Barbara Boroson
Licensed Master Social Worker,
Scholastic & ASCD author,
National Speaker & Autism Inclusion Specialist
~providing practical, dynamic autism support for general educators~
Barbara Boroson
Licensed Master Social Worker
Scholastic & ASCD author
National Speaker & Autism Inclusion Specialist
~providing practical, dynamic autism support for general educators~
Autism Spectrum Disorders Today (based on DSM-V) 2014
Whereas previously the definition of “autism” was divided into five rather muddy sub-types, now all individuals who meet the criteria come under the single umbrella term “autism spectrum disorders.”
This change allows the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder to better reflect the colorful collection of individuals who demonstrate similar autistic-type characteristics, but may function in very different ways and at very different levels. The image of a spectrum effectively evokes the associated-differentness among individuals with autism spectrum disorder.
To meet the criteria for an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, according to DSM-V, an individual must demonstrate persistent and clinically significant:
- deficits in the social use of verbal and non-verbal communication
- restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior and/or interests.
The symptom profile may or may not include speech impairment, intellectual deficit, and hypo- or hyper-reactivity to sensory input. Diagnosticians are encouraged to supplement that term with clarification regarding functioning and severity of symptoms.
Still, as the prevalence, research, definition, and awareness of autism spectrum disorders have evolved over the years, I have encountered many children on the autism spectrum whose precise address along the spectrum remains unclear or inconsistent. And what I’ve discovered is that the diagnosis alone does not dictate the details of their functioning, education, or identity. The details are in the individuals. Every individual with an autism spectrum disorder is as unique as any other individual: She has her own strengths and challenges, her own likes and dislikes, her own patterns of action and reaction, her own past and future, her own personality, her own potential, and her own dreams.
In other words, there is plenty of room under the umbrella. Let it rain.
Making an Inclusive Classroom Work
Barbara Boroson Licensed Master Social Worker,Scholastic & ASCD author,National Speaker & Autism Inclusion Specialist ~providing practical, dynamic autism support for general educators~ Barbara‘s presentation was fantastic. I learned more about autism...
Distance Learning for Students on the Autism Spectrum: Just Keep Swimming
Here are some simple but important suggestions for structuring the days in ways that will ease anxiety and maximize learning time. These will be helpful for all of your students, but may be game-changers for those on the spectrum:
Making Friends at School
Most child development milestones are monitored closely by parents from a very young age: Can my child walk? Check! Use a cup to drink? Check! Jump on one foot? Recite the ABCs? Check and check! Then there are child development “soft skills”—social and emotional skills that can be harder to judge and even more challenging to teach.
In-Service Training for Teachers’ Aides
Last week I had the opportunity to provide an in-service training to all of the teachers’ aides in the Bronxville, NY school district. The workshop was called, “Making a Difference in the Classroom: Support for Supporters.”
First-Day Strategies for Autism in Mainstream Classrooms
Every student on the spectrum will enter your classroom bearing a backpack full of worries. If they can’t put those worries down on Day One, then toting that heavy load will become a way of life at school, a learned behavior. Each day they will return burdened and compromised by the worries on their backs.