Autism, The Brain, Thinking and Behavior

Autism: the Brain,
Thinking and
Behavior
Mary Joann Lang, Ph.D.,

A.B.P.N.
Beacon Day School
Orange, California
Course Objective:
To understand basic concepts
related to the brain, thinking
and behavior and how to
make appropriate
interventions for children
with ASDs, which help each
individual reach his or her
maximum potentials.
Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 2

Autism Defined
According to the NIH
Autism is characterized by three

distinctive behaviors:
1. difficulties with social interaction
2. problems with verbal and nonverbal
communication
3. repetitive behaviors or narrow,
obsessive interests.
 
These behaviors can range in impact
from mild to disabling. Autism
varies widely in its severity and
symptoms and may go unrecognized,
especially in mildly affected children
or when more debilitating handicaps
mask it.
Systems Theory
A system is greater than the sum of

its parts.

Systems Theory
Common Elements:
input-signal going into a system
output-the act of turning out
throughput (or process)-raw material processed
within a given time
feedback-response to a particular process
control-ability to manage or direct
environment-the entire set of conditions under which
one operates
goal-the result toward which effort is
directed

Systems Theory
• Open System—capable of growth,
development & adaptation.
Interaction occurs within the
environment. (i.e.: The Rules of a
Classroom)
• Closed System—relationships
among system components are set
and inflexible; no interaction with the
environment (i.e.: The Laws of
Physics)
Systemic Approach to
Understanding the Brain
In order to understand an individual

with Autism,
it is necessary to understand him or
her as an
individual from a systems approach:
• How do mind and body function?
• How does the individual fit into the

community and society?
• What interventions can be provided

to help an individual reach
his or her potential?
Systemic Approach to
Understanding
Functions of the the Brain Functions of the
“Orchestra” “Conductor”
Perception Inhibit
Attention Shift Flexibility
Language Processes Modulate Emotions
Visual-spatial Processes Initiate
Memory Working Memory
Sensory Inputs Planning
Motor Outputs Organizing
Knowledge and Skills Self-monitoring and
Evaluating
Ref.: Peter Isquith, “Executive Function: Concepts

and Assessments”
Systems Theory
Medical Issues:
SystemHuman Body Systems
Location
Nervous System Brain and Nerves
Skeletal System Bones and Skull
Muscular System Skeletal, Cardiac and
Smooth Muscles
Endocrine System Glands and Hormones
Cardiovascular System Heart and Blood
Lymphatic and Immune Systems Lymphocytes and
Macrophages
Respiratory System Lungs and Airways
Digestive System Mouth and
Gastrointestinal Tract
Urinary System Kidneys and Bladder
Reproductive System Male and Female Organs
A person
Integumenary System withHair,
Autism will
Skin and Nails
experience
System Interruptions with many of
the
Mary Jo Lang, above.
Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 9
Systems Theory
Breaks in the System
• It is becoming clear that the normal trajectory of
neurodevelopment is altered in autism.
Abnormalities in brain growth, neuronal
patterning and cortical connectivity are often
seen.
• Changes to the structure and function of

synapses and dendrites have also been strongly
suggested in the pathology of autism .
• Finally, environmental factors are likely to

interact with the underlying genetic profile, and
foster the clinical heterogeneity seen in autism
spectrum disorders.
• *reference: Pardo CA,
CA, Eberhart CG,
CG, “The neurobiology of autism,” Brain Pathol. 2007
System Theory
The Beacon Model
Supports: Cognition
Educational Achievement
Physical
Adaptive Behavior
Individual
Emotional Functioning
Participation/Social Roles
Cognitive
Health
Behavioral
Context

Cognition/Thinking

Cognition/Thinking
Exploring Brain Behavior with

Respect to:
• Attention
• Memory
• Language
• Visual-Spatial Functioning
• Executive Function, and
• Emotional Functioning

School Neuropsychological Assessment Model
Overall Cognitive
Functioning and
Academic
Executive Functions
Achievement
Speed and Memory and Learning Processes

Efficiency of
Cognitive
Processing Visual-Spatial Language
Processes Processes
Social, Emotional,
Cultural,
Environmental and Sensory-Motor Attentional
Situational Factors
Function Processes

Cognition/Thinking
Attention
What happens when an individual

interacts with environment?

