Special Education 637 Disability Resource Guide

Running head: DISABILITY RESOURCE GUIDE 1

Disability Resource Guide for Teachers, Parents, and Students: Autism Spectrum Disorders

Ben Cohen

Towson University

Special Education 637

May 1, 2013

DISABILITY RESOURCE GUIDE 2

Abstract

The following disability resource guide aims to provide a concise yet comprehensive description

of exactly what constitutes a student with an autism spectrum disorder. Symptoms, prevalence,

and eligibility for special education services are all discussed, as are recent media stories and

peer-reviewed journal articles concerning ASD. Additional resources are included at the end of

the guide for parents, teachers, students, and any others who wish to continue research beyond

what is provided in this disability resource guide.


I. Background Information on Autism Spectrum Disorders

Description of the Disability

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)—also referred to as pervasive development disabilities

(PDDs)—encompass five disorders: autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, Rett disorder,

childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), and pervasive developmental disorder—not otherwise

specified (PDD-NOS). Of these, autistic disorder and Asperger’s disorder are the most common

(McLeskey, Rosenberg, & Westling, 2013, p. 113). ASD symptoms generally include social

impairment, communication difficulties, and repetitive and stereotypical behaviors; these

symptoms vary in their prevalence and severity, hence the use of the term “spectrum” to describe

the disorders (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011).

Social impairment. Children with ASD often have difficulty participating in everyday

social interactions. They may make infrequent eye contact when talking to another person,

instead focusing on that person’s mouth, and have difficulty picking up on a speaker’s tone of

voice or social cues such as winks or smiles. Some children with ASD may have difficulty

understanding that others’ thoughts or viewpoints may differ from their own (National Institute

of Mental Health, 2011). Individuals with ASD may appear to find little happiness in the

company of others, preferring to be alone, and may be unwilling to share interests or

accomplishments with others. However, children with ASD may also act in the opposite manner,

insisting on describing their interests or hobbies to others while remaining oblivious to the other

person’s lack of interest (Smith, Segal, & Hutman, 2012).

Communication issues. Children with ASD often repeat words and phrases they hear

without communicative intent (a condition known as echolalia). In addition, about 50 percent of

students with ASD fail to acquire functional language; some are completely nonverbal. Pronoun

reversal and unusual pitch and rhythm of speech are common among individuals who are not


fully nonverbal (McLeskey et al., 2013, p. 117). They may have difficulty understanding sarcasm

or idioms and be prone to taking literally everything that is said in conversation, missing the

intent of the communication. Children with ASD—especially those with Asperger’s disorder—

may also speak in a robotic manner, fully enunciating words and phrases (Smith et al., 2012).

Repetitive and stereotypical behaviors. Individuals with ASD often display repetitive

body movements, such as hand flapping, rocking, or finger flicking. In more severe cases,

children may exhibit self-injurious behavior (SIB), which includes head banging, punching,

scratching, and biting (McLeskey et al., 2013, p. 120). Children with ASD also have extremely

focused interests and will often attempt to learn everything they can about a topic that fascinates

them. They may also rigidly stick to a routine, such as eating the same thing for lunch or taking

the same route to school every day, and react adversely to any change in it. Even in less severe

cases, a change in routine, such as a special assembly in school that takes the place of a regularly

scheduled class, can cause a child to become upset. Children may also be prone to emotional

outbursts when placed in an unfamiliar environment (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011).

Other symptoms often exhibited by children with ASD include sensory problems,

including sensitivity to touch and texture—they may react adversely to the feel of a certain fabric

on their skin, for example. They may also be sensitive to sudden, unexpected noises, and may

instinctively cover their ears or make a repetitive sound to drown out the initial noise. Emotional

difficulties may also be observed—children may have difficulty appropriately expressing their

emotions and may exhibit disruptive or even self-injurious behavior when upset. The cognitive

skills of children with ASD tend to develop unevenly; these children often do very well on tasks

involving visual recall but struggle with those requiring abstract thinking (Smith et al., 2012).

Prevalence


Autism spectrum disorders are predominantly found in boys. ASD affects males almost

five times as often as females; 1 in 54 boys has been diagnosed with an ASD, compared to 1 in

252 girls. Disorders are found throughout the world and across all socioeconomic levels.

