Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE)
Autism Spectrum Disorders for Paraprofessionals
Module 1
Slide 1: History of ASD
Selena Joy Layden, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Training Coordinator
Slide 2: Introduction
In this presentation, you will learn about the following topics:
Ø How are students with autism spectrum disorder like other students?
Ø How are students with autism spectrum disorder different from other students?
Ø What is the history of autism spectrum disorders?
Ø What is meant by “autism spectrum disorders”?
Ø What are the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders?
Ø What causes autism spectrum disorders?
Welcome to the course. This is a course for paraprofessionals or any staff who support a student with an autism spectrum disorder in a school. As you complete this course, you will learn about autism spectrum disorders and also supports and strategies that work to teach these students. As you go through this presentation and the rest of the course, keep in mind that we will call autism spectrum disorder “ASD” for an abbreviation. You may also hear it called autism. For our purposes, these are all referring to the same thing.
In this first module, you will be learning about autism spectrum disorders. You will learn about the characteristics of students who have this disability. You will learn how these characteristics look different from student to student. You will also learn how these characteristics impact the student and may impact their learning.
In this presentation, you will learn about the following topics:
Ø How are students with autism spectrum disorder like other students?
Ø How are students with autism spectrum disorder different from other students?
Ø What is the history of autism spectrum disorders?
Ø What is meant by “autism spectrum disorders”?
Ø What are the characteristics of autism spectrum disorders?
Ø What causes autism spectrum disorders?
Slide 3: Students with ASD are like other students.
· Always remember, every student with ASD is very much like any other student in your school.
· They have more things in common with the other students than they have differences.
Ø All students can learn.
Ø All students have interests.
Ø All students have dreams.
Ø All students struggle with some things.
Ø All students can become valued members of the community.
Let’s begin by talking about the students who have ASD. Always remember, every student with ASD is very much like any other student in your school. While they may have some differences, they have more things in common with the other students than they have differences. For example:
Ø All students can learn.
Ø All students have interests.
Ø All students have dreams.
Ø All students struggle with some things.
Ø All students can become valued members of the community.
Most importantly, we know that all students, including those with ASD, are unique. They come in all shapes and sizes and have their own personalities.
Slide 4: Students with ASD have many strengths.
· Every student has strengths.
· As you work with a student with ASD, you will quickly see the many strengths he or she has!
Every student has strengths. This is also true for students with ASD. Some students have strong memories. Some students have a great sense of humor. Other students are strong academically. For example, Temple Grandin, who was diagnosed with autism as a young girl has a Ph.D. She has written many books and does presentations to national audiences.
As you work with students with ASD, you will quickly see the many strengths that he or she has! Samantha, who is 4 years old, is great at completing puzzles and matching. Jake, who is 11, is a strong reader and is at the top of his class. Alex, who is 16, is a math whiz!
Slide 5: Students with ASD are different from other students.
· Students with ASD are different from some of the other students because they need special instruction to learn certain things.
· As a paraprofessional, it is your role to understand the person, first as an individual student with specific interests, dreams and desires, then as a student with specific learning needs.
As we go through this presentation, you will learn the ways a student with ASD is different from other students. Simply put, those with ASD are different from some of the other students because they need special instruction to learn certain things. For example, Samantha needs support learning how to talk and how to ask for things that she wants. Jake needs support learning how to play with his peers, while Alex needs help learning how to read.
As a paraprofessional, it is your role to understand the person, first as an individual student with specific interests, dreams, and desires, then as a student with a specific learning need.
Slide 6: Apply it!
· Think about a student you know who has ASD.
· Think about his or her strengths and abilities.
· Think about his or her interests and desires. Write down the name of the student.
· List three strengths you have observed.
· List any interests you have observed.
It is time to do your first “Apply it!” activity. The “Apply it!” activity for this presentation can be found in the course documents that you printed before starting this module. When you do an “Apply it!” activity at any point during the course, you will pause the presentation and answer the questions listed on the page. Some of the “Apply it!” activities may require you to talk to your supervising teacher or to look up information at school. If this is the case, you can do the activity after you have viewed the entire presentation. The “Apply it!” activities are designed to help you use the content you learn throughout the course. Be sure to do each one!
Now, please get your “Apply it!” paper for this presentation. Please go to the Apply it! document titled: Introduction to ASD. Now find the question titled: Strengths and Abilities. Pause the presentation and think about a student you know who has ASD. Think about his or her strengths and abilities. Think about his or her interests and desires. Write down the name of the student. List three strengths that you have observed. List any interests you have observed.
Once you have completed this activity share your responses with your supervisory teacher. Your supervisory teacher may have other items to add to your list and may be interested in the observations that you’ve made.
Slide 7: History of autism spectrum disorder
· The term “autism” was coined by a man named Leo Kanner in 1943.
· Research has also led to understanding how to teach these students.
· Be careful not to hold on to old information or old stereotypes.
