Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the term used to describe five different disorders that hold similar characteristics. The different disorders that fall into ASD are Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Pervasive Development Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD NOS). ASD affects an estimated one of every five children, and is marked by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. ASD can usually be reliably detected by around 3 years of age, and sometimes as early as 18 months. ASD is actually more common in the pediatric population than some of the more commonly known disorders such as diabetes, spinal bifida, or Down’s syndrome, but surprisingly, only 50 percent of children are diagnosed before kindergarten In babies, signs of ASD include being unresponsive to people or focusing intently on one item for long periods of time. The classic warning signs to look for are:
-deficit in social interaction
-deficit in verbal and nonverbal communication, and
-repetitive behaviors or interests
If any of the above warning signs appear in your child, have your child evaluated by a professional specializing in ASD. The first signs of ASD can appear in children who seem to have been developing normally. If your baby or toddler, who was once engaging with others and babbling, becomes silent, withdrawn, self-abusive or indifferent to social overtures, have your child evaluated.
RETT SYNDROME
Rett Syndrome is an extremely rare disorder, affecting around one out of 10,000 to 15,000 children; almost exclusively females. Rett starts out with normal development up to about 6 to 18 months then the autism-like symptoms begin to appear. The girl’s mental and social development actually regresses, no longer responding to her parents and pulling away from social contact. If talking has started, it will stop, and she will not be able to control her feet or keep from wringing her hands.
Some studies have discovered that Rett Syndrome is caused by a mutation in the sequence of a single gene. This discovery may help doctors slow or stop the progress of the syndrome. In the meantime, physical, occupational, and speech therapy can help with problems of coordination, movement and speech.
CHILDHOOD DISINTEGRATIVE DISORDER
Even rarer than Rett Syndrome is Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD). While CDD is in the spectrum, vary few children who are affected by ASD are affected by CDD (an estimated two children per 100,000). Those that are affected are typically males; symptoms usually appear by age 2, but sometimes not until between ages 3 and 4. Up until this time, the child has age-appropriate skills in communication and social relationships. This loss of skills is much more dramatic than in classical autism, and the diagnosis requires extensive and pronounced losses involving motor, language, and social skills. CDD is also accompanied by loss of bowel and bladder control and very often seizures, and a very low IQ.
PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENT DISABILITY-NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED
PDD-NOS is the category for those that don’t fit the definition of Autism, Asperger’s, Rett, or CDD, but still have classic symptoms of ASD. PDD-NOS is not a diagnosis, just a generalization until more specific symptoms appear.
FOR PARENTS
As a parent, you know your child better than anyone else, so if you have any concerns about your child’s development, it’s important to talk to your child’s pediatrician as soon as possible. If there is a diagnosis to be made, the sooner you know, the quicker you can begin working on giving your child the best quality of life. Also remember that you are your child’s best advocate, so the more information you’re armed with, the better off your child will be. If you need any help learning to advocate, KPFC can and will help.
Some ideas to help you help your child is to read up on anything and everything to do with his or her disability. Also, keep a journal of resources, doctor’s visits, and anything else related to your child’s disability. If you write everything down, you are more likely to have an accurate and detailed record of accounts.
When it comes to treatment, no two children are the same. When asking about potential treatments for your child, the Autism Society of America suggest using these questions as a guideline:
► Will the treatment harm my child?
► How will the failure of the treatment affect my child and family?
► Has the treatment been validated scientifically?
► Are there any assessment procedures specified?
► How will the treatment be integrated into my child’s current program?
Other resources are available to you, and will be listed in the “Resources” column for this article.
FOR TEACHERS
Working with children who don’t understand proper social interactions, and who have poor verbal and nonverbal communication skills can be very frustrating, but a little patience and understanding can go a long way. Using visual organizers, and highlighting any changes in the routine will help children with ASD, as will keeping your routine as consistent as possible. Know that nonverbal “looks” will not work, that you will need to address the behavior directly. Allow the student to make a quiet and “graceful exit” if he/she is becoming overwhelmed in the classroom, making sure he/she knows where to go to relax. These and other great classroom ideas can be found at www.schoolbehavior.com as well as other great resources listed below.
Resources
Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
www.nimh.nih.gov
School Behavior.com: Awareness, Empathy, and Skills
Leslie E. Packer, PhD
www.schoolbehavior.com
Autism Society of America
www.autism-society.org
(This website also has links to chapters across Kentucky under “Chapters”
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
www.nichcy.org
nichcy@aed.org
Kentucky Autism Training Center (KATC)
www.kyautism.org
katc@louisville.edu
Phone: (800) 334-8635 ext. 852-4631
Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Consortium of Kentucky
http://asdac.us
WrongPlanet.net
Good resource for teens with Asperger’s
www.wrongplanet.net
Louisville School for Autistic Children (502) 426-3530
Eastern Kentucky University Autism & Related Disorders Group (859) 623-6074
Autism Home Page
http://groups.msn.com/TheAutismHomePage/home.htm