Autism:

Solving the Puzzle

Presented by:
Katherine Woodhouse, MA, BCABA, ATC
Office of Special Education Services
Houston Independent School District
5/18/2006
 History of Autism
• Autism was first described in literature by
Leo Kanner in 1943.
• He called the syndrome “early infantile
autism.”
• Autism was also often misdiagnosed as
childhood schizophrenia.
• Early psychologists hypothesized that
children became autistic due to “cold and
unnurturing” mothers. This theory was
proven false in 1979.
5/18/2006
 What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability
that begins at birth or during the first
three years of life and is characterized by
severe problems in three main areas:
1. Communication
2. Behavior
3. Social Skills

5/18/2006
 Common Characteristics of
Autism
Individuals with autism may display some or
all of the following characteristics to
varying degrees
• Acts as deaf
• Lack of response to people
• Repetitive or unusual solitary play
• Hyperactivity or extreme lack of activity

5/18/2006
 Common Characteristics of
Autism, Continued
• Difficulty with change in routine or
environment
• Unusual responses to sensations
• Tantrums
• Aggressive or self-abusive
• Avoids eye contact
• Poor receptive and expressive skills
• May echo words (echolalic speech)
5/18/2006
 Facts on Autism – What We
Know So Far
Autism
• Occurs mostly in males. The ratio is about
4:1.
• Occurs in approximately 1 out of 166
births and has a 10-17% annual growth
rate.
• Is found throughout the world in families of
all racial, ethnic, and social backgrounds.
5/18/2006
 Treatments and Educational
Strategies
• Autism is not a disease. There is not a
single treatment such as a drug or therapy
program that will work for all individuals
with autism.
• Treatment often comes in the form of
individualized plans designed to meet all
areas of need.
• No single program or service will fill the
needs of everyone with autism. Strategies
to help a person with autism should be
part of a comprehensive plan.
5/18/2006
 Helpful Hints for Interactions
with Individuals with Autism
• Use simple language; speak slowly and clearly.
• Use concrete terms and ideas.
• Repeat simple questions, allowing time
(10-15 seconds) for a response.
• Give lots of praise and encouragement.
• Pair verbal instructions with visual supports,
such as pictures or gestures.
• Break difficult tasks into simple steps and teach
each step one at a time.

Remember: each individual with autism is

5/18/2006
unique and may act or react differently.
 Autism is a Spectrum Disorder
There is a wide range of ability levels and levels of
autism.

PDD - NOS Asperger’s

“Classic” (Pervasive
Autism Disorder
Developmental
(Less severe or
(more severe) Disorder – Not
“high functioning”)
Otherwise
Specified)

5/18/2006
 Some Movie Characters with
Autism
• Dustin Hoffman’s character in “Rain Man”
• “Simon” in the movie “Mercury Rising” with Bruce
Willis.
Note: although both of these characters were “classic
autism”, both were also savants – meaning they
had some innate gift. Sometimes people with
autism may show this with math, art, or music, but
Savants are very rare. Up to 70% of individuals
diagnosed with autism are also diagnosed with
mental retardation, although that may be due to the
nature of IQ test administration.
5/18/2006
 Asperger’s Disorder

5/18/2006
 Asperger’s Disorder
Also known as “high functioning autism.”
May include the following:
• Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate
to developmental level.
• Impairment in the use of nonverbal behaviors.
• Lack of social or emotional reciprocity.
• Restricted repetitive and stereotyped behaviors,
interests, and activities.

5/18/2006
 Movie and T.V. Character’s with
Asperger
• The character named “Marvin” in the
1980’s movie “War Games”. It is a small
role, but it is the scene where Matthew
Broderick’s character visits his friend who
works for a computer company.
• “Jerry,” one of the characters on the ABC
T.V. show “Boston Legal” was recently
depicted as being diagnosed with
Asperger’s disorder.
5/18/2006
 Asperger’s Disorder
• The disorder causes clinically significant
impairment in social, occupational or other
important areas of functioning.
• There is no clinically significant general
delay in language.
• There is no clinically significant delay in
cognitive development or in the
development of age-appropriate self-help
skills, adaptive behavior (other than
social), and curiosity about the
environment in childhood.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues – Cause
and Effect Relationships
• May have difficulty understanding how events
and actions are related to one another.
• May see the sequence of events or occurrences
as being separate instead of being connected or
related.
• Inferences and conclusions are sometimes
never understood. (Reason that “why” questions
are more difficult than “who”, “where”, and
“when”.)
• May appear socially rude or insensitive as may
not realize how own actions affect other’s
feelings
5/18/2006
or actions.
 Typical Learning Issues –
Cause and Effect Relationships
Strategies
1. Do not assume that because a similar or
more complex task has been
accomplished in the past that the student
will be able to “figure out” the new task.
2. Provide visual sequence of events as
they will be expected to occur.
3. Provide many concrete examples of a
concept.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues – Cause
and Effect Relationships
Strategies
4. Allow student opportunities to participate
in reading activities by providing him/her
the concrete/factual information.
5. Use social stories and comic strip
conversations to help visually explain the
relationship and effect that people can
have on one another.

