Autism
Definition
Autism, as defined by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), refers to “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.” This federal definition then proceeds to name traits commonly related to the condition: “Other characteristics often associated with autism are engaging in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. The term autism does not apply if the child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance, as defined in [IDEA].”
Retrieved from: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/autism/
Characteristics
The characteristics of autism can vary widely from individual to individual dependent on both developmental age and etiology. However, there are key characteristics that are apparent in some form in this population across all of the spectrum disorders. Individuals with autism will always have developmental differences in communicative function, social interaction skills, and behavioral characteristics that will be present to varying degrees.
Communicative functioning in individuals with autism is often delayed, both in verbal and in nonverbal communication abilities. Language development is slow and atypical, and currently about 50% of individuals never progress to spoken or symbolic communication. When language does develop, the individual may be unable to sustain conversation unless it involves something of personal interest to them, and abstract topics, such as emotions, may be rarely expressed. Nonverbal abilities are also impacted in autism, and social skills, such as maintaining eye contact and appropriate personal space, can be particularly difficult for these individuals. These deficits in communication can negatively impact the ability of these individuals to successfully navigate the social world of friendship, academia and work.
Socially, individuals with ASD can be as diverse as their typical peers - seeking constant attention at one end of the spectrum, all the way to avoiding all contact at the other end of the spectrum. Their inability to express their desire for social contact in socially acceptable ways (i.e. they may not make any eye contact and may look away while standing very close) often gives the impression that a person with ASD wishes to be isolated from their peers. Students with ASD may lack the pragmatic, language, observation and imitation skills to participate in a majority of social situations. Additionally, people with ASD may also have difficulty with personal hygiene, conforming to dress codes, and auditory processing. Students with ASD may experience difficulty responding to new and/or unique situations. They may have restricted interests and self-stimulating behavior which can negatively impact their ability to socialize easily or effectively. If 90% of communication is non-verbal, individuals with ASD are often unaware of this 90% of communication.
Unusual, negative and/or aggressive behavior issues are often present in individuals with autism, some of which can pose a danger to the individual. Some children can display self-injurious behavior such as biting, scratching, pinching, or hitting their own faces or bodies. These extreme behaviors often seem to have an underlying communicative function, such as expressing pain or hunger. Individuals with autism can also be drawn to ingest nonedible items, a condition called pica, which they share with a number of other disability categories. These individuals can often be alternately extremely sensitive or nonreactive to both sounds and touch.
Retrieved from: http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/autism/
Accommodations and Modifications
Resources
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Autism http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/autism/
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Autism https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/autism/
IRIS Center Supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs and located at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, the IRIS Center develops and disseminates free, engaging online resources about evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices to support the education of all students, particularly struggling learners and those with disabilities.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (Part 1): An Overview for Educators https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/asd1/cresource/#content
Autism Spectrum Disorder (Part 2): Evidence-Based Practices https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/asd2/
Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. Videos: What We Know (and What We Don't Know Yet) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlMcLTqRLs
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication Problems in Children https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/autism-spectrum-disorder-communication-problems-children
Temple Grandin: The World Needs All Kinds of Minds https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds
Carina Morillo: To Understand Autism, Don't Look Away https://www.ted.com/talks/carina_morillo_to_understand_autism_don_t_look_away
Autism, as defined by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), refers to “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.” This federal definition then proceeds to name traits commonly related to the condition: “Other characteristics often associated with autism are engaging in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences. The term autism does not apply if the child’s educational performance is adversely affected primarily because the child has an emotional disturbance, as defined in [IDEA].”
Retrieved from: https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/autism/
Characteristics
The characteristics of autism can vary widely from individual to individual dependent on both developmental age and etiology. However, there are key characteristics that are apparent in some form in this population across all of the spectrum disorders. Individuals with autism will always have developmental differences in communicative function, social interaction skills, and behavioral characteristics that will be present to varying degrees.