Roughly 1 in 88 children has been diagnosed with an ASD, according to the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention (2012). Approximately 4.92 percent of students with disabilities—and

0.55 percent of the school-aged population nationally—currently receive special education

services for ASD, although these numbers may understate the prevalence of the disorders since

many students with ASD receive special education services through other disability designations;

in addition, some students with ASD may succeed in the general education classroom without

the assistance of special education services. The prevalence of ASD has significantly increased

over the past two decades, due to an expansion in the definition to include all spectrum disorders

as well as improvements in identification methods (McLeskey et al., 2013, p. 115).

There is an exception to the prevalence in males: Rett disorder, a rare form of ASD,

affects primarily girls, although only 1 out of every 10,000 to 22,000 girls has this disorder.

Children with Rett disorder develop normally for six to 18 months before regressing and

beginning to exhibit symptoms resembling autistic disorder. It should be noted that the American

Psychiatric Association (APA) did not include Rett disorder in its ASD list in the draft of the

fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); the final

version is expected to be published in May 2013 (National Dissemination Center for Children

with Disabilities, 2010). An even rarer form of ASD is childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD),

which affects roughly 1 out of every 100,000 children and may affect more boys than girls.

Children with CDD exhibit normal development until age 3 or 4, at which point they experience

severe and wide-ranging loss of motor, language, and social skills, including a sharp decrease in


vocabulary and loss of bladder and bowel control. Little else is known about CDD due to its

rarity (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011).

Determining Eligibility for Special Education

The diagnosis of ASD in a student requires a comprehensive assessment involving health

care providers, educators, and the student’s family. A student who is suspected of having an

ASD will be screened for it using one of two approaches: nonspecific and ASD-specific. An

ASD-specific screening approach specifically looks for manifestations of ASD, while a

nonspecific approach targets deficits in developmental areas (including language, behavior, and

motor skills) as well as social skills; a deficiency in one or more of these area can indicate the

presence of various disabilities, including ASD. If the results of the screening suggest the child

may have an ASD, the child is evaluated more intensively by a multidisciplinary team that

typically includes a physician, a developmental psychologist, a speech-language specialist, a

social worker, and a professional educator. Included in this intensive evaluation are a

psychological evaluation; hearing, speech, language, and communication tests; medical and

neurological exams; the child’s developmental history; a cognitive assessment; and an evaluation

of current family functioning (McLeskey et al., 2013, p. 115).

It must be noted, however, that students are not necessarily eligible for special-education

services simply because they have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder—many

ASD students do not require any special education services and in fact thrive in the classroom. If

the special education team determines that a student’s condition does not impair his or her ability

to succeed in a general education classroom, the student will not be eligible for special education

services under IDEA, even if the child has been medically diagnosed. Similarly, it is possible

that a child who has not been diagnosed with ASD but expresses some symptoms will become

eligible to receive special education services (Hawkins, 2009).


II. Strategy and Intervention Practices

Evidence Based Strategies and Interventions

Applied behavior analysis. According to the Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation

(http://www.myasdf.org/site/about-autism/interventions-supported-by-research/), applied

behavior analysis (ABA) is a widely accepted treatment for ASD; over 200 studies have

confirmed its effectiveness. Its goals are to reduce undesirable behaviors while shaping new,

more desirable ones, such as learning to play with others. ABA interventions, which are

appropriate for individuals of all ages with ASD, consist of up to 40 hours per week of one-on-

one interaction between a child and teacher to help shape the child’s behavior. ABA

interventions can focus on either verbal behavior, defined as “teaching language by guiding

children from simple verbal behaviors to more functional communication skills,” or pivotal

response training, which helps build “skills that affect a broad range of improvements in

communication, social, and behavioral domains” (Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation, 2012).

Antecedent-based interventions. The National Professional Development Center on

Autism Spectrum Disorders (2010) suggests using antecedent-based interventions, a method that

has been shown to be effective for children ages 3 to 16. With this strategy, conditions that lead

to a targeted behavior are identified and eliminated through a modification of the environment.

Procedures include pre-activity interventions (such as providing information in advance about a

change in a set schedule) and altering the manner in which instruction is provided. This method

has been shown to be effective at reducing stereotypical and self-injurious behaviors and

increasing engagement and on-task behavior. In most studies, these interventions were used in

clinic-based settings or one-on-one teaching sessions, but some research has suggested that these

strategies would also be effective in other settings, such as in a general education classroom and


at home. Additional information on this method of intervention is available at

http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/antecedent-based-interventions-abi.

