Autism Awareness Month Dr. Nicole Jones School Psychologist

Transcription

1 Autism Awareness Month 2018 Dr. Nicole Jones School Psychologist

2 Week 1: Facts about Autism

3 Day 1: What IS Autism?

4 Day 2: Autism carries deficits in two main areas of living social (communication AND interaction; shown left) and behavioral (shown on day 3). Scholastic Intervention Solutions (2014).

5 Day 3: Autism carries deficits in two main areas of living social (communication AND interaction; shown on day 2) and behavioral (shown left). Sue Anderson taken from Special Education for Today s Teachers: An Introduction

6 Day 4. MOST children are diagnosed at the age of 6 or after, but there are tools that allow us to diagnose under the age of 2, which is the next highest age bracket.

7 Day 5. How common IS autism? (This is the national number as of 2017).

8 Day 6. Gender Differences.

9 Day 7: What are the cultural differences in Autism?

10 Week 2: Facts about Rosaryville s Autism Program

11 Day 8. Currently, there are 54 students within the autism program.this is approximately 14% of the kids within the building. This number changes rapidly. We lose / gain kids due to relocation and the need for our supports. This is the first year we have needed TWO kindergarten classes due to the high number of little ones that came.

12 Day 9: Currently, our autism program has both self-contained and resource groups per grade level. Our kiddos in self contained stay with their peers with autism for most of the day, but are included in their general education class for lunch, recess, and specials. Our kiddos in resource classes remain with their general education classmates for the duration of the day, unless they need a break or another small group with their case manager.

13 Day 10: Currently, there are 9 case managers and 18 support staff within our autism program. We have two autism chairpersons: one for K-2 and one for 3-5. Our school has both a full time speech-language pathologist, as well as a part time. There are two part time occupational therapists, a part time adaptive physical education teacher, and a part time school psychologist.

14 Day 11: Our Autism program has its very own sensory room that the kids can take breaks in, relax, cool down, play, etc. We are in the process of updating it for next school year What are some ideas YOU have?

15 Day 12: There are 13 schools in our county that house Autism programs (7 elementary, 1 K-8 academy, 3 middle, and 2 high).

16 Day 13: Kindergarten! We get most of our kindergarteners within the autism program from three early childhood centers in PG (James Ryder Randall, Wheatley, and Chapel Forge), but others can come from all around! This is our first year where we needed TWO self contained Kinder classes to accommodate the 16 babies that joined our RES family this year

17 Day 14: Middle School! Our kiddos can go different routes based on where they are in the elementary years. We have kids who continue in autism programs in middle school by being included in their general education classes and then we have kids who canforego the autism supports and return to their neighborhood middle school, as well as kids that need more than what a middle school autism program offers. Whichever way is chosen, we work closely with the students, parents, and educators to make it happen! This year, we say goodbye to 8 of our babies as they prepare to leave us!

18 Week 3: Disorders that can occur with Autism

19 Day 15: The new DSM-5 allows clinicians to diagnose both autism AND ADHD if both criteria are met.

20 Day 16: Recently researchers at The University of Amsterdam reviewed 31 studies that focused on the presence of anxiety disorders in children under 18 years old with ASD. Upon review of these studies, researchers concluded that about 40% of children with ASD had at least one comorbid diagnosed anxiety disorder.

21 Day 17: Around 40% of people with autism have a learning disability.

22 Day 18: CDC reported that children with Autism are: * 1.8 times more likely than children without developmental disabilities to have asthma, * 1.6 times more likely to have eczema or skin allergies, * 1.8 times more likely to have food allergies, * 2.2 times more likely to have chronic severe headaches, and * 3.5 times more likely to have chronic diarrhea or colitis (inflammation of the colon).

23 Day 19: As of the most recent prevalence study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which studied records from 2008, 38% of children with ASD had Intellectual Disability. (24% of children with ASD were considered in the borderline range in terms of intellectual ability an IQ of 71 85; 38% had IQ scores over 85, considered average or above average.) A higher proportion of females with ASD had Intellectual Disability compared with males: 46% of females with ASD had intellectual disability, compared with 37% of males.

24 Day 20: In a 2013 study, researchers found that 70% of severely speech delayed children on the spectrum achieved phrase speech (single words) by age 8, while 47% attained fluent speech.

25 Day 21: A recent study says that adolescents with autism spectrum disorder presented higher levels of behavioral and emotional problems than children without autism, according to both parents reports and the adolescents self-reports. No gender differences were found in that respect.

26 Week 4: Interventions / Supports

27 Day 22: Social Stories are used to teach particular social skills,such as identifying important cues in a given situation; taking another's point of view; understanding rules, routines, situations,upcoming events or abstract concepts; and understanding expectations.

28 Day 23: Behavior analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. Positive reinforcement is one such principle. When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is the use of these techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior.

29 Day 24: All behaviors have a function or a 'reason' for occuring. To help better implement behavioral strategies, we should know WHY the behavior is occurring in the first place. This stretches across all disabilities.

30 Day 25: Some of the most common problems autistic individuals experience are their hyper- or hypo-sensitivities to sensory stimuli.their senses seem to be too acute (hypersensitivity) or not working at all (hyposensitivity).

31 Day 26: Why are visual supports important? The main features of ASD are challenges in interacting socially, using language, andhaving limited interests or repetitive behaviors. Visual supports help in all three areas. First, children with ASD may not understand social cues as they interact with others in daily activities. Second,children with ASD often find it difficult to understand and follow spoken instructions. Finally, some children with ASD are anxious or act out when their routines change or they are in unfamiliar situations.

32 Day 27: The Picture Exchange Communication System, or PECS, allows people with little or no communication abilities to communicate using pictures. People using PECS are taught to approach another person and give them a picture of a desired item in exchange for that item. By doing so, the person is able to initiate communication. A child or adult with autism can use PECS to communicate a request, a thought, or anything that can reasonably be displayed or symbolized on a picture card. PECS works well in the home or in the classroom.

33 Day 28: There is no medicine for autism. However - there are medicines for the other comorbid disorders that may occur with autism.

34 Week 5: Wrapping Up

35 We re Amazing, 1, 2, 3! By Leslie Kimmelman My Brother Charlie. By Holly Robinson Peete The Girl Who Thoughts in Pictures: The Story of Temple Grandin. By Julia Finley Mosca Ethan s Story: My Life with Autism. By Ethan Rice Different Like Me: My Book of Autism Heroes. By Jennifer Elder. Autism is? By Ymkje Wideman-van der Laan All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism. By Shaina Rudolph Tacos Anyone? By Marvie Ellis My Friend with Autism. By Beverly Bishop Cooper and the Big Apple. By Camille Cohn Hello, My Name is Max and I Have Autism: An Insight Into the Autistic Mind. By Max Miller Slug Days. By Sara Leach A Friend Like Simon. By Kate Gaynor Uniquely Wired: A Story About Autism and Its Gifts. By Julia Cook Leah s Voice. By Lori DeMonia I Love Being My Own Autistic Self! By Landon Bryce Noah Chases the Wind. By Michelle Worthington Day 29: 17 Children s Books that Promote the Understanding of Autism

36 Day 30: WE DID IT! Thirty days of Autism facts! Thanks to everyone who has stuck around for my daily postings! I want to send a shout out to our principal, Mrs. Edwards, for doing an amazing job with our autism program - we couldn t do it without her! And a special, special shout out to all the parents out there who make us who we are by sharing your amazing, awesome,unique kiddos with us. Here is a link of One World Center for Autism, who has great resources for our families!