Communicative functioning in individuals with autism is often delayed, both in verbal and in nonverbal communication abilities. Language development is slow and atypical, and currently about 50% of individuals never progress to spoken or symbolic communication. When language does develop, the individual may be unable to sustain conversation unless it involves something of personal interest to them, and abstract topics, such as emotions, may be rarely expressed. Nonverbal abilities are also impacted in autism, and social skills, such as maintaining eye contact and appropriate personal space, can be particularly difficult for these individuals. These deficits in communication can negatively impact the ability of these individuals to successfully navigate the social world of friendship, academia and work.
Socially, individuals with ASD can be as diverse as their typical peers - seeking constant attention at one end of the spectrum, all the way to avoiding all contact at the other end of the spectrum. Their inability to express their desire for social contact in socially acceptable ways (i.e. they may not make any eye contact and may look away while standing very close) often gives the impression that a person with ASD wishes to be isolated from their peers. Students with ASD may lack the pragmatic, language, observation and imitation skills to participate in a majority of social situations. Additionally, people with ASD may also have difficulty with personal hygiene, conforming to dress codes, and auditory processing. Students with ASD may experience difficulty responding to new and/or unique situations. They may have restricted interests and self-stimulating behavior which can negatively impact their ability to socialize easily or effectively. If 90% of communication is non-verbal, individuals with ASD are often unaware of this 90% of communication.
Unusual, negative and/or aggressive behavior issues are often present in individuals with autism, some of which can pose a danger to the individual. Some children can display self-injurious behavior such as biting, scratching, pinching, or hitting their own faces or bodies. These extreme behaviors often seem to have an underlying communicative function, such as expressing pain or hunger. Individuals with autism can also be drawn to ingest nonedible items, a condition called pica, which they share with a number of other disability categories. These individuals can often be alternately extremely sensitive or nonreactive to both sounds and touch.
Retrieved from: http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/autism/
Accommodations and Modifications
- List of IEP Accommodations and Specially Designed Instructions http://www.paautism.org/resources/Individuals-with-autism/Resource-Details/itemid/4648/ASERT-FAQ-List-of-IEP-Accommodations-and-Speciall
- 5 Important Classroom Accommodations for Children With Autism http://caring4ourkids.com/important-classroom-accommodations-for-autistic-children/
- 20 Classroom Modifications for Students with Autism http://tcsps.sharpschool.net/UserFiles/Servers/Server_981069/File/Migrated%20Documents/20_classrm_modifications_for_students_with_autism.pdf
- What Are School Accommodations and Modifications for Students with Asperger’s? https://aspergers101.com/4072-2/
- How to Modify Curriculum for Students with ASD https://www.crporegon.org/cms/lib/OR01928264/Centricity/Domain/45/How%20to%20Modify%20Curriculum%20for%20Students%20with%20ASD.pdf
- Accommodations, Services, and Supports Provided to Students with Autism https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/pubs/20073005/accommodations.asp
Resources
Project IDEAL (Informing and Designing Education for All Learners) is a project of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. This site includes teaching modules, videos, articles, and activities as part of a teacher preparation program intended to better prepare teachers to work with students with disabilities.
Webpage: Autism http://www.projectidealonline.org/v/autism/
SpecialEducationGuide.com is a resource for parents and educators with articles explaining terminology, procedures and best practices in special education. Topics covered include early intervention to ISFPs; IEPs and RTI, inclusion, classroom and behavior management; disability profiles for each category under IDEA and a Special Education Dictionary to master “SPED” jargon. Article: Autism https://www.specialeducationguide.com/disability-profiles/autism/
IRIS Center Supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs and located at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, the IRIS Center develops and disseminates free, engaging online resources about evidence-based instructional and behavioral practices to support the education of all students, particularly struggling learners and those with disabilities.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (Part 1): An Overview for Educators https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/asd1/cresource/#content
Autism Spectrum Disorder (Part 2): Evidence-Based Practices https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/asd2/
Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions. https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. Videos: What We Know (and What We Don't Know Yet) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlMcLTqRLs
Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication Problems in Children https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/autism-spectrum-disorder-communication-problems-children
Temple Grandin: The World Needs All Kinds of Minds https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds
Carina Morillo: To Understand Autism, Don't Look Away https://www.ted.com/talks/carina_morillo_to_understand_autism_don_t_look_away