Promising Strategies and Interventions

Music therapy. A publication by the National Autism Center (2009) includes music

therapy as an “emerging” strategy. In this intervention, individual skills or goals are taught

through the use of music—the skill being targeted is presented by means of a song, and the

music gradually fades out. The strategy can be used for both knowledge and behavior (the report

includes the examples of counting and taking turns). The report notes that six studies have

suggested music therapy can yield positive benefits, but more studies are required before it can

be conclusively determined to be an effective strategy. The study can be found at

http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/pdf/NAC%20NSP%20Report_FIN.pdf.

Equine therapy. The Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation (ASDF) (2012) suggests

the use of equine therapy as a means for helping children with ASD. The website states that

horseback riding can help address many common ASD symptoms, including communication

skills, motor skills, and response to verbal cues. It also notes that a bond develops between the

riders and their horses, who become familiar with the riders’ “movements, attitudes and

emotions, which make them extremely effective in bonding with an autistic child and

encouraging communication and interaction” (Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation, 2012).

Verbal cues from the instructor help the children improve their communication skills. The

website even notes that “[b]ecause the benefits of equine therapy are so tremendous for an

autistic child, ASDF directly funds lessons for those whose families can’t do it on their own” and

includes numerous testimonials from parents whose children have seen marked improvement as

a result of equine therapy. However, there are no references to studies of the effect of this


therapy on children with ASD. More information on equine therapy can be viewed at

http://www.myasdf.org/site/our-programs/equine-therapy/.

Use With Caution Strategies and Interventions

Medication. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2011), some

medications can help reduce the symptoms of ASD. However, the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration has only approved two medications for the treatment of ASD, Risperdal and

Abilify. These medications can help reduce emotional outbursts and self-injurious behaviors in

children ages 5 to 16 who have ASD. Some research has suggested that antidepressants such as

Prozac or Zoloft can be taken to reduce aggression, anxiety, and repetitive behavior in children

with ASD. However, the use of these antidepressants with young children carries substantial

risk—side effects include depression, trouble sleeping, withdrawal from social situations, and

even suicidal thoughts or behavior. In addition, these medications have not been approved by the

FDA for the treatment of ASD. Thus, while it is certainly possible that some individuals may

benefit from medication for ASD, this strategy must be used with caution. A full description of

this strategy is available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/a-parent-s-guide-to-

autism-spectrum-disorder/parent-guide-to-autism.pdf.

Gluten- and casein-free diet. The National Autism Center (2009) notes that some

studies have shown that the removal of gluten and casein from the diet of an individual with

ASD may also lead to a reduction in symptoms. The same report, however, notes that the

research on this subject has yielded conflicting conclusions; other studies have suggested that

such diets yield no educational or behavioral benefits. In addition, some research has found that

gluten- and casein-free diets are associated with an increased risk of nutritional deficiencies in

children. According to the National Autism Center (2009), more research is needed before the


effectiveness of this strategy can be fully established. In addition, the possibility that this method

of treatment is ineffective or harmful cannot yet be ruled out. As such, this is another strategy

that should be used only with caution. More information on this strategy can be found at

http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/pdf/NAC%20NSP%20Report_FIN.pdf.

III. In the News

Popular Press – Articles, Videos

An entry published on the “BaltTech” blog in the Baltimore Sun on April 28, 2013,

“Connecting workers on the autism spectrum with tech jobs,” describes a new Maryland

program, Aspire, that aims to connect residents with ASD to jobs that can maximize their

strengths. The post focuses on a 21-year old Ellicott City resident—the first employee placed as

a result of the program—who is currently employed in data entry for the state Department of

Juvenile Services. The position is repetitive and requires great attention to detail, playing to the

strengths of an individual with ASD, the article notes. The program had initially been planned

only for individuals with Asperger’s disorder but was expanded to encompass the autism

spectrum. The post can be found at

http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/technology/blog/bs-bz-autism-aspergers-tech-jobs-

20130428,0,7004090,full.story.

On April 2, 2013—the sixth annual World Autism Awareness Day—NBC News reporter

Andrea Mitchell interviewed Bob and Suzanne Wright, the founders of Autism Speaks, to

discuss techniques for raising awareness of ASD. The video, “Raising awareness about autism,”

mentions the examples of Toys “R” Us and the fast food chain White Castle, both of which spent

the month of April engaged in campaigns to increase ASD awareness. Also, Major League

Baseball partnered with Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization, to have each of its 30 teams

sponsor an Autism Awareness Night during the month of April. The International Space Station,


George Washington Bridge in New York City, and over 7,000 buildings in 93 countries were lit

up blue to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day. The Archdiocese of New York lit up its

400 churches in blue that night as well. The Wrights also touched upon the health-care laws set

to take effect in 2014 and how they may help improve outcomes for families with children with

ASD. A full video of the interview may be viewed at http://video.msnbc.msn.com/mitchell-

reports/51406161.

