Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders - Essay Example

WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS Introduction There are several health challenges that are facing. A number of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar, ADHA, panic attacks, mood swings, Autism etc. are common today. I would like to work with children with these disabilities especially the students with Autism. I would like to address the issues of Autism, its causes, treatment, and also give a brief overview on various school and community resources available for individuals with Autism in the state of New Jersey. Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder that will be present all through a persons life. It is part of a group of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It is characterized by significant deficits in communication and social interaction, as well as stereotyped and repetitive behaviors (Paul and Wetherby 11-13). Today, autism is a serious problem as more and more persons are diagnosed with it. Statistics says that 1 in every 166 individuals is diagnosed with autism. In fact studies say that it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. Incidence of this disease is omnipresent and can occur in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is 4 times more probable to strike boys than girls. Autism is characterized by major deficits in communication and social interaction, as well as stereotyped and repetitive behaviors (Autism speaks n.pag). It is a severe developmental disorder that affects the way a child sees and interacts with his parents, friends and relatives and the entire society. It restricts their ability to intermingle with others within society and most of the times try to avoid human contact. It is also a part of a large group of disorders called pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) (Autism-PDD.net n.pag). Symptoms Autism is a developmental disorder defined by diagnostic criteria specified in DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Individuals with autism demonstrate a broad spectrum of difficulties and (dis)abilities, and they vary significantly in their levels of overall intellectual functioning. Nevertheless, all individuals diagnosed with autism posses a common set of symptoms. The National Autistic Society in the year 2003 lists the following triad of impairments: “Social interaction: This involves difficulty with social relationships, inappropriate social interactions, and inability to relate to others in a meaningful way, impaired capacity to understand others’ feelings or mental states. Social communication: Children with Autism have difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication. Imagination: They have difficulty in the development of play and imagination” (Dautenhahn and Werry 1–35). Autism has been mystifying scientists for more than fifty years. The complex behavioral disorder includes a broad variety of symptoms, most of which typically emerge before a child is three years of age. Children with autism are not capable to interpret the emotional states of others. In fact it can be seen that they fail to distinguish anger, sorrow or manipulative moods of other individuals. Their language skills are often imperfect, and they find it difficult to begin or uphold conversations. They also habitually exhibit a deep obsession with a single subject, activity or gesture. It is noted by many that intensive behavioral therapy improves the outcome for many patients, but their symptoms can make it impractical for them to live independently, even if they have normal IQs (Rodier 56-63). Presently autism is recognized as a genetic disorder with a thoughtful impact on the development of the central nervous system. But, there is still no biological marker that is pathognomonic of autism. Research with modern neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography is helping to map out the neural systems affected by autism. There is a lot that need to be done in this field to bring out substantial facts about autism. Although autism affects multiple systems, it remains possible that the initial insult is localized. The social, language, and behavioral problems that occur with autism imply that this syndrome affects functionally diverse and broadly distributed set of neural systems. This is been proven through animal models of autism and it also shows that an initial insult to one system can propagate to affect other systems during the earliest months and years of development. The genetic origin of autism is a conventional fact by researchers around the world. It is a familial disorder. Statistical modeling of twin and family data proposes that autism is having a strongest genetic links of all the neuropsychiatric disorders. However, still the specific susceptibility genes have not yet discovered. Autism is thought to be caused by a small number of genes acting in concert, rather than any single gene. Preliminary data from family linkage studies suggest that susceptibility genes for autism may lie on chromosome 7, with some other evidence also pointing to chromosome 15 (Schultz 983-987). Diagnostic Tools Just because there is no specific biological marker, autistic disorder is defined by behavioral criteria. These criteria have developed over the almost 60 years since Kanner and Asperger first introduced the term autism for childhood disorders of social interaction. Scientists from United Kingdom have contributed considerably to the research effort world-wide on raising the understanding of the causes and epidemiology of ASDs. Significant advances over the last four decades include the following: • “The recognition that autism has a neurobiological basis, which manifests itself through behavioral abnormalities. The harmful notion of autism being “caused” by poor parenting has been completely refuted. • Diagnosis of autism, or one of the other pervasive developmental disorders, can be made with greater certainty owing to the development of more accurate and sensitive diagnostic tools. • The evidence that as yet unidentified genetic and environmental factors and their interplay play a key role in the triggering, development and outcomes of the ASDs – and that there is unlikely to be one sole cause. • A much better understanding of