This book reviews the current state of research and practice in intervention for children with autism. The 10 chapters are organized into three parts, on the nature of autism, treatment of autism, ...and possibilities for a cure and recovery from autism. Chapter 1 introduces definitions and characteristics of autism. Chapter 2 considers what it is like to be autistic, based on statements of autistic individuals. Chapter 3 addresses developmental patterns seen in autistic individuals from preschool through young adulthood. Chapters 4 and 5 consider the impact of autism on the family. Chapter 6 examines current intervention programs such as the behavioral intervention developed by Ivar Lovaas. Inequities in access to expensive interventions such as the in-home preschool intervention of Lovaas are addressed in chapter 7. Chapter 8 describes other alternative treatments including diet, auditory integration training, sensory integration therapy, and facilitated communication. Chapter 9 considers possible "recovery" and reviews data on long-term outcomes. The final chapter urges work on the neurobiological causes of autism, pharmacological treatment, and behavioral/educational interventions. It also stresses the need to provide all children with state-of-the-art autism intervention services. Appended are diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder and a list of resources. (Contains 150 references.) (DB)
Qualitative communication disorders belong to the key symptoms of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). The severity of the symptoms of communication disorders varies depending on the type of PDD, ...from the lack of functional speech to overdeveloped verbal competencies measured by standardized scales. In Asperger’s syndrome (AS), observed language abnormalities include: pragmatics (application of language in social context), semantics (identifying different meanings of the same word) and prosody (rhythm, intonation and modulation of speech). In the case of AS, the difference between formal language skills, i.e. within morphological, phonological and syntactic functions, and semantic and pragmatic deficits is clearly noticeable and distinctive. This situation arouses some questions about neurobiological conditions of these deficits. The language functions are among the first functions for which locations in the brain have been established. Traditionally they have been ascribed to some regions in the left hemisphere; they undergo lateralization and are accomplished owing to the activity of the primary, secondary and tertiary regions of associative cortex. However, there is also quite a lot of evidence suggesting that the right hemisphere plays an important role in communication processes, especially in some aspects of pragmatics and discourse. The analysis of communication deficits observed in patients with acquired right hemisphere damages and patients with AS as well as abnormal patterns of hemispheric asymmetry in this group of patients, suggest that the right hemisphere is involved in aetiology of PDD.
Although obsessional, ritualistic and stereotyped behaviors are a core feature of autistic disorders, substantial data related to those phenomena are lacking. Ritualistic and stereotyped behaviours ...can be found in almost all autistic patients. Additionally, cognitive able individuals with Asperger’s disorder (AD) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA: defined by the presence of IQ- levels > 70, Howlin, 2004, p. 6) mostly develop circumscribed, often called obsessional interests and preoccupations. Results from recent research indicate that autistic individuals frequently suffer from obsessions and compulsions according to DSM-IV criteria of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), being associated with marked distress and interference with daily life. OCD and autism share several similarities regarding symptom profiles and comorbidity. Etiologic overlap between the disorders becomes especially evident when focussing cognitive, neurobiological and genetic aspects.Autism-related obsessive- compulsive phenomena (AOCP) have generally to be differentiated from OCD-symptoms, although there is no sharp borderline.
Every 20 minutes, another child is diagnosed with autism. Are you ready to meet this growing educational challenge? This authoritative guide for practitioners--early interventionists, teachers, ...school counselors and psychologists--provides practical strategies for addressing the unique needs of children on the autism spectrum and their families. Drawing on current research and evidence-based practice, the authors discuss the causes of autism and present methods for educating children and assisting their families in supporting the educational process. Each chapter focuses on a critical issue and offers solutions, including: (1) Improving communication, social, generalization and self-management skills; (2) Designing instruction, intervention, and assessment; (3) Including families in developing goals and interventions; (4) Using students' special interests to deliver instruction; (5) Understanding and preventing challenging behavior; and (6) Evaluating practices to promote successful outcomes for students, families and practitioners. Included are forms, charts, and activities to help practitioners and families fulfill learning programs. Educating Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders will give you insight and tools to make a difference in the learning and lives of students with autism spectrum disorders.
