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Understanding Autism Through a Developmental Lens

Shifting from "managing behaviour" to understanding development, communication, and regulation.


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By Rute Mendes / Coordinator of Student Services SJASD

Sue Merrick / Tourette Syndrome Services (TSS) and Neurodevelopmental Services

Hilary Carroll/ Speech-Language Pathologist SJASD


Why This Matters

Educational Assistants play a key role in creating safe, supportive learning spaces.

Understanding why a student behaves or responds in certain ways helps us connect, not correct.

"When we understand, we can truly support."

Today's Learning Map

1

Understanding ASD & co-occurring conditions

2

ASD vs. Intellectual Disability

3

Executive Function & Dr. Barkley's 30% Rule

4

Communication & Language Support

5

Wrap-Up: Tomorrow's 10% Plan

Understanding Autism

Let’s begin with some introductory information about autism:

Autism is not new. In the past, it was known by different diagnoses, such as infantile psychosis, schizophrenia, or even attributed to maternal Deprivation.

Over time, we have learned much more about autism, and as our understanding has grown, so has the way we approach it. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that affects how individuals experience the world, communicate, and process information. Its characteristics vary widely from person to person, but in general, it is characterized by:


Communication Difficulties

Struggles with communication.

Repetitive Behavior

Repeating actions or routines for comfort

Sensitivity to Change and Stimulation

Overwhelmed by unexpected changes or stimuli.

Motor Difficulties

Challenges with coordination and physical tasks

Social Impediments

Difficulty understanding and building social relationships

Co-occuring conditions

A child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often has a co-occurring condition, with estimates ranging from 70% to 95%.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) vs. Intellectual Developmental Disorder (IDD)

Understanding our learners begins with knowing the difference between autism and intellectual disability. Although these conditions can overlap, they are not the same. Autism affects how a person communicates, relates, and experiences the world, while intellectual disability involves challenges with learning and everyday life skills. Nearly half of children with autism also have an intellectual disability, so recognizing both, and how they interact , helps educators create more inclusive, responsive learning environments.

What are they trying to communicate?

"Behaviors" like saying "NO," running away, flopping on the floor, spitting, self-harming, and harming others are often labeled as "bad behavior." While no one wants a child to communicate through these actions, if our goal is to better understand and address the underlying reasons for these behaviors, we need to shift our perspective.

Instead of simply labeling these actions as bad, it's crucial to recognize them as forms of communication that may indicate unmet needs or emotional distress.

“If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism.”

-Dr. Stephen Shore

The power of communication

“Communication is the MOST important skill. It would make literally everything easier. My life is easier now that I have “I don't know you.”And “go away.” Programmed onto my phone because I can't say it verbally for some reason.”-“unmasked”

Amy C. Laurent and Jacquelyn Fede, 2021

The Difference Between Speech, Language and Communication:

Speech: HOW we say a word (e.g. ‘oon’ instead of spoon)

Language: The WORDS we say and understand (not necessarily spoken)

Communication: ANY WAY that we communicate our thoughts, needs, feelings, etc to another person or group of people.

Communication Differences are Inherently Part of ASD

Communication differences are often the earliest and most noticeable indicators of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), playing a central role in diagnosis and early intervention.

1

Core Diagnostic Criteria

The DSM-5 identifies persistent deficits in social communication and interaction as a fundamental characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

2

First Signs Noticed

Communication difficulties, such as delayed language development or atypical social responses, are frequently the initial cues prompting evaluation for ASD in early childhood.

3

Comorbidities affect communication

Some of the most common comorbidities in ASD (e.g. Intellectual disabilities, Motor disorders) have a large effect on language and communication skills.



Sources: Franchini, M., Duku, E., Armstrong, V. et al. 2018; American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.); Conti E, Retico A, Palumbo L, Spera G, Bosco P, et al. 2020.; Miller, H.L., Sherrod, G.M., Mauk, J.E. et al. 2021.

Let's break it down

Comorbidities broken down:

Motor Challenges: Approximately 50–88% of children with ASD have been found to have significant motor difficulties

  • Difficulty with the brain telling the muscles how to coordinate in order to do a functional task.
  • E.g. Motor speech challenges can make it difficult for a person to coordinate all the movements they need to make the sounds in order and say a word.


What this means: Using spoken language can be extremely taxing, can take a long time to learn, or be completely impossible

Intellectual Developmental Disorder: Approximately 40-50% of people with ASD also have an intellectual disability

What this means:

  • Most of your students will be in this category
  • Having an intellectual disability = having disordered/ delayed language abilities
  • We have to adapt our language for their level of understanding (slow it down, simplify language, pre-teach, modelling)
  • Extra repetitions are needed for learning language (10-20% more than a typically developing student)
  • Assume competence, NOT understanding

ADHD: Approximately 50-70% of people with ASD also have ADHD


What this means:

  • Higher likelihood of language disorders (20-80%)
  • Executive functioning skills for learning language and understanding language can be disrupted.
  • Challenges with language-based working memory.

Take away:

A large percentage of folks with ASD also have difficulty with speech and language beyond diagnostic criteria, meaning it can be hard to understand language, use it, or speak it.

Kangarani-Farahani, M., Malik, M.A. & Zwicker, J.G., 2024; Hours C, Recasens C, Baleyte JM., 2022; Al-Dakroy, 2018.

This is what happens in the brains of our students with motor speech challenges:

Differences in Communication Overall:

For someone with Autism, Communication may look like:

  • Social communication is different (e.g. back and forth communication may be difficult, multiple meaning words and inferencing can be more challenging, etc.)
  • Might include AAC (gestures, sign language, IPAD devices, pictures)
  • Might include repeating words of phrases (Echolalia)
  • Might include communication with the body and voice (e.g. sounds, pushing something away)
  • Processing time is often longer
  • Spoken communication is not always reliable in all situations

What can we do???

Instead of…

  • Asking lots of questions
  • Telling a child to say something
  • Rushing them
  • Giving them too much information at once


Try…

  • Making statements and comments (e.g. I see you put your shoes on)
  • Saying it the way the child would say it (e.g. That car is going so fast)
  • Leaving pauses for processing, and for joining the communication (e.g. The wheels on the bus go _)
  • using VISUALS for routines, understanding, and to communicate
  • Making routines, using preparation and pre-teaching
  • REPETITION
  • Modelling


The Five Finger Rule For Questions

Tomorrow's 10% Plan

Thank You!

What's one 10% change you can make tomorrow?

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