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I used to think…
ASD was a modern phenomenon
That “autism” was just a shorter way to refer to “autism spectrum disorder”
Receiving an ASD designation was uncomplicated and relatively fast. I thought that it was as easy as getting a referral to specialists that’d do the testing, and the outcome would be revealed in a matter of weeks.
I used to think that ASD was very common, maybe 1 in 34 people, because of my experience working in British Columbia. My school, for instance, has 14 students with G designations and some students with pending designations, so I assumed it was common.
Now I know…
That ASD has a long history. If Kanner noticed it in the 1940s, it surely must’ve been present before then. Perhaps those individuals were misdiagnosed with schizophrenia or something else.
“Autism spectrum disorder” is sort of an inclusive term that incorporates host of disorders that previously had their own categories before they became amalgamated in the DSM V
That just getting an appointment for an assessment, after receiving the referral can take months, and that can hinder families’ access to funds for services that can support their child. In some cases, it can put families at a miss of thousands of dollars if the referral, assessment, and diagnosis process period pushes past the child’s sixth birthday.
Based on the Steve Silberman video, that the prevalence of individuals was closer to 1 in 64 as of 2015. I wonder if this has increased since then due to the DSM 5 amalgamating the categories under ASD.
Going through the “Teaching Students with Autism: A Resource Guide for Teachers,” I realized there were still a lot of little things I hadn’t considered during instruction, for instance, “Unusual Patterns of Attention.” (p. 15) It didn’t occur to me that I could be showing a student something and think that they were paying attention to the details I’m sharing, when in fact they are paying attention to a small irrelevant detail like a paper clip holding something together, or the colour of my nail polish that day.
This guide offers many different strategies. I haven’t gone through them all yet, but some are great and I’m definitely going to give them a try, and others may be challenging to work through without the support of a resource teacher or SSA present in my classroom. I have two students with low incidence designations (one with physical and cognitive challenges and another with ASD) in my class and due the shortage of EAs support often gets redirected to classes with higher needs.
As far as thinking about IEP goals, the guide has given me a place to return to when considering planning for areas of growth for my student with ASD and possibilities for attainable core competency goals.
Goals
1. I am still determined to learn more about social skills development and how to engage my student in group activities that are enjoyable.
2. I’m also determined to find out how to create attainable curricular competency goals and how to assess understanding, especially when some of the big ideas are so abstract.
3. I am determined to be able to create a solid IEP.
References:
Adler et al. (2014). Evolution of Autism: From Kanner to the DSM-V: In J. Taxton, Handbook of Early Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp.3-19)
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2000). Teaching students with autism: a resource guide for schools[PDF]. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/inclusive/autism.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (n.d.). Autism funding. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/managing-your-health/child-behaviour-development/special-needs/autism-spectrum-disorder/autism-funding
Silberman, S. [TED]. (2015, July 17). Steve silberman: the forgotten history of autism. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MBiP3G2Pzc
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