In this lesson,

we will discuss the diagnosis and challenges of

kindergarten through 12th
grade students on the autism spectrum. While many
children on the autism spectrum
are identified and diagnosed during the preschool years,
many others begin
first grade without an official diagnosis. Some are
identified as having a speech and
language delay and do receive speech and language
therapy services during
the beginning of their school career, while others may
go undiagnosed. Some of the challenges faced by
school-aged children on the autism spectrum include
social deficits that
impact their participation in activities. Their
restricted interest may consume
much of their time and attention and may result in
additional social isolation. Behavioral challenges may
become more of a problem as they protest shifting
from activity to another or the demands of doing
academic tasks
which may require more inferencing, more written
expression, and
a demonstration of social comprehension. A school-aged
child with autism
may show deficits in empathy and may use language or
vocabulary that's
significantly above their age level. Often when a
school-aged child is referred
for special education assessment, the initial referral
may be because
someone suspects attention deficit or a learning
disability. School professionals should look
closely at social communication as well as for signs and
indicators of restricted or repetitive patterns of
behavior or
rigidity when a school-aged child is referred as these
may indicate the
presence of an autism spectrum disorder. While most
individuals on the autism
spectrum are diagnosed and receiving support if needed
by middle and
high school, the challenges associated with middle and
high school can become
a paramount concern at this age. Social challenges and
the sophistication of social
relationships becomes very complex. Bullying and
victimization are often
reported at higher rates for middle school and
high school students affected by autism. This is also
the age where we see
coexisting mental health issues, such as anxiety and
depression
become increasingly problematic. Those who were able to
keep pace with
the academic demands in elementary school may find it
difficult in middle and
high school to keep pace with the academic rigor and
being able to
work on developing social and adaptive, or independent
living skills, while also
trying to maintain passing grades. In this interview,
Steve Ruder discusses
the importance of self-awareness and self-disclosure. He
provides insights into the supports
that an individual might need as they learn how to share
information
about their disability and needs. >> One of the things
that's important for
people to learn how to do is to decide how they want to
talk
about their disability and the supports they need, and
when did they want to do that. And that's a really
important thing for people to practice when they're
younger,
because in college and in a job, there's gonna be much
less support for
people guiding how that happens. So learning how to
disclose your
disability when you're younger, and to really know how
to talk about
those kinds of supports that you require, is something
that really is very,
very helpful for people to practice in the school and
at home and other types of activities while
they have parental support, or they have more guidance
through that process.