STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS FOR 2E GIFTED LEARNERS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

Transcription

1 ON THE SPECTRUM STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS FOR 2E GIFTED LEARNERS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM Presented by Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center OBJECTIVES Why is Level-One ASD/Asperger s difficult to diagnose in gifted learners? What characteristics ASD can lead to misdiagnosis or a missed diagnosis in children and teens? What struggles do level-one ASD individuals face at home, school, and with peers? What specific interventions can parents, teachers, and mental health professionals implement to support Level-One ASD learners for success?

2 RECOGNIZING LEVEL-ONE AUTISM (AKA ASPERGER S) WALKING THE LINE WHY ARE LEVEL-ONE ASD INDIVIDUALS SO HARD TO DIAGNOSE? Misdiagnosis vs. Missed Diagnosis Cognitive skills mask struggles Research varies on average age of diagnosis 11 years old (Howlin & Asgharian. 1999) 7.2 years old (Mandell, et al. 2005) 6.2 years old (Christiansen, et al. 2012) Poor awareness of symptoms by doctors, educators, and public Stigma surrounding Asperger s/asd diagnosis

3 2E: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS The DSM-V (2013) eliminated the diagnosis of Asperger s Disorder. All Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are now one with differences noted in levels of functioning. Asperger s continues to be a term frequently used to describe highfunctioning autism 2E: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS Social Communication and Social Interaction Deficits Reduced sharing of feelings; failure of back-and-forth communication Poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication (body language/eye contact, lack of facial expression) Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities (at least 2) Stereotyped or repetitive movements Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus Hyper or hypo-reactivity to sensory input

4 SUBTLE SIGNS OF LEVEL-ONE ASD Advanced memorization skills Easy to socialize with individuals older or younger Difficulty interpreting nonverbal communication Hyperlexia (advanced early reading skills) Splinter skills Struggles with writing (content) during school-age years Advanced sorting and categorizing in early childhood Literal thought patterns Sensory sensitivity Difficulty regulating emotions Perseverative interests Highly formalized speech patterns in early childhood WHAT S THE IMPACT OF EXPLAINING AWAY ASD? But, he makes eye contact. He has Sensory Processing Disorder. He s just quirky.

5 INTERVENTIONS FOR LEVEL-ONE ASD LEARNERS 1. REDUCING INFLEXIBLE THINKING PATTERNS 2. DEVELOPING SOCIAL AWARENESS AND SKILLS INTERVENTIONS: TAKE A STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH

6 INTERVENTIONS: BUILD EMOTIONAL AWARENESS Emotional Awareness Self Regulation Coping Skills INTERVENTIONS: SCAFFOLD TO BUILD FLEXIBILITY Begin by providing explicit support for expectations through visual schedules, verbal instructions, etc. Work to build flexibility by gradually increasing options within plans Give time for processing and transitions!

7 INTERVENTIONS: REDUCE RIGID THINKING PATTERNS Teaching Dialectical Thinking Dialectics teach us that there is always more than one way to see a situation and more than one way to solve a problem. Two things that seem like (or are) opposites can both be true. Use Both/And instead of Either/Or. INTERVENTIONS: BUILDING EMPATHY Empathy is NOT in short supply in individuals with ASD. How can parents, educators, and mental health practitioners grow the ability to use empathy to enhance emotional regulation and social skills?

8 UNEXPECTED IMPACTS OF SOCIAL COMMUNICATION STRUGGLES Telling the truth and dishonesty Learning to drive Enuresis, encopresis, and other hygiene related issues Dating and flirting Gender identity and sexual orientation awareness INTERVENTIONS FRIENDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Pokemon club, anyone? Proactive and interactive coaching of social skills How can parents/educators structure these opportunities?

9 INTERVENTIONS RECIPROCAL COMMUNICATION INTERVENTIONS COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS Help parents overcome the stigma of an ASD diagnosis. Focus on the strengths that come along with an autism diagnosis. Say something NOW!

10 CONTACT INFORMATION Facebook: Podcast: WORKS CITED American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. Christensen, D. L., Bilder, D. A., Zahorodny, W., Pettygrove, S., Durkin, M. S., Fitzgerald, R. T.,... & Yeargin-Allsopp, M. (2016). Prevalence and characteristics of autism spectrum disorder among 4-year-old children in the autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 37(1), 1-8. Howlin, P. and Asgharian, A. (1999), The diagnosis of autism and Asperger syndrome: findings from a survey of 770 families. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 41: doi: /j tb00550.x Mandell, D. S., Novak, M. M., & Zubritsky, C. D. (2005). Factors Associated With Age of Diagnosis Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pediatrics, 116(6), Treffert, D. A. (2011). Hyperlexia III: Separating autistic-like behaviors from autistic disorder; Assessing children who read early or speak late. WMJ, 110,