Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Chapter One
What Is Autism?
American Psychiatric Association
(1994) Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual for Mental Disorders (4 th Ed.).
Bristol, M.M. et al., (1996) “State of
the Science in Autism: Report to the
National Institute of Health”, Journal
of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
26.
Minshew, N. J. et al., (1997) “Neurological
aspects of Autism”, in Handbook
of Autism and Pervasive Developmental
Disorders (2 nd ed.).
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-
IV) classifies PDD as an umbrella term for disorders that involve
impairments in reciprocal social interaction skills, communication
skills, and the presence of stereotypical behaviours, interests, and
activities. The conditions classified as PDD in the DSM-IV are:
• Autistic Disorder
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD)
• Rett’s Syndrome
• Asperger’s Syndrome (AS)
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise
Specified (PDD-NOS)
Some diagnostic terms appear to be used interchangeably within
the literature and by practitioners. The term Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD) is sometimes used to refer to the conditions included
within the PDD classification. Some professionals argue that ASD
refers to only Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, and PDD-
NOS. PDD is sometimes used to refer to all conditions within the
category of PDD, and at other times it has been erroneously used
to refer to PDD-NOS; if an individual has a diagnosis of PDD, the
actual diagnosis may be PDD-NOS. This confusion of terminology
can be a problem when people from different disciplines are working
together to support students. In this document, the term ASD is
used to refer to all of the five conditions unless a specific diagnosis
is referenced.
Symptoms of ASD can be present in a variety of combinations
and may accompany other disabilities. Some people with the disorder
have normal levels of intelligence, while most have some degree
of intellectual disability, ranging from mild to severe. A range of
difficulties may be found in expressive and receptive language and
communication. It is estimated that up to 50% of people with Autistic
Disorder do not develop functional speech. For those who do, the
speech may have unusual qualities and have limited communicative
functions.
People in all categories of ASD have difficulties with social
interaction and behaviour, but the extent and type of difficulty varies.
Some individuals may be withdrawn, while others are overly active
and approach people in peculiar ways. They may have problems
with attention and transition or change. They often respond to sensory
stimuli in an atypical manner and may exhibit odd behaviours such
as hand flapping, spinning, or rocking. Some individuals with ASD
demonstrate unusual uses of objects and attachments to objects.
Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders 3