• Avoids or does not keep eye contact

• Does not respond to name by 9 months of age

• Does not show facial expressions like happy, sad, angry, and surprised by 9 months of age

Restrictive or repetitive behaviors

• Repeats words or phrases over and over (called echolalia)

• Plays with toys the same way every time

• Gets upset by minor changes

• Must follow certain routines

• Flaps hands, rocks body, or spins self in circles

• Has unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel

Studies have found that these increases the likelihood a child will have Autism :

• Having a sibling with ASD

• Having certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis

• Experiencing complications at birth

• Being born to older parents

Types of Treatments :

• Behavioral

  • Behavioral approaches focus on changing behaviors by understanding what happens before and after the behavior.

  • Behavioral approaches have the most evidence for treating symptoms of ASD.

  • They have become widely accepted among educators and healthcare professionals and are used in many schools and treatment clinics.

• Developmental

  • Developmental approaches focus on improving specific developmental skills, such as language skills or physical skills, or a broader range of interconnected developmental abilities.

  • Developmental approaches are often combined with behavioral approaches.

Other Types of Treatments

• Social-Relational

• Pharmacological

• Psychological

• Complementary and Alternative

I think that a student with Autism can bring diversity to my classroom and help bring exposure. Often times we think about racial and gender diversity in a classroom and we tend to forget disorder diversity. It’s important to have disorder diversity because it helps to destigmatize people’s negative feelings towards disorders such as Autism.