Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders

What is autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people, and how they experience the world around them. Autism is known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). For simplicity, we will use the term ASD. They are neurodevelopmental disorders, which mean they are caused by abnormalities in the way the brain develops and works. Autism affects 1 in 100 children and young people. The exact cause of ASD is still unknown, although research shows that a combination of genetic and environmental factors may account for changes in brain development.Understanding pupils with autism spectrum disorders
The first step to understanding pupils with autism is to have an awareness of the terms used to describe the condition and how educational, social and emotional needs are affected. Research suggests autism is a lifelong developmental disorder that affects the way a person communicates and relates to the people around them and is commonly typified by what is known as the triad of impairments (Wing 1996).This is impairment in:- Social communication
- Social interaction
- Social imagination and flexible thinking
- not understand normal social behaviour, which is intuitive for others – for example, they may stand too close to their peers or start what may be considered to be an inappropriate subject of conversation
- not understand conversational rules of turn taking or will only be interested in sharing something they have to say or are unable to move from one topic of conversation to another
- appear to be insensitive because they have not recognised how someone else is feeling
- prefer to spend more time alone than with others and refuse to attend social trips or school visits outside of school
- not seek comfort in expected ways or become withdrawn, disinterested and appear aloof
- appear to behave ‘strangely’ or not according to social expectations

Behaviour
Behaviour is often a means of communication, it is important to bear in mind that behaviour has a function and that there could be a number of reasons for it. These may include difficulty in processing information, unstructured time, over-sensitivity (hyper) or under-sensitivity (hypo) to something, a change in routine or physical reasons like feeling unwell, tired or hungry. Not being able to communicate these difficulties can lead to anxiety, anger and frustration, and then to an outburst of challenging behaviour.It is not always clear what has caused them to behave in a particular way and it can be very hard to control the situation without knowing the trigger and having appropriate strategies to use. It is important that this behaviour is monitored regularly and we work closely with pupils to see if they can start to recognise when anxiety or frustration is starting to build within them. We need to talk to the pupil about what would help them to feel more comfortable and put appropriate support in place. Specific strategies can be used to reduce anxiety and promote feelings of well-being and to modify unwanted behaviours and promote those that are more appropriate.Professionals should be aware of and understand appropriate communication systems for individual pupils and apply them consistently. Pupils, where appropriate, should have individual behaviour plans that are regularly reviewed and updated and should form part of the documentation for the Annual Review process.All autistic people share certain difficulties, but being autistic will affect them in different ways. Some autistic people also have comorbid learning disabilities, mental health issues or other conditions, meaning people need different levels of support. All people on the autism spectrum learn and develop. With the right sort of support, all can be helped to live a more fulfilling life of their own choosing.Challenging Behaviour: Strategies for Helping Young People

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