In this study, we examined how to improve the environment for the establishment of workplaces for people with intellectual disabilities with autistic disabilities, based on the case of working ...support in cooperation between a T corporation that conducts pre-employment training and a job coach. As a result, the following three conditions were found: 1) continuous cooperation with employment support organizations, 2) sharing and updating of person-centered plans, and 3) information transfer regarding workplace support. Therefore, in order to satisfy these conditions, the importance of a mechanism in which related parties continuously confirm the person-centered plan after the establishment of the workplace and support based on the latest personal information is suggested.
Problems with sleeping are common and make life difficult for the individual who is affected and for those around them. Sleep difficulties are particularly prevalent amongst people with Autism ...Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and often cause or worsen other difficulties. This comprehensive guide to the management of sleep problems, introduces all the proven remedies and focuses on the problems commonly found in ASDs and related conditions. The author discusses sleep in depth, including how we currently define and understand it. The full spectrum of sleep disorders is explained alongside the range of possible treatment approaches. The book also examines why some sleep problems are more common among people with an ASD than others, how sleep problems evolve over time, what can be done to treat them and the likely benefits from different treatments. This book is a complete resource for professionals, families and carers working with those suffering from sleep problems of any kind. It will be of great interest to anyone wanting to gain a thorough understanding of sleep in relation to ASDs.
he virus HHV-6 is one of the herpesvirus family and is present in most of human beings, although it only attacks its host in cases where there is immunosuppression.
It has two subtypes that are ...differentiated by
the size and shapes of infection which are the
HHV-6A and HHV-6B. It has been identified in newborns
and it has been associated with pediatric disorders
of neurodevelopment since more than 15 years, mainly associated with benign epilepsy, febrile seizures,
meningoencephalitis, meningitis, encephalitis and
multiple sclerosis. However, some research has
recently begun to refer it in case studies related to
disorders of autism spectrum. Since the virus can attack the Nervous Central System and the damage caused by the virus can be confused with symptoms of observable as part of disorders of neurodevelopment, a group of researchers started to analyze the presence of the virus and its relationship with delays or disorders of development in infants around the world.
O virus HHV-6 é parte da família de vírus do herpes e é encontrada na maior parte dos seres humanos, embora apenas activado para atacar seu hospedeiro em casos de imunossupressão. Apresenta dois subtipos que
diferem no tamanho e forma da infecção que são o HHV-6 e HHV-6B. Em recém-nascidos, tem sido
detectado e tem sido associada a com transtornos de neurodesenvolvimento de pediátricos por mais de 15 anos. Está relacionado principalmente ao benignos da epilepsia, convulsões febre, encefalite, encefalite, meningite
e esclerose múltipla. Atualmente, o vírus é evocado em estudos de casos relacionados com perturbações do desenvolvimento neurológico, porque pode atacar o
sistema nervoso central. O dano se manifestaria no
longo prazo através de uma apresentação sintomática semelhante ao que se observa por exemplo em transtornos
do espectro do autismo. Este artigo analisa o vírus e sua relação com transtornos de desenvolvimento em crianças em todo o mundo.
El virus HHV-6 es parte de la familia de los herpesvirus y se encuentra presente en la mayoría de los humanos,
aunque sólo se activa para atacar a su huésped en casos
donde se presenta inmunodepresión. Posee dos subtipos
que se diferencian por el tamaño y la forma de infección
que son el HHV-6A y el HHV-6B. En los recién nacidos,
se le ha detectado y relacionado con trastornos neuro pediátricos desde hace más de 15 años. Principalmente
se le relaciona con la epilepsia benigna, las convulsiones
febriles, la encefalitis, la meningoencefalitis, la meningitis
y la esclerosis multiple. Actualmente el virus se evoca en estudios de caso relacionados con los trastornos del neurodesarrollo, debido a que éste puede atacar el
Sistema Nervioso Central. El daño causado se
manifestaría a largo plazo a través de una presentación sintomática similar a lo que se observa por ejemplo en los trastornos del espectro autista. Este artículo busca analizar la presencia del virus y su relación con los
trastornos del desarrollo en infantes alrededor del mundo.
