Literature Review Literature

Autism spectrum disorders are a class of developmental disorders that impair social skills, behavior, and communication (Center for Disease Control). ASDs are considered ‘spectrum’ disorders because each patient has a unique experience in the nature and severity of their symptoms (Center for Disease Control). Under the umbrella of ASDs, there are three types of disorders, including Autistic disorder, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (Center for Disease Control). Autistic disorder is the most severe of the three, and patients exhibit significant problems with language, communication, and behavior (Center for Disease Control). Furthermore, people with Autistic disorder often have some intellectual impairment (Center for Disease Control). Asperger Syndrome is a milder form of autistic disorder where patients have some developmental delays, but their language and intellect are not affected (Center for Disease Control). The mildest of the ASDs is the pervasive developmental disorder. These patients usually don’t meet all of the criteria for autistic disorder, but do show some signs of social and communication problems (Center for Disease Control). The number of children diagnosed with ASD is growing, and currently 1 in 88 children fall somewhere on the spectrum (Mari-Bauset et al., 2013). Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism, and while the exact cause of these disorders is unknown, both genetic and

Autism affects many children each year and it is important for parents to be aware of delays in their child’s development, in in any area of communication. According to a study by the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Autism and Related Disorders, autistic children possessing a language difficulty or delay have a seventy percent chance of showing fluent speech by the age of eight (“Speech”). Although a child shows delay or impairment in language at a young age, it is possible for them to later on exhibit normal language development. Parents should be aware of normal language benchmarks, such as when a child begins babbling, imitating verbally, and using spoken and first words. If a child is lacking skills normally possessed by typically developing children, having said child

With the prevalence of autism at an all-time high, there are many benefits to identifying a child as early as possible. Identification and intervention can dramatically improve outcomes for children with ASD. Children have increased neural plasticity at a very early age, making it easier for children to learn new skills such as communication, play, and overall skill development. Early intervention will improve children’s behaviors and remediate areas of weaknesses. Also, according to the New Jersey Early Intervention System program, early intervention makes the transition into preschool easier for children diagnosed with autism. In addition, parent-implemented intervention usually leads to better parent-child interaction, improved communication, behavior, and better maternal knowledge of autism.

However, with this screening tool, false positives may occur (Williams et al., 2015). Because of this, the M-CHAT-R tool was developed and it is more sensitive, and detects 67 per 10,000 cases of autism (Williams et al., 2015). If the risk is low; the child is reevaluated at the 24-month-old. If medium risk, then a follow-up questionnaire called M-CHAT-R/F is given. These screening tools are easy, efficient, and reliable to assess the risk of Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) (Williams et al., 2015). Many nurses lack familiarity with these screening tools and also don’t have time to screen children for ASD. This article helps nurses to prevent barriers in screening children with early developmental

Whether a diagnosis of autism, or diagnosis of another disability is to be made, interventions can be developed to add the child 's “tool belt” on their waist of life. Research shows that the early intervention can highly impact the likelihood of success (Krader, 2014). The American Academy of pediatric tells us that the diagnosis procedure should start in children between 18 and 24 months. With the essential screening process, recommendations can be used to begin intervention and start the help that the child needs. As we have seen through research, not all children receive testing that proves equality (Krader, 2014).

I did a case study on a 4 year-old girl with high functioning autism named “Sabrina Smith”. She has difficulty communicating with her family and peers and often becomes very emotional caused by certain triggers. My research came from observing Sabrina in her preschool classroom several times throughout this case study. I also interviewed her parents and her teacher concerning her developmental, educational and family history. I spoke with and interviewed a parent of a typically developing child and also the child’s autism in-home specialist. The Center of Disease Control supplied my research with information concerning causes, symptoms, treatments and, up-to-date news and information about childhood autism. WebMD was another source I used on the internet to research characteristics and general information. The books, ASD: A complete Guide to understanding Autism and our class textbook were also rich with pertinent information about ASD for my research and knowledge.

The results of a study designed to identify children previously undiagnosed with ASD was presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR). This study finds that, with little effort, daycare and preschool teachers can effectively screen children for ASD. Teachers were asked to complete the Social Communication Questionnaire or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) form. These checklists are used to identify children who are at high risk for

Diagnosing children with any disorder is difficult, due to the fact that development occurs rapidly in the first years of a child’s life in social, emotional, and cognitive areas (Barlow & Durand, 2012). A child’s development can be influenced in many ways, such as socioeconomically or by how emotionally supportive the parent is (Combs-Orme, Orme, & Lefmann, 2013). Diagnosing children with specific disorders proves to be more difficult considering the overlap of symptoms that occurs between the conditions (Phetrasuwan, Miles, Mesibov, & Robinson, 2009). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a category of disorders that characterizes those with severe impairments in social

(2015) involved many extensive instruments to assess a number of different measurable outcomes. The Differential Ability Scales (DAS) was used to determine strengths and weaknesses in learning or to measure intellectual ability by determining General Conceptual Ability (GCA), nonverbal and verbal IQ, and reasoning capabilities. The Vineland Scales of Adaptive Behavior (VABS) was used to measure adaptive behavior. The VABS is actually a set of questions for the parents to answer to determine the Adaptive Behavior Composite (ABC) that is then broken down to daily living skills, socialization, and communication. The Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule (ADOS) was used to assess what are considered to be autism symptoms. The Repetitive Behavior Scale (RBS) was used to measure how severe the repetitive behavior of the child was which is another sign of autism. The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) was administered to the parents and used to measure challenging behaviors such as hyperactivity and irritability. The Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised (ADI-R) was given to the parents to assess peer relationships. All tests were administered by licensed clinicians with no prior knowledge of the children’s

Language assessment is necessary for Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to identify the areas of language that the client is struggling with, so that the most beneficial treatment plan for their needs can be determined. Also, assessment is important because early language skills in this population are key predictors of future language outcomes. It’s imperative to consider investigating the early stages of language and communicative development in very young children with ASD for this reason. In regards to measuring early language skills in clients with Autism, generally this is done by both standardized tests and parent reports such as questionnaires or interviews. Both approaches offer valuable information about a child’s linguistic skills and provide important information to predict later language outcomes.

Impairments in communication are a core feature of autism and other developmental disorders and typically involve a delay or total lack of communicative speech. Although the mechanisms responsible for communication deficits remain unknown, much research has been devoted to both the early identification of language delays and to

The diagnosis of Autism is often times delayed, and may happen due to the fear of an incorrect diagnosis. Autism has many defining features which can include: impaired socialization, impaired verbal and non-verbal communication, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. Many believe that early intervention can improve outcomes for children with Autism. There are many components one must look at when diagnosing and identifying Autism. “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for developmental delays and disabilities during regular well-child doctor visits at 9 month, 18 months, and 24 or 30 months” (www.cdc.gov).

Although a routine score of 15 is used typically, a score of 10 points was chosen for this study to not miss higher functioning individuals with ASD. Other diagnostic tools were implemented when scores reached and/or exceeded the cutoff. The diagnostic tools used were Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale ( ). For a child to be considered autistic they had to meet three criteria domains which are impaired social interactions, impaired communication and repetitive

Tens of millions of people have been diagnosed with Autism worldwide, effecting both genders, all races, ethnicities and people from all socioeconomic classes. In 2010 a Surveillance Summary was conducted in the United States, where it identified that one in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). It has been recognised

In 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that on average, 1 in 10 children each year are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (Hunt & Marshall, 2012, p. 304). However, the number of children diagnosed with autism in recent years is