NARPAA E-Class Module 2 - Causes and Characteristics of Autism

8/6/2019 NARPAA E-Class Module 2 - Causes and Characteristics of Autism

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MODULE TWO

CAUSES AND

CHARACTERISTICS OF

AUTISM

www.narpaa.org



MODULE TWO

CAUSES ANDCHARACTERISTICS OF

AUTISM



MODULE TWO

As a result of completion of this module, theparticipant will be able to:

• Identify those things that research indicates

might contribute to the cause of Autism.

• Explain the Learning, Communication, SocialBehavioral and Behavioral characteristics of

Autism.



CAUSES

Although a specific cause of autism is not known, manyresearchers link the disorder to biological or neurologicaldifferences in the brain. In some families, there appearsto be a pattern of autism and/or related disabilities, which

suggests a genetic cause. Researchers are attempting toidentify irregular segments of genetic code that a childwith autism may inherit. It is also theorized that somechildren are born with a higher susceptibility to autism

and a focus of research is on finding that single triggerthat leads to the onset of autism. A third area of geneticstudy is determining whether clusters of unstable genesresult in the onset of autism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_Code

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_Code



CAUSES (CONT’D)

In addition to genetic causality, researchers areinvestigating the possibility that autism may alsobe caused by difficulties during pregnancy or

delivery. Environmental factors in areas such asviral infections, exposure to environmentalchemicals, and metabolic imbalances are alsobeing investigated as a possible cause of autism.



CAUSES (CONT’D)

There are certain medical conditions in which

autism may occur more frequently thanexpected. These include untreatedphenylketonuria (PKU), congenital rubella,tubular sclerosis, and Fragile X.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylketonuria

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubella

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile_X




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubella

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenylketonuria



CAUSES (CONT’D)

Several older theories about the cause ofautism have been disproved. Autism is notcaused by “refrigerator mothers” or bad

parenting. Autism is not a mental illness.Children with autism are not unruly kids

who choose not to behave. No known

psychological factors have been identifiedas a cause of autism.



LEARNING CHARACTERISTICS

The learning characteristics of individuals withautism differ greatly from those of individualswith other disabilities. Difficulties in learning may

be complicated by varying levels of mentalretardation. While many learning deficits can beremediated through appropriate education,deficits core to the diagnosis of autism may be

lifelong challenges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remediation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remediation




Individuals with autism are typically concretelearners. Facts and rote information can belearned quite easily. When information is

presenting in any level of abstraction, individualswith autism may struggle to grasp theseconcepts. Examples of abstract concepts, whichindividuals with autism may have difficulty with,

include making inferences, predictions,explaining emotions, and idioms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioms

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioms




A typical learning profile for an individual withautism may be described as “splintered”.

Development across domains, such as cognitive,

language, social, self-care, and motor, is uneven;that is, a student may appear at or close tochronological age level for one domain whilesignificant delays are noted in another domain.




Difficulty with generalization is a hallmark deficit forindividuals with autism. Information learned inone setting under specific conditions often is nottransferred to other settings or differentconditions. Generalization difficulties may benoted across settings, people, and teachingmaterials. For example, a student with autismmay be able to successfully identify the letters of

the alphabet in the school environment but beunable to do this in the home environment withdifferent flash cards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalization




Individuals with autism rely on predictability androutine to understand the world around them.Even simple changes in the environment, such

as the seating arrangement of a classroom, canresult in extreme distress for the student withautism.




The ability to imitate is a hallmark of basic learning.Many young learners with autism struggle withsimple motor imitation, which then translates to

an inability to imitate simple social gestures, playroutines, and even word imitation. The naturalprocessing of imitation that is evident in typicallydeveloping children is not noted in many young

learners with autism. This is a skill that must betaught in order to establish basic learningfoundation skills.



COMMUNICATION CHARACTERISTICS

Effective communication is essential to the qualityof life for all human beings, and as such must bea priority goal for all students with autism. Most

parents of young children with autism cite lack oflanguage development as their first and primaryconcern.




Mutism, the inability to speak, is observed inapproximately 35 to 50 percent of individualswith autism. This inability to produce verballanguage is often attributed to cognitive deficitsor apraxia, the inability to volitionally control themovements required for speech production. Withsuch a significant statistic of mutism in the autismpopulation, it is essential that augmentative

and/or alternative communication options bemade available to all individuals with autism whoare not developing speech.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mutism&redirect=no

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apraxia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apraxia

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mutism&redirect=no




A consistent area of difficulty for many individualswith autism is understanding or comprehendinglanguage. This difficulty, if ignored, can lead to a

lack of skill acquisition as well as behavioralissues. Many individuals with autism who arestruggling with language comprehension rely onenvironmental cues to understand language.




