Autism Spectrum Disorder/Pervasive Developmental Disorder

Greetings, today I would like to share my experience and knowledge when we speak of children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder/Pervasive Developmental Disorder. This post is to hopefully provide useful information to parents and educators. I know as an educator and parent it is a challenge to teach children with learning disabilities. All children can be taught, and all children are children first, not their disability.

Autism Spectrum Disorder/Pervasive Developmental Disorder is a neurological disorder that affects a child's ability to verbally and non-verbally communicate. Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) is like a huge umbrella that encompasses other developmental disabilities that share some of the same characteristics. These would include: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, and Rett's Disorder. Children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder have difficulties relating to their environment and to people. Many of the children with (ASD) have moderate to extreme behaviors.

I had a particular student in my classroom that was severely impacted with (ASD); she had no verbal communication skills and could only make sounds, she did not like wearing shoes and would always have her eye on the classroom door ready to escape. She exhibited twirling, spinning objects, fixated on light and did not like to be touch. I respected her sensory system and slowly modified some of her behaviors that were interfering in her learning progress.

What is alarming today is the magnitude of the prevalence of (ASD) among children. Studies have shown since February 8, 2007, that one out of every 150 children is impacted with Autism Spectrum Disorder. What is still disconcerting is that no cure has been found. Autism Spectrum Disorder among children will vary in the intensity of the disability. Some advanced children have the ability to learn verbal communication skills where they can follow a picture schedule and complete their work semi-independently.
Other children who are severely impacted will have no verbal communication skills and are taught by using direct teaching methods.

In my next post, I would like to offer a few teaching strategies that I had used while working with children with (ASD) and other learning disabilities.

Ms. C