Writing Homework Help

. “There is no one type of autism, but many.” (Autism Speaks, 2021). What does this statement mean to you? How would you explain it to others who have not been educated in ASD?

2. Early diagnosis is key for early intervention for children with ASD. In reading the Lord et al. article, (2018), the authors state: “Children who do not have language delays, or who are female, of ethnic minorities, of low socioeconomic status, or from families not fluent in English (at least in the USA) often receive later diagnoses. Speculate as to why you think this is the case.” (pp. 510).

3. Signs and symptoms of ASD as described in the DSM-5 (2013) include two core features: (1) Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts as manifested by deficits in (a) social-emotional recipriocity, (b) non-verbal communication, and (c) deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships; and (2) Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities as manifested by (a) stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, (b) Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal and non-verbal behavior, (c) Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus, and (d) Hyperreactivity or hypo-reactivity to sensory input, or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment.

To be diagnosed, a person must show evidence of difficulties in each of three social-communication subdomains, and must have or have had difficulty in two of the four different restricted, repetitive sensory–motor behaviors.

Give a concrete example for each subdomain outlined above. This means that you should have seven (7) examples to share. Be specific with your examples. In addition to your example, provide a strategy for how a parent/caregiver can address each symptom, if the symptom interferes with everyday life activities (Note: I say IF there is interference because the thinking for some people is that the symptom is just part of who the person is, and a family may choose not to stop it – e.g., hand flapping or body rocking in public may be odd to see, but not problematic per se).

4. Listen to (or read the transcript of) Joshua Littman and his mother Sarah Littman, in the 2006 NPR StoryCorps Booth interview called Joshua’s Tough Questions.

a. What are your thoughts on Sarah’s comment that children with autism are “born without social genes”?

b. What is your reaction to this full interview?

c. How might publishing this piece on NPR help the public understand ASD (Joshua has the Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis, which was formerly in the DSM-IV).

5. “What would happen if the autism gene was eliminated from the gene pool? You would have a bunch of people standing around in a cave, chatting and socializing and not getting anything done.” Dr. Temple Grandin. Explain why you think Dr. Grandin’s responded this way to the question she was asked. Please do a little search on Dr. Grandin (I would have you read her books, but we just do not have enough time in the semester). What would you ask her if you could meet her and why?

6. https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds (Links to an external site.)

Watch Temple Grandin’s Ted Talk (closed captions; transcript available). Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, was one of the first autistic people to chronicle her life with the condition— and is now a bestselling author and well known for her innovative designs for handling livestock. Answer the following questions:

a. What are the 3 types of thinking that Grandin mentions in her talk?

b. What is one option that Grandin presents as a way to help students with autism become successful in the world?

c. Why would studying animals give you a much greater understanding of autism?

d. How has this talk changed your thinking about individuals with ASD?

Briefly answer these 3 questions using these exact prompts.

(1) What I learned from this week’s READINGS … and these readings/topics are important because…

(2) Something I found interesting/compelling from this week’s READINGS/TOPIC is … because…

(3) Some things I still have questions about from this week’s topic include…