Unraveling the Myths of Autism
By Sally Burton-Hoyle

Autism is a neurological disorder that impairs socialization and communication and may cause differences in the way information is processed. The inability of the individual to regulate their processing of the environment as in their sensory system (smell, touch, movement, tactile, visual and auditory) is the first characteristic that a parent or caregiver may see. A child may act as if they cannot hear or see, or sounds that we do not even hear may seem to cause pain to the child's ears. A child may act as If they do not want to be touched or held, because it may seem to cause them physical pain. A child may not respond to their name or may be in constant motion, seeming unable to stop their actions. It is believed that these types of inappropriate responses to people and the environment may come because of “trauma” to the cerebellum. (Trauma does not refer to any one cause, it suggests that the symptoms designate that a trauma may have taken place in utero it has no connotation with abuse) The cerebellum affects the ability of the person to regulate the sensations or the environment and may thus cause the understanding and using of language to be difficult (Janzen, 1996).

Autism also causes processing delays; in that we may ask a child to tell us something or show us something that we know the child is very interested in and yet they seem unable or unwilling to do so. This is because autism and its subsequent cerebellum damage may cause processing disturbances, the movement of a thought or action may take longer with a person who has autism. It does not necessarily mean that the person is cognitively impaired, however I feel that this figure does not speak to the movement disturbances and processing delays that individuals with autism experience, most tests are given orally and persons with autism typically learn best through their visual systems and not auditorially. Pictures and other visual strategies are generally successful in teaching persons with autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder in that it effects can range from mild to severe. Therefore difficulties in socialization and communication may not be visible for some children until they are older, they may have developed language but still have difficulty in playing and relating with others. Regardless of where an individual is on the autism spectrum, it is best practice to address socialization and communication. If an individual has difficulty verbalizing or gesturing to show you what they want, they may act out with inappropriate behaviors in order to communicate.

We say that Behavior is Communication! It is imperative that in lieu of language a communication system be developed for each person. If we do not support a person in communicating then there are quite often behavioral difficulties. A very important part of looking at a person’s behavior as communication is that each person has the right to communicate and if they are unable to “talk” then we must teach them how to communicate with pictures, words or even objects. If we presume competence in each individual with autism to achieve their full potential then we must not only address their needs, we must also begin to think in terms of the strength that individuals with autism have.

Best Practices for persons with autism include the following:

• Use of Visual/Picture/Word Schedules
• Sensory Processing Evaluation by a Qualified Occupational Therapist
• Communication System Available to each person 100% of the School Day
• Educational and Vocational Instruction in Typical Environments
• Tasks Broken up into Small Intervals
• Paraprofessional Support for Students where Appropriate
• Seeing Behavior As Communication
• Presuming Competence

If we work with each individual’s skills, strengths and capacities and provide each person with typical socialization and communication opportunities in their neighborhood schools then Michigan schools will surge ahead in supporting persons with autism and their families.