MISUNDERSTOOD

What is Autism? - an excellent link to Autism Speaks

"Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls."

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - mcf.gov.bc site

"It is a spectrum disorder, which means there is a wide variation in how it affects children."

"Many children with ASD can learn to communicate effectively, share in family life and attend school."

Part 1 in a 4-part Series for Autism Awareness Month Autism
TEST YOUR AUTISM IQ
True or False?

T F
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1. If a child is not functionally fluent by their 5th birthday, they will
remain mute, so it is critical that developing speech be the first goal
for a non-verbal child.

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2. If you teach a child enough words, he or she will be able to have
reciprocal conversations.

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3. It is important to teach eye contact to children with autism so
they can be successful in social relationships.

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4. ABA (Lovaas, Discrete Trials) and other interventions have
been proven effective for treating autism, and children who have
undergone these treatments have been followed to see how they do
as teens & adults.

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5. If a child can “fit in” and superficially appear normal, he or she
will be able to make friends.

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6. Social skills groups are effective in teaching people on the
spectrum to have relationships.

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7. Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome have a better prognosis
for quality of life than people with Autism.

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8. Mainstreaming & academic progress are signs of a good
prognosis and if a child can get into college, he or she can go on to
have a pretty normal life.

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9. If a child spends most of his time focused on developing his
computer skills, someone will want to hire him someday, regardless
of his ability to collaborate & work as part of a team.

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10. People with autism may not have the same emotional or social
needs as everyone else. They might be happy living a life without
friendships and intimate emotional relationships.

Scoring: 1-10 - these are all false, all myths.

The answers

1. False. Without an interest in coordinating actions and perceptions with a partner, or learning about others’ internal experiences, speech alone without a solid foundation in non-verbal communication becomes a vehicle for chaos, or a means to control others.

2. False. Language without communicative intent can actually be a major obstacle in developing
reciprocal conversations, so it is critical to work on speech and language development only within the context of genuine emotion-sharing and social referencing.

3. False. While eye contact can be taught as a rote skill, this would be like teaching a severely dyslexic child to pretend to read. If we just work on eye contact, the child doesn’t learn to reference. Instead the child just learns to look, without intent to use the facial information that’s being presented. However, children on the autism spectrum can learn to reference quite naturally, if we start by providing them the motivations for doing so.

4. False. Studies on ABA or other early interventions have not used core deficits of autism as outcome measures & there have been no teenage or adult outcome studies of children treated with those methods.

5. False. Friendship skills are actually a highly advanced form of social communication, requiring a solid foundation of emotion-sharing, referencing, and co-regulation, all of which are core deficits of those with autism. Individuals on the autism spectrum can actually learn all these skills and can go far beyond “fitting in,” if given the opportunity to do so with a competent guide.

6. False. A number of studies have shown social skills groups are ineffective in teaching people on the spectrum to have relationships or to generalize Theory of Mind skills outside the treatment setting.

7. False. While it is a common belief that individuals who have Asperger’s Syndrome, (those with no language delays and an average to high IQ) enjoy a better prognosis for quality of life, all three major outcome studies to date have shown this to be false.

8. False. Academic ability to participate in post-secondary education did not result in higher levels of independent living. In fact, one of Howlin’s studies showed that adults on the spectrum with IQs over 100 were actually less successful in quality of life than people with IQs between 70 and 100.

9. False. Computer skills alone have little value in the marketplace. Robert Bailey, President and CEO of PMC-Sierra, says hi-tech employers look for employees with teamwork and communication skills, plus the ability to solve problems quickly and creatively in extremely fast-paced environments where change is constant.

10. False. Adults on the autism spectrum are not “aliens” with different needs. Many have said they desire the same things we all do: Joy. Friendships. True allies. Marriage. Comfortable work environments. Confidence in managing their worlds. By stopping, slowing down and becoming competent guides, we can help individuals on the spectrum make the amazing discoveries which will allow these needs to be met.

Remediating Autism through Relationships
Often called the “missing link” in Autism treatment, the Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI®) Program is a parent-based treatment program that helps parents learn how to guide their child to desire and succeed in genuine give-and-take relationships, while addressing flexible thinking, rapid attention-shifting, executive functioning and emotional regulation.
The RDI™ Program is based on the latest scientific research about autism, the brain and developmental psychology. The initial study on the RDI™ Program is the first study to ever demonstrate that a clinical intervention method can change a child’s diagnostic classification
on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
We invite you to visit our web site for many free resources, including a 32-page Intro
Booklet, video clips, weekly newsletter, and much more.
www.RDIconnect.com