According to a CNN article (“Vaccine-autism connection debunked again”) published

March 29, 2013, a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and

published in the Journal of Pediatrics has found there is no association between ASD and the

number of vaccinations a child receives in one day or in the first two years of life. A 2011 study

in the British medical journal BMJ—which has since been retracted and declared an “elaborate

fraud” by BMJ—argued that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine that most young children

receive increased the risk of developing ASD, but this study, which included 256 children with

ASD and 752 without, found no such link. In addition to counting the number of vaccines a child

received, researchers counted how many antigens—proteins found in vaccines that essentially

train the immune system to recognize a virus—children were exposed to; they found that the

antigen exposure of the children with ASD was identical to that of the children without ASD.

The full article can be read at http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/29/vaccine-autism-

connection-debunked-again.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Kozlowski, A. M., Matson, J. L., & Belva, B. C. (2011). Social skills differences between the

autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Developmental & Physical Disabilities, 24,

125-134. doi:10.1007/s10882-011-9260-2


This article is an examination of the social skills deficits between the three most common

spectrum disorders (autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and PDD-NOS). This study examined

57 children between the ages of 4 to 16 years who had been diagnosed with one of these three

ASDs. (Seventeen children with Asperger’s disorder—all male—were included; of the 20

participants with autistic disorder and PDD-NOS, 18 and 13, respectively, were boys.) The study

found that children with Asperger’s disorder demonstrated greater adaptive social skills

compared to their peers but were also more prone than the other participants to negative, hostile

social behaviors. The study did not find any other statistically significant differences between

ASD groups; the authors note that this is a surprising conclusion, since previous research had

shown that children with autistic disorder typically demonstrate greater social impairments than

do those with PDD-NOS.

Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J. A., Rzepa, S., & Williams, K. M. (2012). A national study of

autistic symptoms in the general population of school-age children and those

diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. Psychology in the Schools, 49(10), 1001-

1016. doi:10.1002/pits.21650

This study examined over 4,000 students to get a better understanding of the

interrelationships among symptoms of ASD. Of the 4,052 students in the study, 943 (435 males

and 508 females) had been diagnosed with ASD; they were compared to their nondisabled peers

as part of the study. The authors found a strong correlation between three broad factors, which

they termed “social/communication,” “unusual behaviors,” and “self-regulation.” They also

found that the correlation between these factors was consistent across gender, age, and ethnicity.

The authors noted that the most crucial discovery of their analysis was the emergence of a “self-

regulation” factor—which, as the authors defined it, includes items pertaining to attention,

impulsivity, and noncompliance, such as having problems waiting for one’s turn and arguing


with other children—which is not included in the ASD diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV; they

suggest that this area should be the focus of future research.

Mannion, A., Leader, G., & Healy, O. (2013). An investigation of comorbid psychological

disorders, sleep problems, gastrointestinal symptoms and epilepsy in children and

adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders,

7, 35-42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2012.05.002

This article examined the prevalence of comorbidity (the presence of one or more

disorders in addition to a primary disorder) in 89 children and adolescents with ASD. Seventy

out of the 89 participants had a comorbid disorder, with intellectual disability being the most

common; 29 participants had both ASD and an intellectual disability. Sixteen participants

(including 14 males) had comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while 14

had a comorbid anxiety disorder. Sixty-nine of 87 respondents (two participants failed to

respond) reported having at least one gastrointestinal symptom in the preceding three months,

with abdominal pain the most common symptom. Also, 72 of the 89 participants reported having

a sleep problem, including sleep onset delay, night waking, and daytime sleepiness. The authors

reported that this is the first study of its kind and suggest that future research can examine

whether there is a correlation between behavioral interventions and comorbid disorders.

IV. Resources

Teacher Resources

The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities publishes fact sheets on

disabilities, including ASD. This fact sheet (titled “Disability Fact Sheet #1: Autism Spectrum

Disorders”) includes a description of the characteristics of ASD and how these characteristics

may affect a student’s classroom performance, such as difficulty understanding abstract


concepts. Also included are the criteria required for a diagnosis of ASD as well as the definition

of “autism” included in IDEA. The information sheet includes a page of tips for educators that

includes strategies for both classroom management (keeping a consistent, predictable classroom

routine) and instructional techniques (giving explicit, step-by-step instructions). It ends with a

listing of 10 links to other sites with information on ASD, including the Autism Society of

America and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The information sheet can be found at

http://nichcy.org/wp-content/uploads/docs/fs1.pdf.

