FILAMER CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

AUTONOMOUS STATUS- CHED

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Roxas Avenue, Roxas City 5800
MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING
Accredited level II- ACSCU- ACI

SPED 409-CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

MA. JECHSA LOUIZE DENOLO MARICHU ALCANTARA

MAT-SPED PROFESSOR

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT FOU AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

What is Autism?

According to Dr. Sadiq, a pediatrician and child development expert ,“Autism is a

neurological disorder (affecting functions of the brain) that is behaviorally described. It
typically appears and starts very early in life.

IDEA also defines Autism as a developmental disability affecting verbal and nonverbal
communication and social interaction, generally before age 3, that adversely affects a
child’s performance.

History of Autism

 Autism was first described in US literature by Leo Kanner in 1943

 He called the syndrome “Early Infantile Autism” or “Kanner’s syndrome”.
 Autism was first described in US literature by Leo Kanner in 1943
 He called the syndrome “Early Infantile Autism” or “Kanner’s syndrome”.

Autism Facts

 A recent study (2014) showed that Autism affects 1 out of every 230 Filipino
children.
 Autism is more prevalent in boys than in girls.
 Philippine Statistics (2014): Boys (1 in 42) Girls (1 in 189)

 Autism knows no racial, ethnic, or

social boundaries.
 40% of children with autism are
non-verbal.
 Rapid increase of autism is due to
changes in diagnostic criteria,
awareness, parental age and
environmental factors.
 There is no medical detection or
cure for autism
 Early intervention is the only key! It
has proven lifelong productivity and
progress.
ETIOLOGY OF AUTISM

The causes of autism are also a spectrum

Parental Age | Toxins and Environment | Neurological Factors | Genetic Components

This means that there is no known single cause for autism.

 In 90-95% of cases, the cause of autism is unknown.

 Further study and research are still ongoing.

Parental Age: Father’s Age matters, Teenage pregnancy

Toxins:

 Pesticides

 Phthalates (commonly found in plastics)

 Terbutaline (used to stop premature labor)

 Valproic Acid (to control seizures)

 Antipsychotics & mood stabilizers

Environment:

 Maternal Infections (rubella)

 Birth complications (asphyxia)

Neurological Disorders

Since autism is a neurological disorder, some parts of the brain are adversely
affected...

Affected Parts of the Brain

Cerebral Cortex:
Thinking, Temporal Lobe:
Perceiving,
Producing Auditory Processing,
Language & visual input,
Sensing semantics of
language, verbal
memory.

Cerebellum:
Amygdala: Coordinated
Memory & movements of the
Emotions. skeletal muscular
system including
abilities to walk, talk,
eat, and to perform
other self care tasks.
Genetic Components

 When there is one child in the family with autism, higher likelihood that future
children will have autism
 Mutations (occurs during conception or birth)

AUTISM CHARACTERISTICS

New DSM V -Diagnostic Criteria

 Deficits in social communication and social interaction

 Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) revisions

Autism spectrum disorders……

Includes autism, Asperger syndrome, PDD-NOS, and child disintegrative disorder (CDD)

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

 Impaired social relationships

 Communication and Language deficits (echolalia)

 Varying levels of intellectual functioning, uneven skill development

 Unusual responsiveness to sensory stimuli

 Insistence on sameness and perseveration

 Ritualistic and stereotypic behavior

 Aggressive or self-injurious behavior

Impaired Social Relationships

 Difficulty perceiving the emotional state of others, expressing emotions, forming

relationships

 Fail to exhibit social gestures (showing, pointing to objects, waving, nodding)

Communication/Language Deficits

 About half are non-verbal

 Speech consists mostly of echolalia

 Impressive vocabulary, but used out of context

 Concrete or literal processing of verbal information

 Struggle with abstract concepts, humor, idiomatic expressions

Intellectual Functioning

Uneven skill development:

 Splinter skills

 Autistic savants

 Over selectivity

 Strong rote memory

 Obsessive attention on a specific object or activity

Unusual Responsiveness to Sensory Stimuli

Hypersensitivity

 may not be able to stand certain sounds

 may dislike being touched or feel of certain textures

 may refuse to eat foods with certain smells or tastes

Hyposensitivity

 Do not feel pain in a normal way

 Under respond to spinning, rocking, rubbing or pushing things into skin

which create higher forms of stimulation

Sameness/Perseveration

 Obsessive need for sameness

 May throw a tantrum when routines at home or school or changed

 Insist on having everything in the same place all the time

 Preoccupation with certain subjects or areas of interest

 Talk incessantly about one topic

 Ask same question over and over

Stereotypic Behaviors

Stereotypy- pattern of persistent (and repetitive) behaviors

 Rocking

 Staring at lights

 Spinning objects

 Clicking a pen

 Twirling

 Flapping

 Humming
Severe Behavior Problems

 Self-injury & tantrums

 Property destruction

 Aggression toward others

 Sleep problems- do not sleep long enough, night walking

 Eating problems- narrow food preferences, sensory based, refusal to eat

 Pica- compulsive recurrent consumption of nonfood items (paper, dirt, pebbles,

feces, hair)

Positive Attributes

 Many are loving, caring, thoughtful and creative

 They have terrific memories; much better than most of us

 Are punctual, loyal and dedicated employees who prefer to remain

in the same company for a long period of time.

 Honest, reliable, non-judgmental

Asperger’s Syndrome (mild)

 Impairments in all social areas, particularly an inability to understand how to

interact socially. These children do not have general language & cognitive
delay, and most have average or above-average intelligence.

Characteristics:

 Intense interest in a particular subject

 Clumsiness and social awkwardness

 Inflexible adherence to routines

 Superior memory

 Difficulty understanding others’ feelings

 Extensive vocabulary

 Perfectionist

 Difficulty developing and maintaining friendships

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (severe)

 shares characteristics with autistic disorder

 there is normal development from at least 2 and up to 10 years, followed by

significant loss of skills

 sudden regression of learning

 probability of improvement is very poor

 much more prevalent in males.

 Rett Syndrome (moderate -severe)

 also ‘Rhett’ syndrome

 normal early growth and development followed by a slowing of development

 loss of purposeful use of the hands & feet

 slowed brain and head growth, seizures, and intellectual disability.

 gradually, mental and physical symptoms appear.

 as the syndrome progresses, the child loses the ability to speak.

 problems crawling or walking

 diminished eye contact.

 Apraxia — the inability to perform motor functions

Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

 diagnosis given to children who meet some, but not all, of the criteria for autistic
disorder

 must have impairments in socialization with difficulties in either communication

or restricted interests

AUTISM ASSESSMENT

Developmental pediatricians, psychologists and other qualified professionals use

the DSM-V Criteria to diagnose individuals with a prospected ASD.

EDUCATIONAL APPROACHES

VISUAL SCHEDULES - Use of pictures to prompt or cue a student to perform a specific

task, or series of tasks; increases independence

STRUCTURED LOCATIONS - providing boundaries for students with ASD.

Timers – for transitions between activities.

5 POINT SCALES – used to help students reduce abstract ideas such as emotions,
feelings, or pain into simple numbers; students know what to do in a particular situation.

SOCIAL STORIES – are ways to help people with autism develop greater social skills
and understanding. These are short descriptions of a particular situation, event or
activity, which include specific information about what to expect in that situation and
why.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) – allows children with autism who
have little or no communication abilities, a means of communicating non-verbally.