{"id":679,"date":"2020-10-24T03:45:43","date_gmt":"2020-10-24T03:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/speds2430\/?page_id=679"},"modified":"2020-11-18T17:20:02","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T17:20:02","slug":"autism-spectrum-disorder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/my.vanderbilt.edu\/speds2430\/2020-topics\/autism-spectrum-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"Autism Spectrum Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"

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WHAT IS AUTISM?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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Autism describes a variety of developmental conditions<\/strong><\/span> and has broad diagnosis criteria.<\/p>\n

Approximately 1.9% of children<\/span><\/strong> are diagnosed with autism. Each child with autism differs in the characteristics they present. Diagnosis typically occurs in early development<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Individuals with autism have significant difficulties in:<\/p>\n

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  • social relationships<\/li>\n
  • nonverbal and verbal communication<\/li>\n
  • reciprocating emotions<\/li>\n
  • repetitive behaviors<\/li>\n
  • overly restricted interests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    COMMUNICATION SKILLS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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    • Form<\/strong> – Syntax, Morphology, Phonology\n
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      • Experience delays in all three aspects of form<\/li>\n
      • First words often imitations with little meaning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Content<\/strong> – Vocabulary & Semantics\n
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        • Delayed onset of verbal language<\/li>\n
        • Expressive language (communicating) is stronger than receptive language (understanding) for many children with ASD<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Use<\/strong> – Pragmatics\n
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          • Pragmatic language impairment is a universal deficit for children with autism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            LITERACY SKILLS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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            • Wide range<\/strong><\/span> of literacy and reading skills<\/li>\n
            • Levels of oral language abilities and literacy skills are related<\/li>\n
            • Strengths<\/strong>:\n
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              • Word reading<\/li>\n
              • Phonemic awareness<\/li>\n
              • Spelling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
              • Weaknesses<\/strong>:\n
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                • Struggle decoding mechanics necessary for reading<\/li>\n
                • Difficulties\u00a0with reading comprehension<\/li>\n
                • Struggle with narrative production<\/li>\n
                • Negative attitudes towards reading<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                  INTERVENTIONS<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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                  • Communication Skills<\/strong>\n
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                    • Variety of levels and types of interventions<\/li>\n
                    • One common type is naturalistic intervention<\/strong><\/span>\n
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                      • Important aspects: following the child’s lead, responsive interaction, embedded learning opportunities, and using the natural environment as a learning context<\/li>\n
                      • The video below demonstrates how to implement naturalistic intervention by taking advantage of learning opportunities<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n