Autism Specturm Disorders
Atended the first of a three part series on autism spectrum disorders which include Asperger's Syndrome and Pervasive Developental Delay.
Some things I found helpful included:
Many classic symptoms include of autism like spinning, head banging, endlessly repeating phrases, appear to be coping mechanisms rather than “hard-wired” behaviors.Other classic symptoms like lack of emotion, inability to love, now appear to be largely artifacts of impaired communication.
In persons with autism – the frontal lobes (home to higher reasoning) are greatly enlarged due to an excess of white matter – inflammation
The corpus Callosum (the part that links left and right brain hemispheres) is undersized and poorly coordinated across hemispheres. The Amygdala is enlarged. This plays a role in sizing up threats in the environment and emotion in emotiona and behavior. It’s size may be related to the high level of anxiety experienced by persons with Autism.
Many people with autism are visual thinkers. They think in pictures, not language. Pictures are their first language, words are a second language
Thoughts are like videotapes running in their mind – if interrupted with a question mid-way, they may have to rewind and begin again from the beginning in order to provide the answer.
Many people with autism have problems with remembering sequences
If the person can read, write the instructions down on paper
Instructions with more than 3 steps have to be written down
Remembering phone numbers can be difficult because they cannot picture the numbers in their mind.
Sequence is very difficult for persons with autism. Sometimes they do not understand if something is presented in a series of steps. Backward chaining - teaching the last step of a task, then teaching step by step in reverse may be helpful.
Swinging may improve eye contact and interaction. Sensory input sometimes improves speech. Never force swinging, it should always be fun.
Some autistic persons cannot process simultaneous visual and auditory input. They should not be asked to look and listen at the same time.
For many Non-verbal autistic people, touch is their most reliable sense.
They can learn daily schedules by feeling objects a few minutes before a schedules activity. For example, fifteen minutes before lunch, give the person a spoon to hold, or let them hold a toy a few minutes before going into the car.
Some individuals do not understand line drawings, so work with real objects and photographs first.
Some autistic people do not know that speech is used for communication.
Language exercises promote communication. for example: If a person asks for a cup, give him a cup. If he asks for a plate, when he wants a cup, give him a plate. The person needs to know when they say words, concrete things happen. It is easier for an autistic person to learn that their words are wrong if the incorrect word results in the incorrect object.
Some people with autism have difficulty distinguishing hard consonant sounds like “d” in dog and “l” in log. Even if a person passes a pure tone test, they may still have difficulty hearing hard consonants. People who talk in vowels are not hearing consonants. Help them learn by stretching out and enunciating hard consonant sounds.
Closed caption on TV helps in learning to read
Teaching generalization is often a problem for persons with autism. To teach the person to generalize the principle to not run across the street, it must be taught in many different locations. Otherwise they will think it only applies to one specific place.
Interresting ideas that may impact many forms of intellectual delays and disabilities.
Some things I found helpful included:
Many classic symptoms include of autism like spinning, head banging, endlessly repeating phrases, appear to be coping mechanisms rather than “hard-wired” behaviors.Other classic symptoms like lack of emotion, inability to love, now appear to be largely artifacts of impaired communication.
In persons with autism – the frontal lobes (home to higher reasoning) are greatly enlarged due to an excess of white matter – inflammation
The corpus Callosum (the part that links left and right brain hemispheres) is undersized and poorly coordinated across hemispheres. The Amygdala is enlarged. This plays a role in sizing up threats in the environment and emotion in emotiona and behavior. It’s size may be related to the high level of anxiety experienced by persons with Autism.
Many people with autism are visual thinkers. They think in pictures, not language. Pictures are their first language, words are a second language
Thoughts are like videotapes running in their mind – if interrupted with a question mid-way, they may have to rewind and begin again from the beginning in order to provide the answer.
Many people with autism have problems with remembering sequences
If the person can read, write the instructions down on paper
Instructions with more than 3 steps have to be written down
Remembering phone numbers can be difficult because they cannot picture the numbers in their mind.
Sequence is very difficult for persons with autism. Sometimes they do not understand if something is presented in a series of steps. Backward chaining - teaching the last step of a task, then teaching step by step in reverse may be helpful.
Swinging may improve eye contact and interaction. Sensory input sometimes improves speech. Never force swinging, it should always be fun.
Some autistic persons cannot process simultaneous visual and auditory input. They should not be asked to look and listen at the same time.
For many Non-verbal autistic people, touch is their most reliable sense.
They can learn daily schedules by feeling objects a few minutes before a schedules activity. For example, fifteen minutes before lunch, give the person a spoon to hold, or let them hold a toy a few minutes before going into the car.
Some individuals do not understand line drawings, so work with real objects and photographs first.
Some autistic people do not know that speech is used for communication.
Language exercises promote communication. for example: If a person asks for a cup, give him a cup. If he asks for a plate, when he wants a cup, give him a plate. The person needs to know when they say words, concrete things happen. It is easier for an autistic person to learn that their words are wrong if the incorrect word results in the incorrect object.
Some people with autism have difficulty distinguishing hard consonant sounds like “d” in dog and “l” in log. Even if a person passes a pure tone test, they may still have difficulty hearing hard consonants. People who talk in vowels are not hearing consonants. Help them learn by stretching out and enunciating hard consonant sounds.
Closed caption on TV helps in learning to read
Teaching generalization is often a problem for persons with autism. To teach the person to generalize the principle to not run across the street, it must be taught in many different locations. Otherwise they will think it only applies to one specific place.
Interresting ideas that may impact many forms of intellectual delays and disabilities.
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