Running Head: AUTISM 1

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Katie Weldon

Fresno Pacific University

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The rise of the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnoses in American

children has ushered in with it a wave of new information and resources about the disability.

Since 2004, the rate of ASD in children has risen from 1 in 125 to 1 in 68, 1 in 58 for young

boys, and alerted the world to the omnipresence of this condition (Autism Society, 2016). As

such, researchers and educators are on the hunt for new ways to teach and care for these

exceptional children, not only on school campuses but in their communities and personal lives as

well. While the debate continues over the most effective methods for helping children with ASD,

new research and findings from the turn of the century are shining a light on this mysterious and

frequently misunderstood diagnosis.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is best described by its own name, a disorder that affects each

child or adult with a wide spectrum of differences. While many students with ASD will present

with similar symptoms and behaviors, there is no one size fits all picture of Autism or how it will

affect that students ability to function in their own world. According to Exceptional Lives,

Autism can only be diagnosed if there is a deficit in three separate criteria. These criteria include

Social-Emotional reciprocity, which includes interacting with others and taking turns

communicating, Nonverbal communication, which includes facial expressions, eye contact, and

body language, and Maintaining relationships, where in the child has difficulty fitting in with

those around him or her (Shogren, Turnbull, Turnbull & Wehmeyer, p. 209, 2016). Unlike the

fluidity of most symptoms on the Autism Spectrum, these deficits are consistent and present

some of the major challenges that all children with Autism will face.

Individuals with Autism can expect varying levels of difficulty in most aspects of their

lives from the moment of their diagnoses onward. Many students with ASD will also have a

comorbid condition that makes them twice exceptional, such as intellectual disability. Some of
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these twice exceptional students will be on the opposite end of the scale and will be gifted and

talented in some areas of their education or skill level. These students will all struggle with

connecting to their peers and their educators to varying degrees, some of which will find this a

very difficult problem to overcome. Many children with ASD also lack the desire to connect with

their peers, or seemingly do not understand the concept in its entirety. These children frequently

understand that they are different than their peers, but cannot make necessary changes to prevent

these circumstances from ostracizing them.

Aside from social learning difficulties, and all of the possible related delays that have yet

gone unmentioned, many of these children will struggle in their personal lives. Autism

frequently carries with it a sensory processing disorder, where children can be easily

overstimulated by noises, lights, or experiences that would otherwise be manageable for most

students. These students will frequently retreat and seem overwhelmed in ways that neurotypical

family members or loved ones will not immediately understand. Conversely, some children with

ASD will seek out sensory input, and perseverate on things that have unique textures, sounds,

colors or visual interest. These behaviors can be destructive or irritating to caregivers of these

children, putting them at increased risk of neglect or abuse. According to the World Health

Organizations, a review on the prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities,

published in July 2012, found that overall children with disabilities are almost four times more

likely to experience violence than non-disabled children (World Health Organization, n.d.).

With the increased risks involved with having a child or student with ASD, it is imperative that

educators be as well-versed in the condition as possible to help parents navigate the difficulty

that comes with raising a child with Autism.

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One movie that closely depicts the life of an Autistic adult functioning normally in

Society is I am Sam featuring Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning. Sam is a child with an unnamed

developmental delay and what appears to be intellectual disability. When Sam gains custody of

his daughter after her birth mother dies, he goes on a journey to parenthood with her, wherein

they stumble countless times trying to navigate a parent-child relationship where Sams daughter

is neurotypical and quickly surpasses his own intellectual ability. Unlike many real-life

situations, Sam is a very willing and capable caregiver, and if was not twice-exceptional would

likely not even be questioned regarding his ability to parent his daughter. Also unlike many real-

life scenarios of adults with ASD, Sam is very high functioning, especially considering his

intellectual disabilities. While people with ASD can certainly mature and have full lives, many of

them will never be able to work, drive, or care for themselves, let alone a child. This is one of the

strongest cases for the necessity of early intervention.

In all situations dealing with children with Autism, the student will have an IEP, or

Individualized Education Plan, that helps their educators coordinate the support a child will need

to succeed throughout the school year. For many students with ASD, their disability will require

them to be in a classroom of other children with ASD or other disabilities, which will allow the

entire class to focus on different subject material than a general education classroom. Grouping

these students together offers students with severe impairments to learn in a low-stress

environment that focuses on improvement, as opposed to meeting benchmarks, and building life

skills.

In some situations, however, a student can be served most effectively in a general

population classroom with certain modifications or accommodations. These students will enjoy

the tremendous benefit of learning alongside their neurotypical peers, which is proven to bolster
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their academic ability and success in school. The support from their friends will help them build

and maintain new relationships just as practicing any other skill reinforces those concepts.

Strategies such as mnemonic devices can also be incredibly helpful for children with language

delays to memorize concepts that are otherwise difficult for them to wrap their head around

(Turnbull, et al., 2016). Displaying Social Stories in your classroom can also be incredibly

helpful in illustrating otherwise complex concepts, such as turn-taking or waiting in line, to the

analytical mind of a child with Autism.

For a child who is struggling with sensory issues in the classrooms, many tools exist to

help refocus the child throughout the day. Some equipment such as swivel chairs and sensory

tables for individual work time alone students who need to move around or touch interestingly

textured items throughout the day to do so without interrupting others. If a student needs more

than just redirection, the educator can allow extra time and assistance with reading or writing

assignments, or more personalized question and answer portions of tests and work. All the

modifications and accommodations available to students require a great deal of extra work on the

part of the educator, so it is necessary to be completely invested in your students success to help

the average child with Autism succeed.

As mysterious and misunderstood as Autism Spectrum Disorder remains, strides have

been made in recent years toward integrating these students successfully into the general

classroom with great success. There is no one size fits all approach to living with or educating a

child with ASD, but many tried-and-true methods can relieve stress for all parties involved and

create a more productive and effective working environment for students. While the lives of

these exceptional people will likely never be easy, the right training and education in their youth

can help them blossom into the best version of themselves that they are capable of.
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References

(2016). I am Sam [Motion picture].

Turnbull, A, Turnbull, R, Wehmeyer, M., Shogren, K. (2016). Exceptional Lives (8th Ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Violence against adults and children with disabilities (2012). In World Health Organization.

Retrieved June 23, 2017, from http://www.who.int/disabilities/violence/en/

What is Autism? (2016). In Autism Society of America. Retrieved from http://www.autism-

society.org/what-is/