– Always assimilating and

accommodating info
– Take in, process and act
– In order to think—one must pay
attention
Cognition/Thinking
Attention
• Why do children with ASD

have trouble with attention?
They’re not able to determine what’s

important—creating a system
overload!
• Sensory input is too much
• Frequently don’t have organizational
strategies….
• Don’t see relationships in environment
• Rate of info is provided in too much
volume Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 16
Cognition/Thinking
Memory
We are required to process

information, store it and retrieve it as
needed.
Some people are simply unable to

keep pace with the demands of
society. They suffer from one or
more forms of memory dysfunction.
Cognition/Thinking
Memory
• Memory requires systematic handling

of information, including:
– Receiving new information and holding it

in short-term memory
– Temporary storage of information as
active working memory
– Processing information and knowledge in
long-term memory
– Recalling information from long-term
memory
Cognition/Thinking
Visual/Spatial Processing
Visualizing
Words
(Spelling)
The ability to visualize Drawing
Visualizing Music
and process Directions/ Crafts
information is Mobility Household
Tasks
needed for school
success
and for practical use. Visualizing Visualizing
Story Concepts Details Related
while Reading to Past
Interpretation of or Listening Experiences
Visualizing
relationships Academic Concepts
involves spatial (Science, Math,
Social Studies)
processing—
knowing how Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 19
Cognition/Thinking
Quality Description
Saliency •Problems discriminating important information from
Recognition unimportant
•Lacks ability to prioritize
•Easily brought off task by sounds or images
•Unusual recall of irrelevant facts
Surface •Sees “big picture” but fails to recognize details
Skimming •Needs repeated instructions
•Demonstrates memory inefficiencies
Concentration •Lacks focus
Weaknesses •Lacks listening abilities
•Focuses on details for too long or too short of time
Engagement •Takes excessive time to join activity
Problems •Daydreams
•Relates “unrelated” materials to lessons
•Creative Tendencies
Seeks •Concentration Weaknesses

Constant and •Restless, hyperactive
Immediate •Needs exciting stimuli to hold attention
Gratification •Never satisfied, demanding
Cognition/Thinking
Language
• Aphasia—inability to produce or
understand language caused by
brain damage or dysfunction
• Speech Production (Oral Expression)

• Speech Comprehension (Receptive
Language or Listening
Comprehension)

Cognition/Thinking
Language
• Problems Can be Associated with

Weak Processing when Deficiencies
involve:
– Phonological Abilities (sound)

– Morphology (root words and adaptations)
– Semantics (word meanings)
– Syntactic (word groupings/sentences)
– Discourse (larger word
groupings/paragraphs)
– Metalinguistics (how language works)
– Pragmatics (understanding in context)
Cognition/Thinking
Language—Impairments
Broca’s aphasia — Mixed aphasia —displays

non-fluent aphasia with both receptive and
expressive deficits
effortful, often
Receptive aphasia —
agrammatic speech impaired comprehension
production.
Transcortical motor
Conduction aphasia — aphasia —impaired
fluent aphasia with expressive aphasia
severely impaired
repetition, but relatively Transcortical sensory
preserved language aphasia —language
comprehension comprehension is
impaired, but repetition is
Expressive aphasia —non- preserved
fluent output
Wernicke’s aphasia —
Global aphasia —complete receptive language and
loss of all linguistic repetitions are severely
function
impaired.
Cognition/Thinking
Language
Wernicke-Geshwind Model of Language

Primary Motor Cortex
Broca’s Area Arcuate Faciculaus
Primary Angular
Auditory Gyrus
Cortex Primar
y
Visual
Cortex
Wernicke’s
Area

Cognition/Thinking
Executive Function
Neuroanatomy:
Frontal Lobe Involvement
is associated with
Executive Function.
Identification of problem areas allows

us to develop adaptive behavior skills
for individuals with ASD.
Cognition/Thinking
Executive Function
• Executive Functions include those

behaviors that include:
– Abstract and Critical Thinking

– Choosing to Take Action
– Voluntary Response to Stimulation
– Planning and Organizing

