Autism Spectrum (Pervasive Developmental Disorder)

Autism Spectrum refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Individuals who have been diagnosed as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder, vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors. Symptoms may include problems with using and understanding language; difficulty relating to people, objects, and events; unusual play with toys and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings, and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns. There are five categories on the spectrum (Autistic Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified). Autistic Disorder and Asperger Syndrome are most common; to learn more on the different types of PDD click here.

Autistic Disorder

According to a medical dictionary, autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors. It is evident in the first years of life and is usually associated with some degree of mental retardation. Common characteristics are:

• difficulty in verbal and/or nonverbal communication, which ranges in extremes from not speaking at all to being unable to interpret body language or to participate comfortably in two-way conversation

• rigidity in thought processes, which can include difficulty with learning abstract concepts, generalizing information, and tolerating changes in routines and/or environments.

• difficulty with reciprocal social interaction. This can range from appearing to want social isolation to experiencing social awkwardness in attaining and maintaining ongoing relationships. 

These are additional resources:

• Autism National Committee is dedicated to "Social Justice for All Citizens with Autism"
  http://www.autcom.org

• Autism Society of America’s mission is improving the lives of all affected by autism.
  http://www.autism-society.org/

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Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger’s Syndrome (Disorder) is often referred to as advanced autism, high functioning autism, and pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome are within the autism spectrum who do not experience severe intellectual impairments.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), an individual who has received a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome generally has the following features:

• Impairments in social interaction which may include: impairments in the use of nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expressions, body posture and gestures to regulate social interaction; failure to develop age-appropriate peer relationships; a lack of spontaneous interest in sharing experiences with others; lack of social or emotional reciprocity

• Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interest and activities which might include one or more of the following: preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus, inflexible adherence to specific non functional routines or rituals, stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (hand or finger flapping or twisting) or preoccupation with parts of objects

• There is no clinically significant delay in either general cognitive function, self-help/adaptive skills, interests in the environment or overall language development

Possible areas of impact may include:

• Social Interactions/Language:

  • Sometimes lacks understanding of when it is acceptable to interrupt conversation or turn taking in conversation, difficulty understanding nuances of language (use of sarcasm vs. humor)

  • May focus discussion on high interest subject

  • Difficulty reading non-verbal cues

  • May have odd speech patterns at times or stilted use of language

  • May have difficulty making eye contact

  • May have difficulty making friends

• Comprehension

  • Difficulty with abstract thinking but often quite intelligent with more rote and concrete thinking

• Transitioning Skills

  • Difficulty with changes in routines and can exhibit a definite preference for rituals. As a result, the student can become anxious and worry incessantly about the unknown when they do not know what to expect

• Organizational Skills

  • Difficulty identifying key points or topics within reading content

  • May need assistance breaking information down or organization processes necessary to complete an assignment (i.e. developing an essay)

• Attention/Distractibility

  • Difficulty focusing on topics not of interest

  • May blurt out thoughts

• Fine Motor Deficits

  • Difficulty with handwriting(i.e., messy, slow or laborious)

• Auditory Processing Delays

  • May need additional time to process information provided verbally although the student may understand the material

  • May feel overwhelmed when given large amounts of verbal information

• Sensory Processing Deficits

  • May exhibit some sensory processing difficulties that result in atypical responses (i.e., hypersensitive-over responsiveness and/or hyposensitive responses-under responsiveness) to sensory input (auditory, visual, tactile, smell, taste, and movement). This difficulty in organizing input to various sensory stimuli can lead to feelings of stress and increased anxiety.

• Perseveration of Thought and Action

  May talk incessantantly about areas of high interest to the individual

General accommodations considerations: are to determine student strengths, affinities and area of need. Using a student with Asperger syndrome’s area of interest can be very useful in teaching or using it in some form of reward system. Also review the individual’s previous history and engage him/her in conversations about likes/dislikes, what is helpful, what has worked in the past, etc. Click here for more specific accommodation suggestions and instructional strategies for students with Asperger's Syndrome.

Click here for tips in teaching students with Asperger’s Syndrome. http://maapservices.org/Tips_For_Teaching.asp

"Blinded by Their Strengths: The Topsy-Turvy World of Asperger's Syndrome"by Diane Twachtman-Cullen, PhD., CCC-SLP — an article that addresses the difficulty teachers face in working with students who have AS and average intelligence but have social/emotional difficulties.

Additional resources:

• Autism, Aspergers and Pervasive Developmental Disorders
  http://www.autism-help.org/

• National Institute of Mental Health
  http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml

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