In a former study (Fonseca and Bussab,
2006
, 'Self, other and dialogical space in autistic states', International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 87:1-16), the author hypothesised that in autistic ...disorders there is a distortion in the construction of what she defined as dialogic space. Such a space, in which self and other define each other mutually, is the final result of early dyadic transactions. These are characterised by opposing experiences of ongoing regulation, disruption and repair. This sets the basis for both the sense of predictability, the so-called 'me experiences', in Winnicottian terminology, and novelty, the 'not-me experiences'. The balance of these transactions provides the preconditions for the acceptance of otherness, a crucial difficulty in autistic disorders, whose hallmark is considered by some authors to be the inability to accept and deal with otherness. This paper aims to illustrate the peculiar way in which such difficulties are made clear in less severe cases on the autistic spectrum, such as in Asperger's syndrome. The clinical material of a 12-year-old-boy with an uncanny ability to induce drowsiness in the analyst will be presented. My hypothesis is that such a state is the consequence of a dialogic style of forcing agreement inside the dyad, searching exclusively for the already known, as a possible way of avoiding the encounter with otherness.
Cet article aborde la question de la difficulté concernant l’usage du pronom personnel par les enfants atteints de troubles autistiques, en essayant d’établir une liaison entre ce problème et le ...manque de développement non seulement de la notion du self et de l’autre, mais aussi de la constitution d’un espace mental et de la tridimensionnalité. On part de la postulation de l’existence d’une structure interactionnelle précoce qui contiendrait les représentations présymboliques du self, de l’objet et de la relation entre eux. Les auteurs formulent alors l’hypothèse qu’une telle structure, construite en grande partie à travers les échanges face-à-face, est internalisée en bloc, permettant la représentation mentale tridimensionnelle de la dyade, et donc une expérience adéquate d’espace interne et externe qui entraînerait plus tard la capacité d’employer la première personne. Le nourrisson devant sa mère se rend compte qu’il y a non seulement un espace entre eux, mais aussi une relation qui permet que deux différentes positions soient considérées : tantôt le « je » appartient à un, tantôt le « je » appartient à l’autre. Des vignettes du matériel psychanalytique d’un garçon autiste illustrent les difficultés concernant l’emploi du pronom personnel et les arrangements spatiaux qui demandent un ajustement à la position de l’autre. On conclut que, si les échanges précoces face-à-face sont atteints par une série de facteurs, la structure interactionnelle pourra être déviante, avec le conséquent préjudice de la notion d’espace interne, de la tridimensionnalité et de l’inversion nécessaire à l’usage correct du pronom personnel.
This paper approaches the issue of the difficulty concerning the use of the first person pronoun in autistic children, aiming to establish a link between such impairment and the impaired development of the concept of self and other, and of the building up of psychic space and tridimensionality. As a theoretical background, we consider the existence of an early interaction structure, which contains presymbolic representations of self, other and the relationship between them. We raised the hypothesis that such structure, constituted along infant-caregiver face-to-face exchanges, is internalized as a whole, allowing a tridimensional mental representation of the dyad. Thus the infant is able to adequately experience both internal and external spaces, a prerequisite for the ability to use the first person pronoun. The infant facing his mother becomes aware that not only there is a space but also a relationship between them, which allows the understanding of two different positions: now the “I” belongs to one person, now the “I” belongs to other person. Fragments of psychoanalytic material of an autistic boy are given to illustrate the difficulties concerning both the use of first person pronoun and the spatial arrangements for adjusting oneself to the position of the other. The author's conclusion is that, if the early infant-caregiver face-to-face exchanges are impaired, the interaction structure may be deviant, hindering the building up of internal space, of the notion of tridimensionality and of the necessary altercentric inversion that enables the child to use the first person pronoun correctly.
Japan's law titled, "Support for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act" (Act No. 167 of 2004), included a description of an ideal system of supports for persons with developmental disabilities. ...The present review examines how applied behavior analysis could contribute to such supports. First, the scientific evidence on a comprehensive applied behavior analytic support method that would be in accordance with the law is summarized. Next, applied behavior analytic evidence-based practice for persons with autistic disorders, attention deficit/hyperactive disorders, and learning disorders is examined, especially focusing on the following points: (a) What were characteristics of those disabilities? (b) How did applied behavior analysis studies identify effective support methods? (c) How were integrated support programs developed and analyzed in larger scale studies? (d) How have guidelines for supports been established on the basis of these studies? and (e) What new research and practice has been developed for application to various individuals and situations? In general, support guidelines were proposed on the basis of the results of research, and new evidence-based support methods were produced, applied, and evaluated for individualized needs of persons with developmental disabilities. Research does not just provide a static database, but is also a necessary condition for enhancing the quality of supports.
