersensitive and avoiding, sensory seeking, decreased awareness of surroundings, fascination with lights, movement, flap arms when excited, and jump, rock, spin self or objects.

Food Issues

decreased tolerance to textures, rigidity in food preferences, food refusals, packages, eat unusual substances (soil, paper, rubber, soap), and high risk for allergies and gastrointestinal issues.

ABA

Applied Behavioral Analysis.

PBIS

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports.

Sensory Interventions

evaluate how sensory aspects of the environment or activity affects the child & child’s specific sensory responses and needs, sensory based interventions can improve social and play, pair sensory based interventions with functional skills, sensory diets/supports/breaks, adapt and modify activities and environment, and limited evidence supports remedial sensory approaches.

Sensory Concerns

defensiveness, unable to tolerate some input (must honor this), sensory seeking (movement, tactile, oral, proprioceptive), and overwhelming, painful, fear, or delayed response.

Sensory Needs

provide movement (may need to be followed by calming activity), deep pressure, proprioceptive activities or “heavy work”, and quiet space, or down time.

Social - Cognitive Skills Training

teach manners, self-awareness, body language, social cues, social stories can help, social interaction groups, and video modeling.

ASD with Peers

peer modeling and play based approach.

ASD with Parents

trained to provide interventions.

Visual Supports

any visual supports such as visual schedules, behavior charts, augmentative communication (PECS), children with autism often have strengths in visual processing, and visual schedules help with transitions.