Children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder are from all socioeconomic groups, as well as cultural, racial, and ethnic populations. More students with Autism Spectrum Disorder will be found in every community and neighborhood due to the increased identification of the disorder. Estimated annual cost of educating and caring for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder is to be around 90 billion dollars according to the Autism Society of America. Early diagnosis and intervention is a key factor in reducing treatment costs by two-thirds.
There are five related developmental disorders placed under the umbrella category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders. They include:
•Autism Spectrum Disorder affects the neurodevelopment system. The results are distinct learning and behavior characteristics •Autism Spectrum Disorder has an underlying biological/genetic cause that produces organic and/or physical changes during brain development. This results in atypical cognitive and social development and behaviors •Autism Spectrum Disorder affects individuals uniquely •Autism Spectrum Disorder does not result from poor parenting •Autism Spectrum Disorder affects the individual's ability to integrate sensory information and regulate their emotions
There are five deficit areas to consider as diagnostic criteria for identifying individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, they are:
Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibit varying degrees of difficulties in these five areas.
Recent research shows students with Autism Spectrum Disorder exhibit the same early symptoms that include:
•Lack of eye contact •Lack of joint attention (attention to the same item or topic as another person) •Atypical sensory/motor processing
Goals and Objectives for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
The general education teacher must ensure that students with Autism Spectrum Disorder have goals and objectives designed to promote the development of independent living, academic skills, and appropriate social behaviors and skills.
It is essential that these goals be introduced early and addressed annually in the individualized education program. If these goals are not addressed until the child reaches secondary school, there is a higher potential for many students with Autism Spectrum Disorder leaving school not able to live independently, succeed academically or be gainfully employed.
In order to help provide a smooth transition to a post-high school setting, the responsibilities of the IEP (individualized education program) team may include:
•Developing goals and short-term objectives that promote self-monitoring and independent living skills
Secondary individualized education program teams have the responsibility to identify the long-term supports these students will require for academic, economic and social independence. They must ensure students with Autism Spectrum Disorder have long-term goals that specify the need for explicit instruction in the essential social skills necessary for all post-secondary academic, social, and/or vocational settings. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder must be given multiple opportunities in a variety of social, academic, and vocational contexts to practice these skills.
Of highest priority is ensuring that students with Autism Spectrum Disorder acquire the essential social and daily living skills they need for a responsible integration into the community.
Transition Goals and Objectives of the Individualized Education Program team may include:
•Providing students with Autism Spectrum Disorder vocational and career exploration •Experiences to assist them with learning which careers or college majors can accommodate their uneven academic and/or social development while at the same time utilizing their unique abilities and interests •Opportunities to acquire vocational and/or work-related behaviors and skills required for successful employment and/or educational settings
Source: The Autism Society of America
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Teams of speech and language therapists will see many children who are diagnosed or at the early stages of diagnosis of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder also seeing young adults who are living with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Working with local multi-disciplinary teams, to help families consider a diagnosis at an earlier age. This has more recently involved, joint nursery visits with Paediatricians and Educational Psychologists to consider the child's presenting needs in a range of settings. Through such joint assessments the team of professionals have been able to more consistently support families considering a diagnosis.
It is our experience that families report they would have preferred a much more unified approach from the differing disciplines supporting their child. It is also crucial when considering such a diagnosis that the family is able to build up a rapport with the professionals and that information is shared readily and sensitively along the way. We are sad to hear if parents report that information has been shared insensitively and without due time and care to explain their findings further.
It is important to find Speech and Language Therapists who have a special interest in children and adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders who can offer some extensive experience in supporting the assessment procedures and providing a therapy programme to support the individual.
Managers of speech therapists will have a specialist interest within this group of children and young adults and take pride in striving to ensure that they know about the latest approaches so that therapists are informed to use a personalised combination of these approaches to suit the child, young person and their family.
-- What is Autistic Spectrum Disorder?
People with autism have difficulties communicating, forming relationships with others and find it hard to make sense of the world around them. Autism is a life-long brain disorder that is normally diagnosed in early childhood.
Repetitive behaviours are common across the spectrum, which includes Asperger Syndrome. This is a form of autism in which speech development and IQ are normal, but in which social disability can be compounded by depression or other mental health problems.
Autism is a spectrum disorder varying in symptoms, severity and impact from person to person and ranging from those with no speech and limited cognitive ability to those of high IQ and typically highly-focused interests and abilities.
Some people with autism demonstrate significantly challenging behaviours.
A distinction is made in assessing the needs of people with autism between those who have an IQ of less than 70, who are described as low functioning and classified as having a learning disability, and those who have an IQ above 70 who are often described as high functioning.
Some interesting facts about ASD;
Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
In total more than half a million people in the UK have an autistic spectrum disorder.
Autism affects people of all racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
There are estimated to be around 540,000 people with an autistic spectrum disorder in the UK.
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