Coursera - Autism Spectrum Disorder Course - Week 1 - December 8, 2020

I decided to engage in some more virtual learning in light of new COVID restrictions that will make it hard to do anything but stay close to home. After browsing a few sites, I came across Coursera and found a free course called 'Autism Spectrum Disorder' offered by UC Davis California that looked interesting. Since I have it and it has caused me to get into trouble socially, I thought it might be good to take the course. It will teach me more about what I have and help me better understand how to interact with others who have it too. You see, I was in a virtual social group over the summer, but was eventually bullied out of it by other neurodivergent individuals who verbally abused me and my work and lied to get me expelled from the group and thus, I want to find productive ways to move on from that pain. 

Course Introduction

Overview of ASD

Video: Introduction

Video: What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

• Neurodevelopmental disabilities that impact development in two core domains, social communication and restricted repetitive patterns of behavior or interest.
• individuals impacted by autism have deficits in social and emotional reciprocity, deficits in non-verbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, and deficits in developing and maintaining developmentally appropriate relationships. 
• abnormal social approach and failure of normal back and forth conversations.
• reduced sharing of interests, emotion, affect, and response.
• a failure to initiate or respond to social interactions. 
• poor integrated verbal and non-verbal communication, abnormalities with eye contact and body language, or deficits in understanding the use of non-verbal communication. 
• a total lack of facial expression or the use of gestures.
• difficulty adjusting behavior to suit different social situations. 
• difficulties in sharing, in imaginative play and in making friends. And for some, there may be an absence of interest in other people.
• use of objects or speech, insistence on sameness with inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of behavior, highly restricted fixated interests, abnormal in either intensity or focus, or a hypo or hyper reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment.
• Repetitive motor movements could include, motor stereotypies, such as rocking or hand flapping, lining up or flipping objects. 
• presence of echolalia or repetitive speech or the present of idiosyncratic speech.
• extreme distress at small changes, difficulty with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, rituals related to greetings, and the insistence on same route or the same food choices at each meal.
• there may be a strong attachment to, or preoccupation with unusual objects. 
• may be excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests that the individual may spend a great deal of time talking about or investigating. 
• may be indifference to pain or temperature. 
• adverse response to certain sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, or visual fascination with things like lights or the movement of objects.

I'm seeing myself in all of these.

Video: Why is Autism a Spectrum Disorder?

• Symptoms can range in severity, and the amount of support that an individual requires may also vary depending on the severity of symptoms.

New DSM-5 identifies three levels of autism...it's a spectrum disorder cause of the variability of symptom expression.

• Level 1: may be verbal, but have difficulty initiating and sustaining interactions with others....may have decreased interests in interacting with others.....their restricted, repetitive behaviors may interfere with functioning.
• Level 2: marked deficits in social interactions even with supports in place...restricted and repetitive behaviors are obvious to the casual observer and may interfere with functioning in many contexts and can cause distress when interrupted or redirected. 
• Level 3: severe deficits in verbal and nonverbal communication, very limited initiation and response to social overtures from others....restricted, repetitive behaviors interfere with functioning across all contexts.

A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation should include behavioral observations, interviews with caregivers and providers, a medical and behavioral history. And other medical tests in order to rule out certain genetic conditions, hearing loss, or other illnesses or conditions that may cause similar behavioral characteristics.

A medical diagnosis may help in determining the medical course of treatment or the services that the individual is eligible to receive.

Video: How to Qualify For Special Education Services.

• distinct differences between the process in making a medical diagnosis and the process done for determining special education services. 
• not all school aged children with autism require special education. 
• Those with a level one diagnosis may be able to access the general education curriculum with minimal supports or with accommodations
• "Autism is one of 13 qualifying disabilities outlined in the Individuals Disability Education Act. In the code of federal regulations, autism is described as a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction generally evident prior to the age of three that adversely affects the child's educational performance."

Other characteristics often associated with autism are:

• engagement in repetitive activities and stereotype movements
• resistance to environmental change or change in daily routine
• unusual responses to sensory experiences. 
• educational performance does not only mean academic performance.

Other difficulties include:

• development, academic, behavioral and/or social 

Note: 

Often children transitioning at the age of three from early intervention services 

will be evaluated in order to determine their ongoing eligibility for 

special education. 

Video: What are the Impacts of Increasing Rates of Autism?

• According to the Center for Disease Control, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the year 2014 was 1 in every 68 children. 
• Simonoff and colleagues, in 2008, indicated that around 70% of individuals with autism spectrum disorders have at least one coexisting condition. 
• common coexisting condition is an intellectual disability. According to the Center for Disease Control, around 54% of individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder also have an intellectual disability. 
• Mental health conditions are also quite common. Clinical anxiety impacts roughly 29% of individuals on the autism spectrum, attention deficit hyperactivity impacts around 28% of individuals on the autism spectrum, and oppositional defiant disorder is indicated in around 28% of individuals on the autism spectrum.
• Boys are almost five times more likely to be identified with autism than girls.
• About 1 in 42 boys and about 1 in 189 girls are identified with an autism spectrum disorder. White or Caucasian children are more likely to be identified with autism than black or Hispanic children. 
• About 1 in 63 white children are identified, as compared to 1 in 81 black children and 1 in 93 Hispanic children.
• Less that half of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder are identified or evaluated for developmental concerns by the time they reach three years of age. 
• On average, children who are identified with autism are not diagnosed until after the age of four, even though autism can be diagnosed as early as two years of age, and even earlier if there is known familial risk factors. 
• in the year 1980, autism impacted 1 in every 10,000 children, where presently it impacts 1 in every 68. 
• who also have autism, and I think in the past, sometimes we didn't add on the autism label.
• there are things in the environment that do impact genetic susceptibility on multiple factors and that things that alter the immune system may increase your risk for autism, particularly in maternal immune models of dysregulation. 
• individuals who may have been given a diagnosis of intellectual disability in years past, may now be identified as having an autism spectrum disorder. 
• Current research is looking both at genetics as well as environmental factors that may put infants at risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder.

Video: Summary.

Suggested Activity: Visit the Autism Speaks ASD Video Glossary.

First Attempt at Quiz: 87.50%!

Second Attempt at Quiz: 97.5!

Personal Thoughts: I'm actually enjoying this course. It makes me want to work with special needs kids like I used to through respite and church because I can relate to them. If I could get my foot in that door, I think I could do very well in that field.