Cognition/Thinking
Executive Functioning
Terms Associated with Executive Functions*

• Abstract Reasoning • Hypothesis Generating
• Anticipation • Inhibition of Impulsiveness
• Attention Control • Mental Flexibility
• Behavioral Initiation/ • Organization
• Productivity • Planning Problem Solving
• Behavioral Regulation • Rule Learning
• Common Sense • Self-control
• Concept Formation • Self-monitoring
• Creativity • Set Formation and
• Estimation Maintenance
• Fluency • Set Shifting
• Goal Setting • Working Memory
*Source: Miller, Dan;

Essentials of School
Neuropsychological
Assessment; Wiley, 2007,
p. 235.
Cognition/Thinking
Executive Functioning Development
3-32
Plan/Organize/Monitor
years
Emotional Modulation 3-?? years
2-13
Verbal Working Memory
years
3-24
Nonverbal Working Memory
months
Inhibit 0-?

Cognition/Thinking
Emotional Function
Emotions are the feelings that color our lives and allow us to
experience all of the joys and sorrows of life. Core emotions
that are universally experienced and recognized:
– fear
– anger
– sadness
– enjoyment
Enjoyment can enhance learning; but fear,
anger and sadness interfere with learning.
People with ASD experience all of the same emotions as

other people—but they can’t always communicate
their feelings.
Reference: Center for Development and Learning

Cognition/Thinking
Summary
Neuro Function Psych/M Ed

Frontal Cognitive
ed
ADHD-I SLD
Posterior Executive ADHD-C OHI
Left Language TS/OCD Ortho
Right Visual/NV RAD SLP
Cortical Learning ASD Deaf
Sub-cortical Memory (NLD) Vis Imp
Motor MR PDD
Sensory Epilepsy LI/ID
Social/Emotiona TBI TBI
l LD EBD
Behavior
Academic Ref: Peter Isquith, PhD,
“Executive Function:
Concepts and
Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange,
Assessment”California 30
Breaks in the System
Stored Energy
Autistic children don’t know
how to manage
information overloads.
Energy builds up—looking for

a release.
Eventually, the child

discharges energy in any
available manner.
Cognition/Thinking
• Overload—the body responds by

seeking a situation to reduce the
overload….

Cognition/Thinking
Reactions to System
Overload Include
Sensory-Seeking
Behaviors, such as:
Screaming,
Aggression,
Rocking
Etc…
System Theory
The Beacon Model
Supports: Cognition
Educational Achievement
Physical
Adaptive Behavior
Individual
Emotional Functioning
Participation/Social Roles
Cognitive
Health
Behavioral
Context

Autism, The Brain, Thinking and Behavior

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Autism: the Brain,

Mary Joann Lang, Ph.D.,

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 2

Autism is characterized by three

A system is greater than the sum of

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 4

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 5

In order to understand an individual

• How do mind and body function?

• How does the individual fit into the

• What interventions can be provided

Ref.: Peter Isquith, “Executive Function: Concepts

• Changes to the structure and function of

• Finally, environmental factors are likely to

The Beacon Model

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 11

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 12

Exploring Brain Behavior with

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 13

Speed and Memory and Learning Processes

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 14

What happens when an individual

– Always assimilating and

• Why do children with ASD

They’re not able to determine what’s

We are required to process

Some people are simply unable to

• Memory requires systematic handling

– Receiving new information and holding it

Seeks •Concentration Weaknesses

• Speech Production (Oral Expression)

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 21

• Problems Can be Associated with

– Phonological Abilities (sound)

Broca’s aphasia — Mixed aphasia —displays

Wernicke-Geshwind Model of Language

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 24

Identification of problem areas allows

• Executive Functions include those

– Abstract and Critical Thinking

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 26

Terms Associated with Executive Functions*

*Source: Miller, Dan;

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 28

People with ASD experience all of the same emotions as

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 29

Neuro Function Psych/M Ed

Energy builds up—looking for

Eventually, the child

• Overload—the body responds by

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 32

The Beacon Model

Mary Jo Lang, Ph.D., A.B.P.N.-Beacon Day School-Orange, California 34

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