For those individuals who develop verbal language,many individuals with autism struggle with socialpragmatic language. That is, they have difficulty

initiating conversation, maintaining topic, andbeing flexible in conversational speech.




Another common characteristic of individuals withautism who do have language is echolalia, therepeating of words and phrases previously

heard. Echolalia can be immediate or delayed. Itis important to know that echolalic speech servesa function for the individual with autism, and thefunction must be determined so that appropriate

language can be modeled.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolalia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolalia



SOCIAL BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS

Social behavior deficits impact all individuals withautism, across the spectrum. Not only do thesesocial deficits impact the individual’s ability to

interact with others, they make traditionalstrategies ineffective. This is primarily due to thefact that students with autism are not intrinsicallyreinforced by education. For students with autism

to be successful, educators must utilize tangiblerewards for school performance, appropriatebehavior, and social interaction.




Many students with autism struggle with empathy.This difficulty with perspective creates significantimpacts social relationships for individuals across

the spectrum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy




Another characteristic of many individuals withautism is the inability to engage in imaginative orabstract play early in life. Young children with

autism often manipulate toys appropriately butdo not use the toys to act out scenarios or imitatesocial scenes they have observed. This lack ofimaginative activity impacts students with autism

as they get older, as they struggle with abstractconcepts, problem solving, and inferencing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inference




Another social deficit for many individuals withautism is the lack of understanding of socialcues. For example, typically developing peers

intuitively know that when the classroom teacherpeers over her glasses it is time to stop engagingin a particular behavior. Students with autismrarely observe that motion as a sign to stop their

own behavior.




Many individuals with autism do not use nonverbalbehavior to complement their social interactions.That is, they are not using gestures or making

facial expressions to support their interactions.




Due to their social behavior deficits, manyindividuals with autism desire limited, controlledsocial contact or avoid social contact. Typical

social behavior can be quite overwhelming to anindividual with autism; they are often moresuccessful when exposed to predicted socialactivities.



BEHAVIOR CHARACTERISTICS

While behavioral characteristics of individuals withautism are not included in the diagnostic criteria

for any pervasive developmental disorder, thesecharacteristics can significantly impact thesuccess of a student with autism, at home aswell as in school.




Many individuals with autism are challenged by secondary deficits whichare manifested through self-stimulatory behaviors. Examples includehand flapping, eye gazing, twirling, repetitively touching a particulartexture, and repetitive vocal sounds. Self-stimulatory behaviors are

just that: the individual is engaging in a behavior that feels good. It is

internally reinforcing, and by the very nature of reinforcement is oftendifficult to extinguish or reduce. Self-stimulatory behaviors may bethe result of sensory integration deficits; that is, the student withautism not processing senses normally. They may be overwhelmedby sight, sound, touch, or even taste. For example, if a student withautism is not processing visual stimulation, he may seek out more

visual stimulation from the environment, and hand flapping mayoccur as a result.




Due to difficulty understanding their environment,many students with autism exhibit inappropriateemotional responses to what is going on aroundthem. Typically, there is a function to mostmaladaptive behavior. Behaviors such as crying,having tantrums, aggression, self-injury, anddestruction all may appear as behavior that iscommunicating that the individual wants

something, does not want something, is trying toescape from a situation, or is trying tocommunicate with others.




Another common behavioral characteristic of manystudents with autism is repetitive behavior, asnoted in self-stimulatory behaviors or routines

and rituals. A student with autism may becomequite distressed, for example, if the morningroutine has been broken. Students with autismuse routines and rituals to understand their

environment and expectations of others.




Another behavioral characteristic seen in manyindividuals with autism is a preoccupation that isall-encompassing and often nonfunctional.Preoccupations are as wide spread as there areunique students with autism. Preoccupationcould be something as simple as trains, or ascomplicated as mathematics. It is the fact thatthe preoccupation prohibits the student with

autism from learning or engaging in socialinteraction that makes this behavior sointerfering.




Lack of awareness of common dangers, or overlyfearful behavior in situations that are notdangerous, is another characteristic seen in

many students with autism. Often parents reportthat their young children with autism are unawareof simple common dangers such as a hot stove,traffic, or an unfriendly animal. Excess fear of

non-fearful situations can be as simple as astudent with autism being afraid of a hair dryer,walking into a room, or a particular sound.

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NARPAA E-Class Module 2 - Causes and Characteristics of Autism