The Education University of Hong Kong

Higher Diploma in Early Childhood

Education Programme (Year 1)

Understanding the Diverse Needs of

Young Children ECE0213
理解幼兒的多元需要

Lecture 5
Autism Spectrum Disorders
(Autistic Features, Asperger’s Syndrome and
teaching strategies in classroom settings)

By Elaine Chung
2020/21 semester 1
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that primarily affects social interactions,
language, and behavior
• They are very attuned to routine and are extremely affected by changes in the
environment
• The fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) was published
in 2013. The changes in the newest edition include combining the previously
distinct Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder,
and Pervasive Developmental Disorder(PDD), High functioning Autism – Not
Otherwise Specified) into one new disorder: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
DSM-5 – Autism Spectrum Disorder
 What is Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism is a complex development
disability that typically appears during
the first three years of life.

• No racial, ethnic, social boundaries,

family income, life-style, and educational
levels affect the chance of autism’s
occurrence

• Approximately 10,000 autistic students

attending public schools are expected to
benefit from a support program
announced by the Education Bureau
(2019) https://www.dhcas.gov.hk/en/autism_spectrum_disorder.html
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder
• 4 times more prevalent in boy than girls

Prevalence rates of autism/ASD among 6-16-year-old males and females in Oslo

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Autism interferes with the normal development of the brain in the
areas of social interaction and communication skills

• Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal

and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or
play activities

• Hard to communicate with others and relate to the outside world

Centres for disease control and prevention. “Learn the signs. Act early.”
Asperger syndrome
• Involve delays in the development of socialize and communicate
with others and to use imagination
• Although Asperger's syndrome is similar in some ways to autism

• Some important differences to autism:

– Children with Asperger's syndrome typically function better than do
those with autism
– Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have normal
intelligence and near-normal language development
Problems related to the Identification
of Children with Autism
• Children with autism display many characteristics exhibited by individuals with
other disabilities.

• Coexisting conditions include Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),

developmental coordination disorder, dyslexia, speech and language disorder,
anxiety and depression. Sometime associated with eating/ sleeping problem.

• Many children with autism, because they exhibit disorders across multiple
domains, are mistakenly classified as having multiple disabilities.
Characteristics of children with Autism
Deficits in Behavior
– Insistence on sameness,
– Repetitive behavior and routines, resistance to change
– Adopt rigid thinking patterns, develop obsessive
– Interest in a few areas
– Self-stimulation: stereotyped body movements (e.g. flapping of
hands, run back and forth)
– Some will demonstrate strong memory of data, e.g. bus routes,
calendar.
– Sensory issues: processing the problems of hyper or hypo-reactivity
to sensory issues (e.g. response to specific sounds or textures,
spinning objects)
Characteristics of children with ASD
Communication

–Deficits in non-vebal communication

➢ Not much/ no eye contact when speaking with someone
➢Trouble in using facial expressions and body gestures
➢ Difficulty understanding body language
➢ Get the meaning of the conversations wrongly
Characteristics of children with ASD
Deficits in social interaction

• Inappropriate manner: Aloof, passive to over passionate, odd

mannered
• Limited attached to adults/parents, prefer play alone
• No/less spontaneous sharing of interest
• Less respond to others’ in social situation
• Less to express the needs by talking
• Sometime behave over-passionate and self centered
• Difficulty initiating and maintaining conversation
Characteristics of children with ASD
Deficits in building friendship

➢ Some ASD have speech and language difficulties to express their

thought
➢ Weak in empathy to understand others’
➢ Difficulties in processing complex social cues
➢ Difficulties in implicit social rules
➢ Inappropriate attempts at social interchange often being
misunderstood as aggressive or disruptive behavior
Support Preschool children with ASD
Early intervention
• Give support/ treatment earlier
• Contain family-centered support
▪Teach them in natural environments
▪ Accept their inappropriate behaviors and emotions
▪ Encourage social interaction
▪ structure and routine classroom activity
▪Use of visual schedules, charts, and cue cards
▪ Reinforce of positive behaviors
▪ Cultivate supportive environment in classroom
▪ Structured group assignments
Strategies for Support children with ASD
Communication
Receptive Language Support - the ability to understand information
Understanding the words, sentences and meaning of what others
say or what is read
✓Slow down the pace
✓Believe in child’s ability
✓Provide more information in visual format
✓Stay close when talking with them
✓Give clear and short instruction
Encouraging child communicate with other
Expressive Language Support

Use of words, sentences, gestures and writing to convey meaning and

messages to others.
Give instruction to remind the child using pause, listen, and wait when
talking
Encouraging child input and make choice when possible
Accept and provide alternative means when communicating with other,
such as written words or pictures
Encourage and respond to words and appropriate attempts, rather than
to behavior
Social Supports
➢ Build in time to watch, encourage watching and closeness
➢ Practice on specific skills through natural activities with one peer
➢ Structure activities with set interaction patterns and roles
➢ Provide cooperative learning activities with facilitation
➢ Facilitate recruitment of sociable peers to be buddies and
advocates
➢ Provide opportunity for shared experiences using interests and
strengths
Expanding Repertories of Interests and
Activities
➢ Capitalize on strengths and individual learning styles
➢ Over time, minimize specific fears and frustrations
➢ Use rehearsal with visuals
➢ Provide reinforcement
Intervention Activities/Strategies
Teachers and parents can use those of activities to increase interaction
with child with autism

• Using physical play game

➢Playing tickle game, chasing, jumping on the bed

• Using Object-based play

➢Playing with balls, toy trains, bubble, etc

• Create repetitive and structure activities

➢Draw a dot to dot graphic, say “1,2,3,go!” when the activity begin
Intervention Activities/Strategies

• Teaching turn-taking
➢Demonstrate turn-taking to the child and Say “My turn…you turn”
when playing. Give reinforcement immediately

• Create expectation
➢Encourage use eye contact and sound to get he wants. That’s the
child looks at teacher and make sound to make request, teacher will
give respond.
 M-CHAT-R (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised)
改良版嬰幼兒自閉症篩查表（附後續問題修訂版） (M-CHAT-R/F) TM

https://mchatscreen.com/mchat-rf/translations/

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (M-CHAT-R) is a screener that
will ask a series of 20 questions about your child’s behavior. It's intended for
toddlers between 16 and 30 months of age. The results will let you know if a further
evaluation may be needed. You can use the results of the screener to discuss any
concerns that you may have with your child’s healthcare provider.

致謝:感謝西班牙的 M-CHAT 研究團隊設計這份文件中使用的流程圖。 如欲知道多資訊，請瀏覽

www.mchatscreen.com 或透過電子郵件 DianaLRobins@gmail.com 聯絡 Diana Robins。
@2009 Diana Robins, Deborah Fein & Marianne Barton 翻譯:俞勵恒博士與李健豹博士 感謝:香港公開大學
自閉症譜系障礙碩士課程學生工作組
References
協康會(2013)《自閉症兒童訓練指南》(全新版) 教學策略. 香港: 協康會

衛生署兒童體能智力測驗服務. Retrieved from https://www.dhcas.gov.hk/tc/index.html

American Psychiatric Association, APA (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th
ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Centres for disease control and prevention. “Learn the signs. Act early.” Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html

Child Assessment Service, Department of Health, HKSAR. (2017).Autism Spectrum Disorder

Instructions for Taking and Scoring the M-CHAT-R autism test. Retrieved from
https://www.autismspeaks.org/screen-your-child