Unit One-What is Autism?
Understand the definition of autism
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an overarching diagnosis that covers a variety of behavioral and cognitive differences affecting all aspects of the educational process (Burns, 2012). The most important thing to remember about autism is that it is a spectrum disorder, which means that the needs of any given student can vary drastically. Some individuals with land on the higher end of the spectrum, needing help with daily activities and having extreme difficulty in social situations. Others may land on the lower end of the spectrum, are high functioning, may have only slight issues with social cues, and may be considered savants. Still others may seem like average students who may perform sub-par at times or who may seem to just have difficulty making friends.
That being said, generally when an individual is diagnosed they will be observed for two specific issues: social communication impairment and restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. Diagnosis is by history taking, focusing on the developmental stories and systematically inquiring for core behaviors, and by observation in several settings (Baird, Cass, & Slonims, 2003).
On a side note, as of May 2013 when the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer a diagnosis and is instead categorized under the general umbrella term of ASD.
Understand how autism can effect a students’ learning
Meet Morgan. Morgan is a 16 year old in 11th grade and loves working on computers and art class. Morgan is generally happy, and wants to be successful in school. She has a problem though, she finds it very difficult to complete her assignments and can get frustrated and take that frustration out on herself and others. Morgan has a hard time holding a conversation without repeating what others are saying to her. Morgan is an individual with autism. Keep her in mind as we move forward because she will be in your class and you will need to create a plan to help her succeed. You will learn more about Morgan in unit 3, so for now let's focus on what it is like to live with autism.-
Now that you know some basic information about what autism is, it is now important to understand how it can affect a students’ learning. Some unique learning characteristics of students with autism may include, but are not limited to:
- Attention difficulties
- Auditory processing impairments
- The inability to generalize (easily transfer knowledge from one setting to another)
- Difficulties with learning by observation and imitation
- Troubles with task/event sequencing
- Uneven patterns of strengths and weaknesses
- Problems with organization and planning
- Difficulties with time concepts and making transitions
(“How Students with Autism Learn”, 2009).
Knowing this information, watch this ten minute video to learn about what it is like to live with autism from a first person point of view
video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpNZJNQHAHw(Lampen, 2012)++9*
Recognize difficulties that teachers may encounter when they have a student with autism in their classroom
Now that you have learned about what autism is, and how it affects a students’ learning, what issues can you foresee having in your classroom? Brainstorm ideas on how to help handle these issues and write them in your notebook.
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