Behavioral Challenges of Autism Flashcards
(15 cards)
What are some unique issues of autism?
- Individuals have unique communication and interaction patterns
- Autism is not the same for everyone; it’s highly individual
- Behaviors linked to specific characteristics
what are the diagnostic criteria?
- Social/emotional reciprocity (deficits in engaging socially or responding to others)
- Nonverbal communication (difficulty using facial expressions or gestures appropriately)
- Understanding relationships (struggles with peer interactions or play)
- Repetitive motor movements (behaviors like hand-flipping or repeating phrases)
- Insistence on sameness (resistance to changes in routine or environment)
- Fixated interests (obsession with specific topics or objects)
- Sensory sensitivities (hyper- or hypo- reactivity to sensory input
what does intensity & manifestation mean?
- Behaviors vary in intensity and impact on day-to-day living
- Challenges arise from behaviors interfering with normal functioning
What are some communication issues?
- Lack of communication issues: difficulties in expressing wants/needs lead to aggression or self-injury
- Echolalia: repeating words or phrases, sometimes as self-stimulations or communication
- Processing language: difficulty with long strings of words or multi-step instructions
What are some social interaction difficulties
- May avoid eye contact, have trouble reading social cues, or struggle with turn-taking
- Difficulty managing emotions appropriately in social settings
- Difficulty forming and maintaining friendships
- preference for isolation or forceful social interaction
What are examples of repetitive behaviors?
Rocking body back and forth, flapping hands, waving fingers in front of eyes, spinning objects or own body, rolling objects between thumb and forefinger, repetitive actions with toys
what are restricted interests?
intense focus on specific topics or activities like carrying specific objects, lining up objects, staring at ceiling fans, flicking light switches, reciting facts about a specific animal, talking about specific interests, memorizing specific dates or details
what are sensory issues?
many individuals with autism are oversensitive to sensory input like, noises, lights, smells, textures
what is prompt dependency?
relying on external prompts to perform tasks
what are self-injuries behaviors/
behaviors where individuals injure themseleves
what is pica?
Repeated ingestion of nonfood substances; potential for serious physical harm
what is aggression?
Behavior where an individual expresses anger or frustration through physical or verbal violence; Aggression rates are higher in individuals with autism compared to other developmental disabilities
What are components to addressing behavioral challenges?
- Comprehensive assessment
- Behavioral goals
- Data-driven decisions
- Environmental management
- Function-based treatment
- Family involvement
- Supervisions
How is treatment prioritized?
- Safety first - tackle behaviors that pose a risk to the individual or others
- Start with intensive, structured treatment
- Gradually shift to more NETs as progress is made
- Involve family and other professionals in the process to ensure consistency and success
what are the ethical responsibilities in addressing challenging behavior?
- Conceptual consistency
- Client involvement
- Individual programs
- Informed consent
- Clear program objective
- Environmental conditions
- Punishment procedure
- Least-restrictive procedures
- Avoid harmful reinforcers
- Discontinuing services
