AUTISM

Itzayana Carranza
Jovanny Bucio
Claudia Davila
 WHAT IS AUTISM SPECTRUM
DISORDER(ASD)

● A broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal
communication.
● There is not one autism but many subtypes, most influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors
● Because it is a SPECTRUM disorder, each person has different strengths and challenges — mild to severe
● Signs usually appear by age 2 or 3
○ Some associated developmental delays can appear even earlier
○ Can often be diagnosed as early as 18 months
● Autism is diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls and affects 1 in 54 children in the U.S.
● Comorbid conditions often associated with autism include epilepsy, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, Tourette
Syndrome, OCD, and sleeping disorders.
● Currently there is no cure for autism, though with early intervention and treatment, the diverse symptoms related to
autism can be greatly improved and in some cases completely overcome.
HOW CAN IT BE DIAGNOSED

● S.P.O.T (Studies show that nearly 80%–90% of parents saw signs of ASD in their child by 24 months, and that early intervention can have a positive impact on a
child’s long-term success.)
○ S. Social Differences
○ P. Persistent Sensory Differences
○ O. Obsessive/Repetitive Behaviors
○ T. Talking/Communication Delays

● The M-CHAT™ (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) is a parent-report screening tool to assess the risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In approximately 10
minutes, parents can complete the 20 questions and receive an autism risk assessment for their child

● Age of Child: The M-CHAT is most appropriate for 16 to 30 month old children

● The primary goal of M-CHAT is to detect as many cases of ASD as possible (“maximizing sensitivity” in scientific parlance), so there will be some false-positives: cases
where a child is assessed as being “at risk” but in fact will not be diagnosed with ASD. However, any child that receives a “high-risk” score should receive an evaluation
from an autism specialist.
 EARLY SIGNS

● Signs/Symptoms- are DIFFERENT for each children, it varies from

number and severity of symptoms.
● Not all children with autism show all the signs and many children
who DON’T have autism show a few
○ Signs can appear as early as 6 months
■ Few or no big smiles or other warm, joyful and engaging expressions
■ Limited or no eye contact
○ Generally, signs can appear during social interaction,
communication, and in behavior.
■ Social: unable to maintain eye contact and may not display appropriate
facial expressions.
■ Communication: they might not speak a single word by 15 months or 2
words by 24 months. Parotting or Echoing (repeating someone else)
■ Behavior: “Stereotypic behavior” (rocking, spinning, swaying, twirling
fingers, walking on toes and flap hands)
 LEVELS

● Level 3
○ "Requiring very substantial support

○ Severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills cause severe impairments in functioning, very limited
initiation of social interactions, and minimal response to social overtures from others.
● Level 2
○ "Requiring substantial support”

○ Marked deficits in verbal and nonverbal social communication skills; social impairments apparent even with supports in place;
limited initiation of social interactions; and reduced or abnormal responses to social overtures from others
● Level 1
○ "Requiring support”

○ Without supports in place, deficits in social communication cause noticeable impairments. Difficulty initiating social interactions,
and clear examples of atypical or unsuccessful response to social overtures of others. May appear to have decreased interest in
social interactions
BEHAVIORS

● Level 3
○ Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors markedly
interfere with functioning in all spheres. Great distress/difficulty changing focus or action.

● Level 2
○ Inflexibility of behavior, difficulty coping with change, or other restricted/repetitive behaviors appear frequently
enough to be obvious to the casual observer and interfere with functioning in a variety of contexts. Distress
and/or difficulty changing focus or action.

● Level 1
○ Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty
switching between activities. Problems of organization
 NEUROLOGICAL & MUSCULOSKELETAL
IMPAIRMENTS

Neurological Impairments:
● Affects the amygdala (controls fear)
● Affects hippocampal (controls emotions and memory)
● Apraxia (want to move but unable to perform movement)

Musculoskeletal Impairments:
● hypotonia
● joint laxity
● clumsiness (dyspraxia)
● toe walking
ACTIVITY/PARTICIPATION LIMITATIONS

● Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts
○ Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth
conversation
○ Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging from abnormalities in eye
contact and to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
○ Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging from difficulties adjusting behavior
to suit various social contexts

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

○ Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech
○ Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns or verbal nonverbal behavior
○ Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus
○ Hyper- or hypo- reactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment
 SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER

● A condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding to information that comes
in through the senses
● Not currently recognized as a distinct medical diagnosis

SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER AND AUTISM

● Sensitivities to sights, sounds, smells tastes, touch, balance (vestibular), awareness of body
position and movement (proprioception), awareness of internal body cues and sensations
(interoception)
● Hypersensitive to bright lights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes
○ Can result in sensory avoidance - try to get away from stimuli that most people can
easily tune out (pulling away, covering ears)
● Hyposensitivity
○ Constant need for movement
○ Difficulty recognizing sensations like hunger, illness or pain
○ Attracted to loud noises, bright lights or vibrant colors
○ Sensory seeking - seek more sensory input from their environment
■ Stimulate by making loud noises, touching people or objects, or rocking back and
forth
 INTERVENTIONS
● Early Intervention
○ IFSP is developed to provide the necessary services
■ Physical Therapy
● Strength and coordination
○ Imitating movements through songs
■ Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
○ Sit<>stand from a step stool and walking towards a target or person (family member)
■ If child is a toe walker an AFO can be used
■ Serial Casting can also be an option for children with displayed toe walking to increase ROM
■ Occupational Therapy
● Sensory processing input in everyday environments
■ Speech Therapy
● Speech, swallowing and related muscle movements
■ Feeding Therapy
● Address adversity’s to tastes and food textures
● Over sensitivities that can chewing and swallowing
■ Developmental Therapy
● Help child reach general developmental milestones
■ Social Worker
● Family assistance
● Child’s behavior
 Interventions cont.

● Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy

○ Can improve social, communication and learning skills through reinforcement
strategies
○ Positive reinforcement is one of the main strategies used
■ Positive rewards encourage the person to continue using the skill leading to
meaningful behavior change over time
○ Antecedent (what happens before a behavior occurs), Behavior, Consequence
■ Helps to understand why a behavior is happening and could lead to help the
student learn a more appropriate behavior
 Family Education

● A Parent’s Guide to Autism will help you:

○ Learn about how autism may impact your family.
○ Find strategies and resources for raising a child with autism.
○ Find support so you don’t feel alone or isolated.
○ Reduce the negative impact of the diagnosis on your family.
○ Promote a positive future for your child and family.

● Reach out to your state’s public early childhood system to request a free evaluation to find out if your
child qualifies for intervention services. This is sometimes called a Child Find evaluation. You do not
need to wait for a doctor’s referral or a medical diagnosis to make this call.

● S.P.O.T
Contact the team at
FamilyServices@Autis
mSpeaks.org (888)
288-4762 (en Español
888-772-9050)
 RESEARCH ARTICLE

The Effectiveness of Serial Casting and Ankle Foot Orthoses in Treating Toe Walking in Children With
Autism Spectrum Disorder
● Serial Casting
● The article we found reviewed the effectiveness of Serial Casting following an AFO intervention in children with ASD who toe
walked. The data collected demonstrated that 4 out of the 5 participants in this study increased ankle dorsiflexion passive range
of motion and kinematics. The study also discussed that the 5 participants improved A-DF during walking following 6 months of
AFO use.
● https://journals.lww.com/pedpt/Abstract/2021/04000/The_Effectiveness_of_Serial_Casting_and_Ankle_Foot.7.aspx
Meta-Analysis on Intervention Effects of Physical Activities on Children and Adolescents with Autism
● Physical activity intervention
○ Hippotherapy
○ Aquatherapy
○ Tai Chi
○ sport activities
■ these can help improve communication and social skills.
○ https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.morton.edu/pmc/articles/PMC7142971/
LOCAL RESOURCES TO AIDE FAMILIES

Cortica leaders in autism and neurodevelopment- is a specialized autism therapy and

treatment center that offers resources like family therapy & counseling for autism.
Website: https://www.corticacare.com/treatments
Location: 4 Westbrook Corporate Center, Ste 930, Westchester, IL 60154
The Chicago Autism Project- this organization provides help for families by providing
access to therapy services, offers grants and scholarships, provide diagnostic evaluations
and hosts events for parent training.
Website: https://chicagoautismproject.org/
Location: 1765 N Elston Ave Suite 206, Chicago, IL 60642
 RESOURCES

● https://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fact-sheet/ (Slide 2)
● https://nationalautismassociation.org/spot-asd-by-3/ (Slide 3)
● https://www.actionbehavior.com/mchat/ (Slide 3)
● https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/Autism/Pages/Early-Signs-of-Autism-Spectrum-Disorders.as
px (slide 4)
● https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-diagnosis-criteria-dsm-5 (Slide 5, 6, 8 )
● https://www.autismspeaks.org/signs-autism
● https://www.autismspeaks.org/sensory-issues
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160764/ (slide 7)
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7287879/ (slide7)
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6292952/ (slide7)
● https://www.webmd.com/children/sensory-processing-disorder (Slide 9)
● https://www.choosept.com/guide/physical-therapy-guide-autism-spectrum-disorder (slide 10)
● https://www.corticacare.com/treatments (slide 12)
● https://journals.lww.com/pedpt/Abstract/2021/04000/The_Effectiveness_of_Serial_Casting_and_Ankle_Foot.7.aspx (slide 13)
● https://www-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov.ezproxy.morton.edu/pmc/articles/PMC7142971/ (slide 13)