o Secondary school 11-19 years - in addition problem with losing at games turn-taking rule changes, reduced understanding of friendship and social isolation.
Unusual or restricted interest andor rigid and repetitive behaviours
o
Preschool 0-5 years - repetitive movements such as flapping their hands, rocking back and forth or flicking their fingers or play in a repetitive way e.g. lining blocks up in order
of size or colour, rather than using them to build , preferring familiar routine, getting extremely upset if there are changes to their normal routine, over or under reaction to
texturessoundssmells strong like or dislike of certain foods, over-focus on certain interests and insisting on following their own agendas.
o
Primary school 5-11 years - they may believe that everyone should always stick to the rules, more orientated towards objects than people, dislike of change may lead to
aggression or anxiety.
o
Secondary school 11-19 years - may have a preference for highly specific hobbies and interests, adhering to the rules can result in regular arguments, emotional distress
caused by change, and repetitive behaviours may negatively affect daily activities.
Eye contact, pointing, and other gestures
o
0-19 years - All may exhibit reduced or no use of gestures and facial expressions to communicate, lack of eye contact, rarely point to or show an object to share interest and
poor attention span
Ideas and imagination
o
Preschool 0-5 years - v little variety in pretend play, little or no imagination and obsessive interest in certain toys or objects whilst ignoring other things
o
School age 5-19 years little flexible imaginative play or creativity, lack of understanding of social etiquette and hierarchies and not develop age-appropriate peer relationships.
Additional factors
o
School age 5-19 years - includes poor social or fine and gross motor skills, while certain areas are advanced, social and emotional development may be more immature than
other areas of development, naivety, trusting people excessively, Low muscle tone, does not react to pain, sleeping problems, difficulties toilet training, eats or chews on unusual
things, Puts objects to nose to smell them, removes clothes often, frequent diarrhoea upset stomach constipation, a lack of common sense and less independent and delayed
sexual development
12. Summarise the theory of mind and how this this affects young people with ASD 6 Marks
Page
8
of
16
The Theory of Mind is ability to predict behaviour based on the idea that other people have different intentions, desires, needs, and knowledge from us and possess different mental states. In essence it
is the ability to mind-read. Development begins in this area at about 5 months old, with peak development at the age of 4. For most this is an automatic process and involves reading body
language. However, for people with ASD this is a difficult or even impossible thing to do. Deficits in the theory of the mind indicate underdeveloped social and communication skills that define ASD.
Deficits for those with ASD often continue to be absent throughout their lifespan and they are likely to feel overwhelmed in social situations and may prefer to retreat from others. They are not able to
interpret meaning or guide their behaviour in light of non-verbal cues. This is because they cannot read emotions and many do not look at people in the face. By not understanding other people think
differently, many may have problems relating socially and communicating. Due to a lack of understanding they may appear to be self-centred, or uncaring, resulting in them being bullied or
excluded. Meaning making and keeping friends can be difficult. If they are unable to pick up the intentions of others, or understand deception they are at risk of abuse.
The theory of mind is recognised as an explanatory cause for a large majority of deficits seen in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Research has focused on preschool children as this is when there is
rapid development. Children learn to understand actions do not always reflect true inner feelings, and people can have a variety of feelings at one time. Individuals with ASD often struggle with this
idea, restricting the ability to communicate with others. One major area of research in this area is around false beliefs. False-belief describes holding a belief which conflicts with reality. Tests can
assess the ability to attribute a false belief to another person. The test involves 2 people one has an object that they put down and then leave, the other person then moves it somewhere else. The first
person returns and they are asked where the first person will look for the object. Almost all children without ASD over the age of 4 years can pass the task. However, only about 20 of ASD children are
able to pass this task 85 of children with Down’s Syndrome passed the test, most say they will look for it where the second person put it.
Specific behavioural deficits seen in autism are impaired social functioning, impaired communication and lack of imaginative play and inability to imagine an object as something else. This triad of
impairments characterizes the whole spectrum of autistic disorders. This could be explained by a single cognitive deficit i.e. an inability to cognitively represent mental states or theory of mind.
Communication and Language 13. Define the term Receptive Language 4 Marks
Receptive language is the ability to understand or comprehend words and language heard or read. Receptive language is important for successful communication. Children need to understand spoken
language before they can use language effectively. Receptive language disorder means difficulties with understanding what is said and usually begin before the age of four. They may find it
challenging to follow instructions and may not respond appropriately to questions and requests. Difficulties in understanding may also lead to attention and listening difficulties andor behavioural
issues. There is no standard set of symptoms. However, symptoms may include:
not listening when they are spoken to or paying attention
lacking interest when books are read Page
9
of
16
Inability to understand complicated sentences or remember strings of sounds that make up a sentence.
inability to follow verbal instructions
parroting words, questions or phrases
Language skills below the expected level for their age.
Gives unusual answers to questions.
Poor attention
Hearing issues including Auditory Processing as this will impede development
Inability to plan and sequence
problems distinguishing between similar speech sounds
poor vision so can’t pick up on visual cues
inability to understand language in a number of contexts The cause of receptive language disorder is thought to be a result of genetic susceptibility, exposure
to language, and general developmental and cognitive ability issues. Treatment options include speech–language therapy, one-on-one group therapy, providing information to facilitate language
growth and special education classes.
14. Explain how specialists categorise difficulties with expressive language 5 Marks