the cognitive processes of individuals with ASDs and how they perceive the world, and application of that knowledge to developing rational intervention strategies. • The application of brain imaging technologies to understanding structural and functional development in ASDs” (MRC n.pag). Consequently complex diagnostic instruments have been developed, to allow systematic collection of developmental data relevant to diagnosis. Examples of such instruments are the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R), the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS-G), and the Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication disorders (DISCO).These instruments are to be administered by interviewers who have good knowledge and understanding of the features of ASDs and additional specific training in the use of these instruments. Checklist for Autism in Toddlers Most recent and notable development is the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT). The CHAT consists of nine yes/no questions to be answered by the childs parent. These questions ask if the child exhibits specific behaviors. The questions are related to social play, social interest in other children, pretend play, joint attention, pointing to ask for something, pointing to indicate interest in something, rough and tumble play, motor development, and functional play. The CHAT also includes observations of five brief interactions between the child and the examiner, which enable the clinician to compare the childs actual behavior with the parental reports. This instrument, which comprises parental interview and child observation, picks up children on the basis of impairments in social communication and pretend play at 18 months and 31⁄2 years. However, research to date suggests that the CHAT will detect only approximately a third of the children with ASDs in a population assessed. In addition, it will mistakenly identify as possibly having an ASD 2% of the unaffected population – a small percentage but a very large number of children (MRC, n.pag). Autism Behavior Checklist ABC The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) is a set of questions about a childs behaviors. The ABC was published in 1980 which is designed to be completed independently by a parent or a teacher familiar with the child who then returns it to a trained professional for scoring and interpretation. Although it is primarily designed to identify children with autism within a population of school-age children with severe disabilities, the ABC has been used with children as young as 3 years of age. The ABC has 57 questions divided into five categories: (1) sensory, (2) relating, (3) body and object use, (4) language, and (5) social and self-help (New York State Department of Health Early Intervention Program 4215). Autism Therapy As of now there is no cure for autism; however there are treatment and education approaches that may reduce some of the challenges associated with the disability. Intervention may help to lessen disruptive behaviors, and education can teach self-help skills that allow children with autism for greater independence. As each child is unique, the treatment of children with autism must be tailored to the childs individual behaviors and needs (SouthWest Autism Network). Sources of Assistance Effective educational practices for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are very important and it is important for teachers and parents to have good knowledge about it. First of all the general information about the diagnosis of ASD, and the knowledge of common distinctiveness of students with the disorder is essential. Secondly it is important to keep in mind the key principles for planning effective educational programs for these students. It is very essential to formulate specific strategies and practices that have been found to be effective for students with ASD from literatures and help centers. Identify the strategies and techniques for tackling challenging behavior, and improving communication and social skills (Friend Chapter 11). Statistics and sample materials that signify the most successful existing practices need to be collected from school boards and regional autism service provider agencies in the state of New Jersey. For instance, the New Jersey Medical School has The Autism Center provides assistance for children with Autism and other disorders. It is important for parents to get help from these centers. There are also special education centers in New Jersey such as The Y.A.L.E. School offer specialized education programs to young children and adolescents in southern New Jersey and also provide comprehensive education program for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. It will also be helpful for parents and teachers to have a set of glossary and lists on ASD, including publications and websites, as well as children’s books. It should be used to help students to achieve to their highest potential. Work Cited Autism speaks, What is Autism? An Overview. 11 March 2008 Autism-PDD.net, What is Autism? (2005) 11 March 2008 Dautenhahn, K. and Werry, I. Towards interactive robots in autism therapy Pragmatics & Cognition (2004). 12:1, 1–35. Friend, M. Cchapter 12. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In: Special Education--Contempory Perspectives for School Professionals 2nd Edition (2008). Prentice Hall. MRC, MRC: Review of Autism Research- Epidemiology and Causes. (2001). 13 March 2008 New York State Department of Health Early Intervention Program, Clinical Practice Guideline: Report of the Recommendations. Autism/Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Assessment and Intervention for Young Children (Age 0-3 Years). (1999). Publication No. 4215. Paul, R. and Wetherby, A. “New Autism Collaboration Develops Practices in Communication Assessment for SLPs” ASHA Leader. Rockville: Mar 1, 2005. Vol. 10, Iss. 3; pg. 11-13 Rodier, P.M. The Early Origins of Autism. Scientific American, February 2000 Vol. 282 No. 2: 56-63. Schultz, R.T. Autism, Neural Basis of. International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences. Elsevier Science Ltd. (2001). 983-987. SouthWest Autism Network, Treatment and Education. Center for Development and Disability, UNM, Autism Society of America. (2002) 12 March 2008 Read More