5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues-
Sequencing
• Students may find it difficult to organize and
sequence information.
• May appear disorganized and “messy”, yet insist
on certain environmental situations.
• May also find it difficult to know when or where to
start or finish a task or skill, despite having the
ability to perform the task or skill.
• May find it extremely difficult to understand vague
time concepts, such as “later”, “meanwhile”,
“sometime”, “after a bit”, “a long time”, etc.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues-
Sequencing
Strategies
1. Adhere to a set schedule. If changes need to
occur, give warnings and make changes as
soon as it is apparent that the change needs to
occur.
2. Provide a schedule. This can be written, a
picture, or a combination of the two. This will
allow the student to understand what is to
occur and in what order.
3. Provide visual reminders of what the “next
step” or the “beginning and end” should be.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues -
Sequencing
Strategies:
4. Organizers or Day-Timers or lists can assist students
with poor organizational skills to remember when to be
some place, where to be, and what may be needed.
5. Timers, clocks and calendars can assist with the
concept of time. Visually representing the passage of
days by marking off the calendar or a timer that “counts
down” will help a person accept waiting or limiting the
time with an activity.
6. In situations where a quick explanation of what is
happening is needed, a simple statement such as “first
math, then lunch” can assist in refocusing the person to
the task at hand.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues – Focus
on Detail (Perseveration)
• May focus on the insignificant or unimportant
detail of a situation, task or event. May not be
able to decide what is generally accepted as the
“important” aspect of the situation or event.
• This is more evident if the student has sensory
processing issues. These “attractions” may be
seen as “distractions” by teachers.
• Anxiety and stress will develop in these
challenging situations. Anxiety will often cause
the student to become more distractible and
perseveration to the desirable topic may also
increase.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues –
Focus on Detail (Perseveration)
Strategies
1. Consider allowing “sensory breaks” or “stress relief”
breaks during the day. These can consist of walking,
running, listening to music, quiet time, etc. This can
allow a proactive way to address potentially difficult
situations.
2. When appropriate, use the area or detail of interest to
engage the student in a functional and productive
activity, such as a report on how computers have
evolved (history), cost of computers (math), how to
teach a peer to access the internet (social), etc.
3. If the interest is truly a skill or expertise, consider how
this can be used as a career or vocational choice.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues –
Communication and Social

• The nature of how we communicate relies

heavily on being able to interpret
intonation, body language, expressions,
etc. Students with Aspergers have
language and communication issues that
stem from the concrete nature of their
interpretation of the world.
• Slower processing time of verbal
communication is common.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues –
Communication and Social
Strategies
1. Use clear, concrete language.
2. When giving instructions, tell the student
what TO DO, instead of what NOT TO
DO.
3. Limit sarcasm, idioms and inferences.
4. Pace your language so the student has
time to process one direction, instruction
or piece of information before moving to
the next.
5/18/2006
 Typical Learning Issues –
Communication and Social
Strategies
5. Provide visual/written supports of instructions
and information to assist the student in
understanding.
6. Allow the student to answer “what”, “where”,
and “who” questions rather than the “why” and
“how”.
7. Social stories and comic-strip conversations
can be used to assist in explaining social
communication and help the student create
strategies
5/18/2006
to respond in social situations.
 If I Teach General Education, Why do I
have to Learn about Autism?
• The chances of having a student in your
classroom with some form of autism is great
considering the current rate of autism is 1 in 166
births.
• Students with “high functioning autism” are often
placed in general education classrooms as part of
their Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).
• Students with more severe forms of autism are
encouraged to participate with their non-disabled
peers as much as possible, which may include
lunch, recess, morning announcements, and
ancillary classes.
5/18/2006
 Siblings of Children with Autism
With the cases of autism so prevalent, you may have a
sibling of a child with autism. These children sometimes
have special needs:
• Parents attention and money are usually spent on the
sibling with autism.
• Siblings are often not able to participate in “typical”
childhood activities such as sleepovers in their homes,
family vacations, etc. due to the problematic behaviors of
their sibling with autism.
• Some siblings may be embarrassed by their sibling with
autism and afraid to tell others about it. This may be
reflected in their school work and/or social interaction
with other students.
5/18/2006
 Well Known People with Autism
Well-known people who have chosen to write or speak about their family
members with autism:
• William Christopher (Father Mulcahy on the TV show M*A*S*H) about his
son, Ned.
• Paul Collins (writer) about his son.
• Audrey Flack (sculptor, photographer), mother of an adult with autism.
• Doug Flutie (football player) about his son, Doug Jr.
• Stephen J. Gould (scientist/writer) about his son, Jesse.
• Joe Mantegna (actor), father of daughter with autism.
• Dan Marino (football player) about his son.
• Wynton and Brandford Marsalis (jazz/classical musicians) about their
brother.
• Barbara Roberts (former Governor of Oregon), mother of adult with autism.
• Tracy Rowlett (Dallas anchorperson) about his son.
• Jonathan Shestak (movie producer) about his son, Dov.
• Sylvester Stallone (movie actor) about his son, Seargeoh.
• David Tomlinson (the actor who starred in Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and
Broomsticks, the Love Bug, etc) had an autistic son, whose diagnosis and
education is mentioned in some detail in Mr. Tomlinson's autobiography
Luckier than Most.
5/18/2006
 Well Known People with Autism
Individuals with autism who have become well-known through their
writing and/or speaking on their experiences:
• Donna Williams.
• Temple Grandin.
• Thomas McKean.
Occasionally there is speculation as to whether some particular well-
known person has autistism, e.g. an author, scientist, or
mathematician known to be unsocial and very focused. For
example, Einstein or Bill Gates.
However, despite such speculation, these people in general could
socialize in ways far advanced of typical autistic behavior: eye
contact, etc. It is probable that nearly all famous people occasionally
cited as being possibly autistic fall more naturally under such a
milder classification.
One of the most convincing cases of a famous person with autistism
was in regards to Canadian pro golfer Moe Norman. There is a
biography of him: The Feeling of Greatness, the Moe Norman Story
by Tim O'Connor.
5/18/2006
 Resources
• www.autism-society.org
• asperger.org
• www.grandin.com
• http://autism.esc4.net
– User name: esc4houston
– Password: houston

5/18/2006