Autism Chapter Summary

My part that I liked most about in this chapter was the section about the causes. This was my favorite part because it talked what people thought caused autism when it first appeared and what people think causes it today. One of the causes for the early days is that people thought cold and responsive mothers caused autism. Today, scientists are still not exactly sure what’s wrong with the brain in autism spectrum disorders, but they do know that the cause is neurological, not interpersonal. There are many areas affected in the brain instead of just one specific area. Genes are also a cause of having autism. It says that studies have shown that a child with autism, there’s a 15% increase that their sibling will have autism too. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is when a person …show more content…
Students with autism need highly structured and directive instruction. Applied behavior analysis is an approach that can benefit students with autism. This program emphasized positive reinforcement of desired behaviors which is important for student with autism since they don’t essentially know how to communicate/act in social situations. Functional behavioral assessment and positive behavior intervention and support are two strategies teachers can use to help reduce or eliminate behaviors that are inappropriate. Other teaching strategies that can be included to help students with ASD is Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACHH), and pivotal response teaching (PRT). PECS focuses on language, TEACHH focuses on structure, organization, and use of visual cues, and PRT focus on key skills that once learned can help lead the student with ASD to