Autism Spectrum Disorder

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WHAT IS AUTISM?


Autism describes a variety of developmental conditions and has broad diagnosis criteria.

Approximately 1.9% of children are diagnosed with autism. Each child with autism differs in the characteristics they present. Diagnosis typically occurs in early development.

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Individuals with autism have significant difficulties in:

  • social relationships
  • nonverbal and verbal communication
  • reciprocating emotions
  • repetitive behaviors
  • overly restricted interests

COMMUNICATION SKILLS


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  • Form – Syntax, Morphology, Phonology
    • Experience delays in all three aspects of form
    • First words often imitations with little meaning
  • Content – Vocabulary & Semantics
    • Delayed onset of verbal language
    • Expressive language (communicating) is stronger than receptive language (understanding) for many children with ASD
  • Use – Pragmatics
    • Pragmatic language impairment is a universal deficit for children with autism

LITERACY SKILLS


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  • Wide range of literacy and reading skills
  • Levels of oral language abilities and literacy skills are related
  • Strengths:
    • Word reading
    • Phonemic awareness
    • Spelling
  • Weaknesses:
    • Struggle decoding mechanics necessary for reading
    • Difficulties with reading comprehension
    • Struggle with narrative production
    • Negative attitudes towards reading

INTERVENTIONS


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  • Communication Skills
    • Variety of levels and types of interventions
    • One common type is naturalistic intervention
      • Important aspects: following the child’s lead, responsive interaction, embedded learning opportunities, and using the natural environment as a learning context
      • The video below demonstrates how to implement naturalistic intervention by taking advantage of learning opportunities

  • Literacy Skills
    • Reading comprehension instruction should be a crucial part of the curriculum
    • Direct instruction
      • Addresses reading comprehension and oral language skills
    • Computer-based intervention
    • The video below explains further how to implement direct instruction

Helpful Links for More Information
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