The Center for Mental Health in Schools at the University of California, Los Angeles, has

published a technical assistance packet, “Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schools,” about ASD

for individuals working in schools. The 45-page document includes an introduction to ASD—the

symptoms, probable causes, and how it is diagnosed, including diagnostic tools established by

the National Institute of Mental Health and the diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder and

Asperger’s disorder listed in DSM-IV—as well as examples of research-based treatment

techniques commonly used. The packet also includes a section on the role of the school,

suggesting ways to structure the curriculum and classroom environment (both the physical layout

and intangible instructional methods). Eleven strategies for inclusion of individuals with ASD

are given, and each strategy includes at least one peer-reviewed article demonstrating its

effectiveness. The document also includes strategies to improve the social skills of students with

ASD, also from a peer-reviewed article. The packet ends with 10 pages of additional electronic

resources for teachers of children with ASD. The full packet is available at

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/autism/autism.pdf.

A variety of resources are available on the homepage of the National Professional

Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders (http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/). The site

includes briefs of 24 research-based practices for working with students with ASD, as well as an


opportunity for current educators with training in special education to update these reviews. The

site also includes links to more detailed modules for 22 of the 24 strategies. These modules

include research-based suggestions for working with students of all ages, covering such topics as

identification, characteristics, practices and intervention, transitioning to adulthood, and finding

employment. The Center also developed an online coaching manual that describes research-

based practices for individuals working in programs that serve children with ASD, including, but

certainly not limited to, schoolteachers.

Parent Resources

“A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-Based Practice and Autism,” a publication of the National

Autism Center, is a very detailed resource for parents of children with ASD. The 135-page guide

includes a section on educational, medical, behavioral, and mental health supports for which the

child may be eligible, and tips for the parents to manage and coordinate the different types of

treatment. It also features a section titled “Care for Yourself!” which includes strategies for

parents to take care of their own health and cope with the demands of a child with ASD. This

document also includes background information on ASD—including diagnosis, symptoms, and

common misunderstandings—as well as detailed descriptions of 11 research-based strategies.

The guide can be found at http://www.nationalautismcenter.org/pdf/nac_parent_manual.pdf.

The website of the Autism Society includes a page titled “Family Issues,” which includes

resources for parents, as well as siblings and extended family members, of children with ASD.

There are multiple strategies for parents to deal with the stresses of raising a child with ASD,

including a listing of several behaviors of which the parent should be aware (such as an autistic

child not expressing needs or desires in the expected manner) and a booklet titled “Stress: Take a

Load Off.” Another article on the website includes strategies for helping parents best manage the


demands of caring a child with ASD in addition to other children, or even multiple children with

ASD. This also includes a description of the emotions most siblings are likely feeling and how

parents can help them cope, in addition to resources targeting siblings, as well as members of the

extended family, describing what the child is dealing with and how the other family members

can help both the child and themselves cope with the disorder. The Autism Society’s family

resources can be found at http://www.autism-society.org/living-with-autism/family-issues/.

The American Academy of Pediatrics website features a series of interviews, collectively

titled “Sound Advice on Autism,” that aim to answer the questions of parents of children with

ASD. Both audio files and transcripts of the interviews are available. In all, advice from six

pediatricians is available, answering such questions as “What are the most effective treatments

for autism?” “What are the early signs of autism?” and “What are the most common therapies for

autism?” Each interview is based around a unifying theme—for example, one focuses on

questions regarding common methods of treatment for ASD, while another discusses the causes

and increasing prevalence of ASD. There are also interviews covering topics about which not as

much information is readily available—for example, one interview focuses on alternative

treatments such as vitamin regimens and hyperbaric oxygen. “Sound Advice on Autism” is

located at http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/developmental-

disabilities/Pages/Sound-Advice-on-Autism.aspx.

Student Resources

The website “Autism and Boy Scouts” includes a wealth of information for students with

ASD; although its intended audience is students with ASD who are considering joining the Boy

Scouts of America, the information and recommendations it contains can be used for any student

with ASD who is considering joining an extracurricular organization or activity. For example,

the website devotes several paragraphs to describing the ways in which membership in the Boy


Scouts can benefit a child with ASD, such as creating a safe community for the child and

cultivating the formation of friendships, something with which students with ASD often struggle;

even a child with ASD who is not interested in joining the Boy Scouts can enjoy these benefits

from other extracurricular activities at school, such as chess club. The website also includes a

large amount of information on ideal positions within the Boy Scouts for students with ASD;

again, the Boy Scouts are not the only organization that can offer such positions or opportunities

for growth, and any child with ASD can benefit from seeking out a group that provides similar

opportunities. The full guide can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/autismandboyscouts/.

