Child Autism Case Study

Matt is a 5 year old autistic male, who lives with his parents and older brother in Toronto. He was diagnosed at three with Autism Spectrum Disorder; he is nonverbal and communicates through PECS and is presently learning to sign. The assessment provided the family and intervention team information critical for setting goals for Matt. Matt’s mother is still having difficulty accepting that her son has Autism, but is willing to do anything to help him in any way that she can. Matt was placed in an early intervention ABA program where he has done well. He is starting school in the fall with an Educational Assistant to help him. Matt will be integrated into a regular class with coordinated support from an ABA trained aide. Matt’s mother …show more content…
After running additional tests to eliminate other medical difficulties, the family doctors indicated he felt he should refer Matt to a pediatrician. After the pediatrician took Matts history and listened to his parent’s concerns they were advised that he felt Matt should be screened for autism, using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) (Barton, Fein, &. Robins, 2009). With the results in, the pediatrician advised Matt’s parents that further testing at the Toronto Children’s Clinic Autistic Department was warranted. His parents were advised of the assessment process and an appointment with the Pediatric Neurologist was made. Diagnosis was a multidisciplinary process involving doctors, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, as well as family members. Autism is a neurological disorder and the diagnosis and severity range is determined under DSM-5 Autism and Spectrum Disorder Guidelines and Criteria Exemplars. (Cuthbert, 2016). The two core criteria are ‘Persistent deficits in social communication and interaction across multiple contexts’ and ‘Restrictive, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities,’ as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by