Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder: People with autism have said that the world, to them, is a mass of people, places and events which they struggle to make sense of, and which can cause them considerable anxiety. In particular, understanding and relating to other people, and taking part in everyday family and social life may be harder for them. Other people appear to know, intuitively, how to communicate and interact with each other, and some people with autism may wonder why they are 'different'.

Defined by: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=211


Annotated bibliography – websites:

Autism Canada Foundtaion
http://autismcanada.org/
This Canada based website offers support for people who fall under the autism spectrum disorder and support for their families. The website provides general information concerning autism, and its treatments. The website also provides autism research, news and local events. Donations are taken to help support people with autism and autism research.

Families for Autism Treatment of British Columbia
http://www.featbc.org/
The F.E.A.T of BC is a non-profit organization that provides care for all children diagnosed with autism. This organization is made up of mostly parents of children with autism. It provides a wide range of information to help families that have members diagnosed with autism. The website provides support resources, multimedia interviews of children with autism, and local events concerning autism.

Autism Society Canada
http://www.autismsocietycanada.ca/
This is another Canada based website that provides support for autism. The Autism Society Canada website provides information concerning educational needs of autistic children. There are links provided to help teachers, parents and school officials to construct an IEP for autistic children. It also provides resources for parents of autistic children.

Autism Speaks
www.autismspeaks.org
The Autism Speaks websites provides many examples of autistic children through videos and stories. The goal of this organization is to promote social awareness of autism. The organization raises funds to support families with autistic children. The website also provides resources for teachers and parents.

The United Kingdom National Autistic Society
http://www.nas.org.uk/
The websites provides a wide range of resources about autism. It not only deals with education and home life, but it also provides information about autism in the real world. The website offers links to many other websites that provides information about autism.


Local contact info:

Autism Community Training
Website: http://www.actbc.ca/
Email: info@autismcommunitytraining.bc.caThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Mailing Address:
240 – 2250 Boundary Road.
Burnaby BC V5M 3Z3
Phone:
Tel: (604) 205-5467 or (866) 939-5188

Autism Society British Columbia
Website: http://www.autismbc.ca/
Email: info@autismbc.caThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Phone:
Tel: 1-888-437-0880 or (604) 434-0801

Fraser Valley Child Development Centre
Website: http://www.fvcdc.org/
Email: info@fvcdc.orgThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Phone:
Tel: (604) 852-2686 x227
Fax: (604) 852-5794


Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder:

Autism presents itself differently in different people. The degree the symptoms manifest also depends on the individual.

Learning:

- Mono-channelled: Students might not be able to multitask

- Tend to be very good at one things but not good in a lot of other things

- Some may have an accurate and detailed memory for information and facts

- May concentrate a long time on tasks

Physical:

- Visual processing problems

· Image break up into pieces

· Going downstairs weirdly

· Hate fluorescent lights because of the flicker

· Difficulty catching a ball

- Delayed language development

· Echolalia (repeating things a lot)

- Hyper sensitive to of some sensory (hearing, sight, touch, etc.)

Social skills/Emotional:

- Prefer to be left alone. Show no interest in other people

- Hard to be understood by other people and hard understand others

- Prefers to be around people who are older

- Do no pick up facial expressions

- Have trouble talking about their own feelings

- Difficulty controlling emotions

Curricular modifications or adaptations:

ASD students can have great experiences in the art classes. It might be difficult communicating with them at times. Therefore it is very important for teachers to be aware of individual student needs to follow up with the IEPs. Sitting students in different locations within the classroom will also comfort ASD students that have hyper sensitivity.

Short breaks:
Keep the instructional portion of the class shorter. Allow the students to take short breaks decreases their anxiety levels. Short breaks also help the students to focus more when instructions are given. When a student fidgets a lot in class, teachers can provide the student with an object to fidget with.

Instructions:
Instructions need to be simplified. Giving the students a written copy of the instructions is very helpful. Use illustrations and examples will allow the students to understand the materials better. Teachers should limit the amount of instructions given and ask for the student’s feedback on the instructions. Let the students repeat the steps in their own words to check for understanding. Instructions need to be introduced slowly and gradually. Checklists and mind maps can also be very helpful.

Facts:

- Males are at a four times greater risk of developing autism than females

- The incidence of autism is approximately 1 out of every 150 births

- Research indicates that people with autism learn best through a structured environment