Chapter 1 question 1:

1 factor that has contributed to the evolution of EBP as applied to learners on the autism

spectrum is due to the rise of the number of individuals who are diagnosed with ASD. With

roughly 1 in 50 school aged children having ASD, the way schools need to accommodate for

these students is always changing to try and better the education they receive.

Another factor is the National Research Council, and the No Child Left Behind Act. Both

of these work hard to ensure that school education staff, and those who work with children on the

autism spectrum, are giving these students the focus and care the deserve in school and for their

education. They try to set up standards the staff and school itself needs to do to ensure all

students, including those with ASD are receiving a proper education so they can succeed. Of

course, there are many challenges that they face in order for this to happen and these things are

still a work in progress.

Another major factor that helped evolve EBP is in 2009 the National Autism Center

releasing its National Standards Project report. This report addressed the need to create EBP

guidelines for autism spectrum disorders. Another project similar to the NSP was created by the

National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders. From both of these

projects a list of 24 interventions, which met the criteria for EBPs was created. Both projects

exhibited many similarities in their lists with mainly terminology being the difference in factors.

These 2 projects helped create data for Evidence-Practices that are used, and helped to better

evolve EBPs.

Chapter 2 Questions
 1: Some signs of autism include persistent deficits in social communication and

interaction across multiple contexts. These can include deficits in nonverbal communication

behaviors used for social interactions. Not using eye contact, deficits in understand gestures, lack

of facial expressions, and nonverbal expressions are a few examples in this category. Another

sign is restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. This can include the

insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, having a strong attachment to an object,

having adverse response to specific sounds or textures, and indifferences to pain or temperature.

Symptoms are usually present in the early developmental period, but may not manifest until later

in life.

2: The specifiers that are relevant to ASD that are also included in DSM-5 include: with

or without accompanying intellectual and/or language impairment. Association with a known

medical, genetic condition, or environmental factor. Association with another

neurodevelopmental, mental, or behavior disorder or catatonia. Severity of expression from level

1 to level 3 based on the level of support needed for social communication and restricted,

repetitive behaviors.

4: The six aspects of ASD are:

1- Social reasoning: how well a child interacts in social situations. Some children will

actively avoid social interactions all together. Others will tolerate the interaction with some

prompting, or when they want something. Others will actively interact, though typically with

adults, but may have a lack of social understanding. Some child may interact like miniature

adults than a child in the way they interact.

 2- Language abilities: the communication of language a child exhibits. Some children

with ASD only have a vocabulary of sound, not words. They may still comprehend language just

cannot communicate through words themselves. Some children can have vocalizations but

usually do to echoing another person. They also may see an object and say the objects name or

repeated phrases from a favorite show or movie. Then there are those who are extremely verbal

and have a good vocabulary but may exhibit challenges with auditory discrimination and

processing. They also may take what another person says too literal.

3- Cognition: the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through

thought, experience, and the senses. On one end of the spectrum is a child who has profound learning

difficulties and a significant intellectual impairment as assessed on a standardized intelligence scale.

These children may be interested in sensory rather than the functional or symbolic qualities of the objects.

Another stage is a child who is familiar with and has somewhat advanced skills in activities such as

construction or jigsaw toys. Some children have struggle with academic abilities such as reading or math

despite having an IQ that suggest that the abilities are within their intellectual capacity. Some children

may also have problems with their organizational skills, working memory, and time management.

4- Special interests: Many children with ASD have a wide range of special interest that can

change in focus and complexity over the years. Some children may exhibit a preoccupation with parts of

objects. This could include spinning the wheels of a toy or using electrical switches. Then there is

fascination with specific categories of objects. Some children are in the stage where they remember facts

about a topic such as transportation, animals, tv shows etc.

5- Sensory sensitivity: Many children with ASD experience sensory overload. This is where any

sudden noise, movement, or being in crowds can cause discomfort to the child. On the other end is

children who may not experience or be able to communicate pain or sense temperatures. Some

examples are a child who puts their hand on a hot stove but doesnt move it because they cant feel the

heat, or a child who breaks their arm and shows no sign of pain.
 6- Expression and management of emotions: Some individuals with ASD have a challenging time

expressing and enjoying any form of affection. Children with ASD are assed to see how well they express

reciprocal emotions. They also are assessed to see if they can label and describe emotions in others, and

to see how well they express and manage intense emotions such as anxiety, anger, sadness, etc.

5: The term refrigerator mother means a mother who is detached and emotionally unavailable to

the child. The mother usually rejects the child. The only treatment was prolonged psychoanalysis for both

the mother and the child.

6: Original studies suggested genetics to be the cause of autism. Some specific chromosomal

abnormalities have also been associated with the development of the characteristics of ASD. Now they

recognize that the risk of having a child with ASD increase significantly with advancing parental age, low

birth weight, and fetal expose to psychotropic medication. Neurology, possible errors of metabolism,

infections in pregnancy and early childhood, and autoimmune disorders all are considered to be causes

of autism.

9: The number of children identified with ASD seems to be increasing because of a few factors.

The definition of ASD has broadened and now includes ASD Level 1. They also no realize and accept

that children may have more than one disorder. They have become better at diagnosing autism,

especially in younger children. They are improving our ability to detect autism and to ensure fewer

children escape detection. More children are becoming accurately diagnosed with a more specific

developmental disorder.