Casey presents as a four year old non-verbal girl who has been diagnosed with Autism on the severe end of the spectrum, as well as Fragile X Syndrome, both lifelong developmental disabilities. According to Autism Speaks, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is “a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.” (What Is Autism?, 2016) Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a genetic condition that causes intellectual disability, behavioral and learning challenges and various physical characteristics. “About 10 percent of children with ASD are identified as having another genetic and chromosomal disorder,
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Although we may consider it as important as breathing, most of us take this gift for granted. Communication facilitates not only the process of sharing information and knowledge, but helps us form relationships and connections to our world and makes our lives better. Communication presents in many forms: speech, gestures, sign language, pictures, and writing and for most children it develops and becomes a natural activity. Children go through communication stages, however, those with autism may stay at one stage longer or pass through these stages in different order and communication itself may be a constant barrier. In The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (1957), Skinner defined language as, “behavior that is reinforced through the mediation of another person 's behaviour”, (Skinner, 1957, p.2) and he further indicated language development is a primary deficit in autistic individuals and without intervention many ASD individuals would not acquire complex functional language skills. (Skinner, 1957) Early identification of developmental delays and subsequent treatment is vital to a child’s progress, consequently it is imperative that Casey learn to communicate as soon as …show more content…
Although Casey doesn’t have a functional communication system, she does have a handful of word approximations (unintelligible to the untrained ear) that she uses to ask for such things as juice, DVD, cookie, come and etc. This indicates that she is trying to vocalize her wants and express her needs (most basic type of communication). Her grabbing someone’s hand and leading them to what she wants (motor communication) indicates she is expressing specific needs and that she is far below the communication milestones for her age. (Chambers, 2015) Like many autistic children Casey is a visual learner which should aid success when teaching the new skill. She can do insert puzzles with large handles which helps her to hold and turn each piece. “Psychologists have determined brain development is influenced significantly when a child acts on or manipulates the world around them, puzzles provide that key.”(Myers, 2011)They help develop muscle groups, aid problem solving, shape recognition and memory. Casey can match a variety of objects which is a more difficult visual skill, and can follow a number of one step instructions. Additionally she enjoys being around people and is easy to motivate with various rewards such as
Although we may consider it as important as breathing, most of us take this gift for granted. Communication facilitates not only the process of sharing information and knowledge, but helps us form relationships and connections to our world and makes our lives better. Communication presents in many forms: speech, gestures, sign language, pictures, and writing and for most children it develops and becomes a natural activity. Children go through communication stages, however, those with autism may stay at one stage longer or pass through these stages in different order and communication itself may be a constant barrier. In The Analysis of Verbal Behavior (1957), Skinner defined language as, “behavior that is reinforced through the mediation of another person 's behaviour”, (Skinner, 1957, p.2) and he further indicated language development is a primary deficit in autistic individuals and without intervention many ASD individuals would not acquire complex functional language skills. (Skinner, 1957) Early identification of developmental delays and subsequent treatment is vital to a child’s progress, consequently it is imperative that Casey learn to communicate as soon as …show more content…
Although Casey doesn’t have a functional communication system, she does have a handful of word approximations (unintelligible to the untrained ear) that she uses to ask for such things as juice, DVD, cookie, come and etc. This indicates that she is trying to vocalize her wants and express her needs (most basic type of communication). Her grabbing someone’s hand and leading them to what she wants (motor communication) indicates she is expressing specific needs and that she is far below the communication milestones for her age. (Chambers, 2015) Like many autistic children Casey is a visual learner which should aid success when teaching the new skill. She can do insert puzzles with large handles which helps her to hold and turn each piece. “Psychologists have determined brain development is influenced significantly when a child acts on or manipulates the world around them, puzzles provide that key.”(Myers, 2011)They help develop muscle groups, aid problem solving, shape recognition and memory. Casey can match a variety of objects which is a more difficult visual skill, and can follow a number of one step instructions. Additionally she enjoys being around people and is easy to motivate with various rewards such as