According to the CDC, “Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability
that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges."
Commonly associated with deficits in social skills, communication and language, behavioral
challenges, sometimes cognitive challenges, restricted and repetitive patterns of
behavior.
Autism Frequently Asked Questions
Autism must be diagnosed by a experienced and qualified medical professional using
the DSM-5 criteria from the The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
Behavior Analysts and school professionals cannot diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorders,
however, they can help determine if the learner is eligible for services under the
DESE Autism educational eligibility category.
No! According to DESE, the definition of autism is:
Autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal or nonverbal communication
and social interaction, generally evident before age three (3) that adversely affects
a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism
are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental
change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.
So, If a student meets the DESE criteria for Autism, a school can provide services
based on this educational eligibility criteria.
Read more about the specific criteria on DESE's Website.
Not only are learners going to fall within different places on the spectrum, but learners
are also going to have different skills that fall onto different places on the spectrum,
commonly referred to as splinter skills.
This means that some learners might have very high support needs in regard to expressive
communication (you are teaching them PECS, AAC, they have very minimal requests, etc)
but they have very low support needs in the area of receptive communication, meaning
they can follow directions, know what items are, point to items when asked, etc. This
chart just lists a few skills, but it gives you an idea of how students might have
different support needs within different skill sets.
Our language is so important. Our learners have many strengths and deficits so categorizing
them by “low and high functioning” doesn’t do them justice.
According to DESE, there are over 16,021 students identified and being served under
the autism elegibility criteria.
Prevalent in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
According to the CDC:
"There is not just one cause of ASD. There are many different factors that have been
identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental,
biologic, and genetic factors.
Although we know little about specific causes, the available evidence suggests that
the following may put children at greater risk for developing ASD:
Having a sibling with ASD
Having certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous
sclerosis
Experiencing complications at birth
Being born to older parents
CDC is currently working on one of the largest U.S. studies to date on ASD. This study
called the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), was designed to look at the risk factors and behaviors related with ASD. CDC is
now conducting a follow-up study of older children who were enrolled in SEED to determine
the health, functioning, and needs of people with ASD and other developmental disabilities
as they mature."