Do2Learn is a website that features a wealth of activities for students of all ages with

ASD to help them develop and refine skills with which they often struggle. Tasks are divided

into three categories—academics, social skills, and behavior management—with various

subsections within these categories. To list one example, the “social skills” category includes a

PDF document that helps individuals carry on a reciprocal conversation with their friends. Each

of the three main categories also includes a “toolbox” that includes resources for helping students

with a particular aspect of that category; for example, the “social skills” toolbox includes pages

on “waiting your turn to speak,” “respecting the ideas of others,” and “staying on topic.” In

addition to these resources, the “academics” category includes visual aids and games for all

students, from Pre-K through 12th grade, designed to improve their understanding of a given

topic. The URL for the Do2Learn homepage is http://www.do2learn.com/.

Autism After 16 is a useful resource for older students; it focuses on making the

transition from school to the working world or postsecondary education. It includes

considerations for students with ASD when deciding whether to enter the workforce or college,

as well as factors to take into account once a path has been chosen. Autism After 16 also


includes advice for students on finding housing, maintaining proper health and finances, and

becoming involved in the local community. There is even a section discussing the site’s opinion

that the mainstream media tends to sensationalize stories concerning ASD and coping techniques

for individuals with ASD when they see such headlines. The site also maintains an active group

of columnists who write frequently about pressing issues for ASD students preparing to make the

transition out of secondary education. The site can be found at http://www.autismafter16.com/.

Relevant Electronic Resources for Any and All

“Awe in Autism: One in 50 … and One in a Million” is a website devoted to celebrating

the accomplishments of individuals impacted by ASD. The site includes a gallery with works in

such categories as music, art, poetry, film and video, short stories, and non-fiction essays.

Contributions are not limited to individuals with ASD—for example, one of the site’s co-

founders was moved to create the site after reading a poem written by one of her children about

his brother, who was autistic. The site was founded in 2010, and its co-founders continue to

contribute to a blog on the site that “aim[s] to address autism from two angles – a parent’s

perspective and the observations of an informed onlooker” (Covell & French, 2012). The Awe in

Autism homepage can be found at http://www.aweinautism.org/.

In 2004, the National Mental Health and Education Center published a resource guide

titled “Autism Spectrum Disorders: Primer for Parents and Educators.” This document includes

information that should be of use for anyone seeking to better understand ASD; it begins with a

discussion of the characteristics and prevalence of ASD, followed by an in-depth look at

research-based intervention strategies. These strategies are not limited to the classroom—

communication and socialization are also discussed extensively. Sections are also devoted to

medication and behavior management, and the guide includes a number of print and electronic


resources for anyone wishing to learn more about the disorders or intervention methods. The

guide is available at http://www.nasponline.org/resources/handouts/Autism204_blue.pdf.

The Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation includes on its website a page titled “Autism

Information for Emergency Personnel.” The page is divided into three subsections featuring

information for fire and rescue personnel, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and police

officers. Although not the intended audience, the information contained on this page is helpful

for anyone who may encounter children with ASD in the course of their job—teachers, camp

counselors, and perhaps even service workers. For example, one of the tips for both fire and

rescue personnel and police is to speak in short, clear phrases, such as “sit down” and “wait

here.” This would also be beneficial for someone whose job entails supervising large groups of

children, some of whom may have ASD, such as camp counselors or lifeguards. This resource is

located at http://www.myasdf.org/site/about-autism/autism-information-for-emergency-

personnel/.


References

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2013, February 19). HealthyChildren.org – Sound advice on

autism (audio). Retrieved from http://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-

issues/conditions/developmental-disabilities/Pages/Sound-Advice-on-Autism.aspx

Autism Society. (n.d.). Autism Society – Family issues. Retrieved from http://www.autism-

society.org/living-with-autism/family-issues/

Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation. (2012). Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation (ASDF).

Retrieved from http://www.myasdf.org/site/

Better Half Enterprises, LLC. (2013). Autism after 16. Retrieved from

http://www.autismafter16.com/

Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. (2008). Autism spectrum disorders and schools:

A technical aid packet. Retrieved from

http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/autism/autism.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, March 29). CDC – Data and statistics, autism

spectrum disorders. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

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from http://www.aweinautism.org/

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