IndividualWithAutism SpectrumDisorder(ASD) Araceli Hermosa What is ASD?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is adevelopmental disabilitythat can cause
significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. no physical characteristics that set them apart may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger syndrome.(cdc.gov) Cognitive Characteristics According to Understandingminds.com Theory of Mind this means that they have difficulty understanding other peoples perspectives or getting inside their heads Cognitive Inflexibility One method of doing things Fact vs Fiction More oriented to facts Specialist vs Generalist Specialized area of interest Concept vs Detail Learn more details without necessarily understanding its relationship to the whole picture Literal vs Figurative May interpret language literally Social Characteristics
Their difficulties with social interaction may manifest in the
following ways: (https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/characteristics#Social) limited use and understanding of non-verbal communication such as eye gaze, facial expression and gesture difficulties forming and sustaining friendships lack of seeking to share enjoyment, interests and activities with other people difficulties with social and emotional responsiveness Communication Characteristics Examples of communication issues related to ASD: Delayed speech and language skills Repeats words or phrases over and over (echolalia) Reverses pronouns (e.g., says "you" instead of "I") Gives unrelated answers to questions Does not point or respond to pointing Uses few or no gestures (e.g., does not wave goodbye) Talks in a flat, robot-like, or sing-song voice Does not pretend in play (e.g., does not pretend to "feed" a doll) Does not understand jokes, sarcasm, or teasing Behavior Characteristics Examples of unusual interests and behaviors related to ASD: Lines up toys or other objects Plays with toys the same way every time Likes parts of objects (e.g., wheels) Is very organized Gets upset by minor changes Has obsessive interests Has to follow certain routines Flaps hands, rocks body, or spins self in circles Stims (nonpurposeful behavior to stress response/coping strategy Sensory Characteristics
A dysfunctional sensory system that sometimes one or more
senses are either over- or under-reactive to stimulation Overstimulation with the vision, hearing, texture, touch, smell senses Vestibular movement & changes in head position, balance, muscle tone, sound and visual orientation Proprioception body awareness where body in space Interoception physiological hunger, taste of food References Chow, M. L.-B. (2012). Age-Dependent brain gene expression and copy number anomalies in autism suggest distinct pathological processes at young versus mature ages. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3310790/: PLoS Genet. Mar 8(3) Fadda, G. M. (2016). The enigma of autism: contributions of the etiology of the disorder. Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Brazil, 411-423. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/asd1/cresource/q1/p02/#content http://www.understandingminds.com.au/blog/some-of-the-cognitive-characteristics-in-the- autism-spectrum/ https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/characteristics#Social Liu, L. e. (2017, Sci. Rep. April 7). Association between assisted reproductive technology and the risk of autism spectrum disorders in the offspring: a meta-analysis. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5384197: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov https://www.education.com/reference/article/children-autism-spectrum-disorders/