Autism

Autism is a Neurodevelopmental Disorder that impacts how people communicate and interact with the world around them. (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association 2013*)

• Autism can look different from person to person, thus the term " spectrum disorder."

• People with Autism often experience challenges with social-emotional interactions and nonverbal communication and behaviors used for social interactions. (examples include eye contact and body language or lack of facial expressions).

• People with Autism often have challenges in developing and maintaining relationships.

• Diagnosis of Autism includes signs of restrictive, repetitive patterns or behavior, interests, or activities that can be highly

*Symptoms of Autism include the following The Pocket Guide to the DSM-5 Diagnostic Exam, Abraham M. Nussbaum, M.D., 2013 American Psychiatric Association

Autism at a Glance

Websites

• https://www.cdc.gov/autism/index.html

• https://autismpartnershipfoundation.org/about/

• https://autism.org/what-is-autism/

• https://autismsociety.org/

A Few Books I Recommend

• Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential and other titles by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare

• Accessing the Curriculum for Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorders; Using the TEACCH programs to help inclusion by Gary Mesibov, Marie Howley and Signe Naftel

• Helping Children with Autism Learn; Treatment Approaches for Parents and Professionals by Bryna Siegel

• Drawing a Blank: Improving Comprehension for Readers on the Autism Spectrum by Emily Iland

Common Accommodations

• Graphic organizers to provide structure to assignments

• More time for homework and tests

• Reduced level of class and homework (i.e. 10 spelling words vs. 20)

• Audiobooks (Bookshare, Learning Ally)

• Dictation software (Google text to speech or similar extensions, , Dragon, CoWriter)

• Oral testing (vs. written responses)