Diagnosis

Most children will be recognized as being within the Autistic Spectrum by the time they are five years old. A diagnosis may take longer as this involves a multiprofessional assessment taking into account a developmental history and the involvement of parents/carers is vital.

The good practice guide suggests example behaviors and experiences that would feature in a diagnosis. These are:

■ delay or absence of spoken language (but not true for all children with ASD), including loss of early acquired language;

■ unusual uses of language – pronoun reversal (for example, saying ‘you’ instead of ‘I’); prolonged echolalia (that is, repeating others’ words beyond the usual age); ‘playing’ with sounds;

■ difficulties in playing with other children;

■ inappropriate eye contact with others;

■ unusual play activities and interests;

■ communicating wants by taking an adult’s hand and leading them to the desired object or activity;

■ failure to point out objects/third parties with the index finger when sharing communication.

Some children with ASD may find it difficult to make eye contact. This can be exacerbated by making eye contact a target in IndividuaI Education Plans (IEP) so that the child is ‘trained up’ to make artificial use of eye contact with-out understanding why eye contact might be useful, e.g. to check if someone is listening to you.

By taking the adult’s hand, the child is using the adult as a tool to get what he or she wants without knowing that communication might be used to gain the same result. In this case an approach such as the Picture Exchange Communication System might be appropriate. For more information consult your SENCo and checkout the website (www.pecs.com).

Guidelines for the identification, assessment, diagnosis and provision for children with ASDs have been developed by the National Initiative for Autism: Screening and Assessment (NIASA, 2003). NIASA is an independent multi-disciplinary group of professionals supported by the National Autistic Society (NAS) and the Royal Colleges of Psychiatrists and of Paediatrics and Child Health, with the backing of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. Therefore, if you suspect a child you support may have ASD, you need to consult your SENCO to seek appropriate professional advice. It is so easy to have a little experience of ASD and then begin to see it in many children. There is a need to gather evidence if we have concerns and explore them with colleagues. Teaching assistants better than the teacher may notice difficulties in lessons or during unstructured times where a child may be having difficulties.

Discussion

Do you know how many learners within your school setting have a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder; this includes Autism or Asperger Syndrome?

Having a diagnosis of ASD should be the starting point to ensure that the child is understood and educated appropriately. The DfES good practice guidance on autism (Autism Working Group, 2002) is a readable and practical resource that contains briefings, advice and pointers to appropriate provision. This should be a first point of reference as its states that all staff in contact with the learner with ASD need to have relevant knowledge and strategies to engage with the learner. This could be in the form of an IEP circulated to staff detailing what the child’s strengths are and what strategies may be useful. Do not make the mistake of thinking all learners with ASD are the same. They have the characteristics of ASD that is the triad of impairments but these may not be in equal measure and they interact with their personality, strengths and weaknesses, family characteristics and the environment they are in. The ASD may also occur alongside other conditions such as epilepsy, dyslexia and dyspraxia.

مواضيع ذات صلة

Developing social skills and understanding

Parental partnership

Fairness and equity

Motivation

Structure

Visual learning

Interventions Poor coordination

Mental health issues

Causation

Incidence

How does an ASD affect the individual?

Supporting the inclusion and achievement of learners with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)