Autistic Studies

1) explain why it is important to recognise that each individual on the autistic spectrum has their own individual abilities, needs, strengths, preferences and interests

The PEAK (Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge) Assessment and Direct Training Module was developed by Dr. Mark Dixon for use with autistic children or those with related developmental disabilities. It is based an ABA based therapy, (Applied Behavior Analysis), and assesses skills in manding, tacting, labeling, social and emotional descriptions, the usage of metaphors, and developing effective social exchanges (Daar, et al., 2015). PEAK is composed of four consecutive modules each with individual assessments consisting of 184 questions. The questions are directed at determining specific weaknesses in an individual’s skills. The scores are then collected and recorded on the Performance Matrix Triangle where the results are visually organized and easily interpreted. Corresponding with the assessments is a relational training system that addresses any skill deficits of the individual. The PEAK assessment is an extremely precise tool for earmarking developmental disabilities and has been tested for both validity and reliability.

Most people think children with Autism will never be able to learn and function in normal society but in fact, children with autism have the ability to learn and improve their education and even their behavior which allows them to function as close if not equally in society. Depending on the level of the disease, most children diagnosed with autism still need assistance with living and job skills throughout their adulthood and later years. Most autistics are classified as “mentally retarded” but there are about 10 percent are considered “autistic savants.” (POV, 2013) A savant is defined as “someone who excels in a particular area.” (Riccio, 1999) An example of an autistic savant is someone who can play Beethoven sonata after only hearing it one time. Another great example is an autistic person can tell you if September 2, 1962 fell on a Saturday or Sunday. These examples are part of the autistic child’s brain function. Even though autistic children may seem mentally challenged they have great ability to stick to a particular motive and excel in that one

1.2 Analyse the main diagnostic features of autistic spectrum conditions commonly known as ‘triad of impairments’...

Bondy, A., Esch, B. E., Esch, J. W., & Sundberg, M. (2010). Questions on verbal behavior and its application to individuals with autism: An interview with the experts. The Behavior Analyst Today, 11(3), 186.

These prodigies, who had reached professional status at a very young age had varying theories of causation ranging from nurture to nature. The results indicated they had elevated level of intelligence, working memory and attention to detail. Interestingly, however, their family pedigrees showed an over-representation of relatives with autism. This indicates a potential commonality between child prodigies and savants genetically leading to the conclusion that child prodigies possess a form of autism but suppress typical signs.

1.6 Language and intellectual abilities vary between individuals across the spectrum. Because the spectrum is so vast, abilities within individuals are also vast. Some individuals appear cognitively deficient in some areas but maybe superior in others, such as savants. Some individuals with autism have an average or excellent intellectual ability but cannot adapt their intelligence for general use. Some individuals have verbal abilities and can communicate their needs. Others use vocal screams, or echolalia. Individuals with an

As a result, autistic people generally struggle with social interaction. It is thought that autistic people do possess a skill similar to mind reading, but with numbers. Just like how other people can naturally understand how others are feeling without any thought, autistic people are able to understand numbers with ease. Johnson then introduces the idea of an Autism Spectrum Quotient. This is the idea that instead of an “either/or”, autism is a range.

According to Simmons et al. (2009), autism is classified as a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction, social communication, and an unusually restricted range of behaviors and interests. Along with behavioral and social impairments, a diagnosis of autism also requires a clinically significant delay in language development before the age of three. Asperger Syndrome has similar signs and symptoms to autism without the language delay. Together with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), these disorders form the category of Autism Spectrum Disorders (Simmons et al., 2009). Because the signs and symptoms of ASDs are almost entirely behavioral, a variety of tests, interviews, and direct or indirect observations are used in different combinations based on age and/or language level to receive the most reliable diagnosis. Although there is controversy regarding the increased prevalence of ASDs, it is obvious that there is higher regard for understanding the nature of these disorders, causing an increase of research related to this field of study. It is to be noted, however, that there are a handful of general issues to be addressed when running experiments with afflicted individuals. These issues include: which part of the autism spectrum to target, how to convey instructions and maintain attention in severely affected individuals, difficulty recruiting volunteers due to social reticence, and a change of

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by a combination of abnormalities in language, social cognition and interaction, and mental

Dawson’s et al., (2002) research shows how individuals with autism have abnormal brain developments and can pin point multiple brain regions that are affected. Evidence also shows that these developmental abnormalities in the brain can be caused by both environmental and genetic factors. Within autism there are two distinct ways

Three different hypotheses were presented by the researchers of this study. The first hypothesis explained that children with autism would obtain lower scores on the tests measuring morphological and syntactic skills than children without autism and developmental delay. The second hypothesis was that children with autism would obtain lower scores on the tests measuring the ability to apply plural

No formal hypothesis of the whole article was found but the hypothesis for the experiment was that the subjects with autism would have a harder time in understanding in comparison to non autistic subjects and less of a tendency to use personal pronouns with proper names.

The age of language acquisition can be an important indicator of positive prognosis and social functioning in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children with ASD have impairments in social communication and interaction, and a comprehensive communication assessment is a core component of diagnosing and evaluation. Assessments are used to utilize measures that capture each child’s communication ability and there is extensive literature available detailing the language deficits of children with ASD. However, first acquired language in different age ranges were probed with children with ASD to find the relationship to cognitive abilities and adaptive skills (Mayo, Chlebowski, Fein, and Eigsti, 2013).

Participants. The intended participants will be taken from an archival database of adults with autism. Participants will be both male and female, age 40 and above with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Diagnoses were either from previous evaluations or were confirmed in an initial screening assessment. The archival database is from a study at San Diego State University (SDSU) on the anatomical, functional, and cognitive phenotype of aging adults with autism spectrum disorder. The original study is currently