People in Autism: Hans Asperger

Hans Asperger (February 18, 1906 – October 21, 1980) was an Austrian pediatrician who described in 1944 what he referred to autistic psychopathy as “a lack of empathy, little ability to form friendships, one-sided conversation, intense absorption in a special interest, and clumsy movements.”

Hans Asperger with a child with “autistic psychopathy”

Although he was one of the first to describe the symptoms related to today’s well-know Autism Spectrum Disorder, his work was little known during his lifetime. Perhaps the first acknowledgment of his work was done posthumously by Lorna Wing‘s 1981 article Asperger’s Syndrome: A clinical account and later on he became known in the scientific community due to Uta Frith’s 1991 translation of his work from German to English.

In the paper ‘Autistic psychopathy’ in childhood, Hans Asperger reports several cases of a type of children that he describes as “particularly interesting and highly recognizable”. He ends the paper stating that “autistic people have their place in the organism of the social community. They fulfill their role well, perhaps better than anyone else could, and we are talking of people who as children had the greatest difficulties and caused untold worries to their caregivers”.

Other people in autism: 
– Lorna Wing

Interventions for Autism: Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Interventions based on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) focus on developing ways of communication other than standard forms of communication, such as speech. AAC includes all forms of communication that can be used to express thoughts, ideas, needs, and wants. These forms of communication can be facial expressions, pointing to pictures, or sign language. The interventions aim either at substituting non-existing standard means of communication or at complementing those.

This can help children:
– increase their participation in the classroom
– reduce their anxiety
– support timely and interactive communication
– improve their exchanges with family, educators and peers

AAC interventions based on pictures can be used on boards with attached images or applications for tablets.

Some examples of AAC interventions:

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECCS)
PECCS is used for children who are non-verbal or minimally verbal. This system is generally used with pictures of desired objects (food, toys), important people (parents, educators) and relevant activities (toilet, playground).

Sign language
Communication based on the use of hand shapes. This communication system requires that the family and educators also learn the sign language in order to be able to communicate with the child.

Single meaning pictures
This intervention can be used with children who are non-verbal or minimally verbal. Each word in the vocabulary is represented by a different picture and their meaning must be taught, particularly for words that are not naturally represented by pictures.

Other interventions for Autism: 
– Applied Behavior Analysis
– Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
– Speech-Language Therapy
– Peer-Mediated Instruction
– Sensory Integration Therapy
– SCERTS model
– Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)
– Floortime therapy

People in Autism: Lorna Wing

Lorna Wing (7 October 1928 – 6 June 2014), was a pioneer in autism research. She contributed to the notion of autism as a spectrum disorder and to the identification of the triad of impairments that are now the criteria for the diagnostic of ASD. She also popularized the term Asperger’s Syndrome in her 1981 paper Asperger’s Syndrome: A clinical account.

As the mother of a girl with autism, she was an advocate for the services for people with autism and their families and was one of the founders of the National Autistic Society, a charity in the UK devoted to improve the lives of people with autism.

Other people in autism: 
– Hans Asperger

How many people have autism in the US?

Source: Advancing Futures for People with Autism (January 2013)

 

Does vaccination cause autism?

Scientific research has been repeatedly proving that vaccination does not cause autism.

In this video Dr. Celine Saulnier explains why parents shouldn’t stop vaccinating their children.

For a detailed explanation on how this myth has started and why this is not true watch these videos:

Does Asperger’s syndrome exist?

It has been almost one year since the release of DSM-5 where Asperger’s syndrome is no longer listed as a disorder. However, the discussion on whether Asperger’s syndrome can be considered a disorder is still ongoing. This change in the autism spectrum disorder diagnostic criteria has had an impact on several people affected by the disorder and in their families and friends. Their identification to a specific disorder suddenly disappeared. There even are several Asperger’s and “aspies” communities, forums and associations created to support people affected by that disorder.
The question is then if Asperger’s syndrome does really exist or not. On an article published in 2001 (a while before the change on autism’s new diagnostic criteria) the authors reviewed the history of Asperger’s syndrome evolution and origin and conducted a study in order to investigate the validity of Asperger’s disorder as defined by the DSM-IV. The conclusion of the study was that on a sample of 157 children with a diagnostic of Asperger’s disorder, all met the criteria for autistic disorder but none met the criteria for Asperger’s disorder (even those with average intelligence and normal speech onset). The reason for this was that all had a communication impairment (which was not present on Asperger’s syndrome criteria). The authors finally concluded that Asperger’s disorder, at least as it was defined in DSM-IV, is unlikely or even impossible.

Source: Mayes, S. D., Calhoun, S. L., & Crites, D. L. (2011). Does DSM-IV Asperger’s disorder exist? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29(3), 263-271.

Interventions for Autism: Floortime therapy

Floortime is a therapy derived from the Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship-based (DIR) model. This developmental therapy has for its core precept to understand the child’s sensory differences and to use these to help children with ASD in their development. The emphasis is placed on the creation of emotionally meaningful learning experiences that will encourage developmental abilities.

The idea behind the therapy is that children can expand their circles of communication and their strengths when the requests are made at their developmental level.

Floortime sessions emphasize play interactions in a calm setting. Parents or professionals will establish the foundations for shared attention, engagement, and problem solving while playing with the child.

Floortime outlines 6 developmental stages that children with autism have often missed or not mastered:

• Regulation and Interest in the World
• Engagement and Relating
• Two way intentional communication
• Continuous Social Problem solving
• Symbolic Play
• Bridging Ideas

Other interventions for Autism: 
– Applied Behavior Analysis
– Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
– Speech-Language Therapy
– Peer-Mediated Instruction
– Sensory Integration Therapy
– SCERTS model
– Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)
– Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Pictogenda – a diary planner with pictures!

 The Pictogenda is a diary designed for children and adults that have difficulties reading and writing and is all based on pictograms. Text is replaced with pictorial images in form of stickers that make it easier for people with autism to plan their activities  and communicate with others.

The Pictogenda is also available in French and Dutch.

On the Spectrum – photographic project

The project On the Spectrum, a work from the photographer Stacie Turner, depicts only children with autism. Stacie says that children with autism “don’t dissemble but are wholly honest for the camera”.

See the project here
Other sources: Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiave

Interventions for Autism: Early Start Denver Model (ESDM)

This intervention uses play as a learning tool for children with autism and is conducted in a structured teaching setting and relationship-based approach in the child’s home. Used in very young children with autism (18 to 30 months) on a 20-hours per week basis, plus 5 or more hours of guided care provided by the parents, this intervention has proven to improve IQ, social interaction and language abilities.

Studies have demonstrated that it is the earliness of the intervention and not the type of intervention itself that leads to improvements in the child.

Source: American Psychological Association

Other interventions for Autism: 
– Applied Behavior Analysis
– Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
– Speech-Language Therapy
– Peer-Mediated Instruction
– Sensory Integration Therapy
– SCERTS model
– Floortime therapy
– Augmentative and Alternative Communication