· We are learning more about autism every day!
It is important for us to provide a quick history of ASD because there is so much confusion surrounding it. The term “autism” was coined by someone named Leo Kanner in 1943. He described boys who were socially withdrawn, repeated words and phrases that were said to them, and “lived within themselves”. Since that time, we have done a lot of research and have learned about ASD. During the last 20 years there has been an increased focus on research and have learned even more. This research has led to changes in definitions. It has led to understanding the characteristics. Research has also led to understanding how to teach these students.
Some of you may already know something about ASD. Be careful not to hold on to old information or old stereotypes. For example, many people, when they hear the word autism, think about a child sitting in a corner, rocking, and wanting to be alone. This is a stereotype and is not true. Because we now have better research, we have new information and can do a better job of teaching students with ASD. We are learning more about autism every day!
Slide 8: What is autism spectrum disorder?
Comment: The above graphic demonstrates that the term Autism Spectrum Disorders is an umbrella term. The terms included under the umbrella are Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified.
Let’s now talk about what is meant by the phrase “autism spectrum disorder”.
Autism Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term that includes different disabilities. The three main disabilities under this umbrella are Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Each of these three disability categories are similar, because people diagnosed with any of them will show deficits in three areas. The three areas are: deficits in communication, deficits in social skills, and the presence of unusual patterns of behavior such as repeating movie lines over and over. We call it an “autism spectrum” because the disability is very different from person to person. Some may be impacted only a little bit, while others are impacted a lot.
Slide 9: What are the characteristics of an autism spectrum disorder?
Three areas impacted by ASD:
Ø Communication
Ø Social Skills
Ø Unusual Patterns of Behavior
As we’ve just mentioned, each of the categories impact three areas. More information will be provided in a later presentation, but let’s take a brief look at all three of these areas so we can better understand what is meant by autism spectrum disorder.
Communication: The student has difficulty communicating with others. He may not be able to understand what is said to him. He may have trouble talking to others. For example, the student may never talk or may only use one or two words. If the student does talk, he may repeat sentences over and over again or may not be able to have a conversation.
Social Skills: The student has difficulties with relationships with his peers. The student may not play with others or may not engage in appropriate play. He may have a hard time making eye contact and understanding someone else’s feelings.
Unusual Patterns of Behavior: The student may become stressed when there is a change and may want to follow routines. He may be attached to certain objects such as a toy car or a book. The student might have odd body movements. For example, he may flap his hands, jump repeatedly, or spin in circles.
Slide 10: What are the three disability categories in an autism spectrum disorder?
· Three disability categories under the heading of Autism Spectrum Disorder:
Ø Autism
Ø Asperger’s Syndrome
Ø Pervasive Development Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)
· ASD impacts every single student very differently.
Now, let’s talk briefly about the three main disability categories under the heading of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Again, these three categories are Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS).
It is not important that you know the definition of all three of these categories. Instead it is more important that you have heard about them and that you understand that each one is a type of autism spectrum disorder.
By learning about these categories you will see that ASD impacts every single student very differently. For example, Samantha is unable to talk and can’t tell her teacher what she wants to do. She plays by herself and ignores all the people in her classroom. Samantha likes to wiggle her fingers in front of her eyes and constantly makes a high pitched squeal. Conversely, Jake is very talkative. He has a big vocabulary. He often gets into trouble for talking in class when he is not supposed to. Jake wants to have friends at school but has a hard time making them. He only wants to talk about dinosaurs and books that he just read. You can hopefully see that these are two very different examples of students with ASD.
Slide 11: What is the difference between autism, Asperger’s syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified?
· The term Autism is the most familiar of all autism spectrum disorders.
Ø The student must have impairments in communication and social skills and must show unusual patterns of behavior.
· Students with Asperger’s syndrome or PDD-NOS show some traits of autism.
· Students with Asperger’s syndrome and PDD-NOS are on the autism spectrum and will need special supports and teaching strategies while they are in school.
The term Autism is the most familiar of all autism spectrum disorders. For a student to have a diagnosis of autism, he must show significant deficits in all three of the areas we described above. The student must have impairments in communication and social skills and must show unusual patterns of behavior.
Students with Asperger’s Syndrome or PDD-NOS show some traits of autism. For example, they may have poor social skills, prefer following routines, and have a strong interest in an object or a topic. But unlike those who have autism, students with Asperger's syndrome or PDD-NOS can usually talk pretty well and may even have a very strong vocabulary.
These students are often thought to be less impaired than those with autism. However, this is not really true. These students still have very serious challenges with social skills and interacting with people. These students will have a hard time making friends and may not get along with adults. They may not be able to follow the school rules. For example, the student may not understand he has to raise his hand before he answers a question or that he has to wait in line before he goes to lunch. He will have unusual behaviors that will make learning hard. Students with Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS are on the autism spectrum and will need special supports and teaching strategies while they are in school.