Four characteristics of autism spectrum disorders are language, social, sensory and behavioral. Characteristics under the language category can include limited speech, delayed speech, or being nonverbal. Some characteristics of the social category include deficits in social interactions such as not wanting to interact with peers at school or siblings often or at all. Theory of mind is also a characteristic that falls under social interactions. Theory of mind is a person’s ability to understand that other people are separate from their own self, and that other people have their own beliefs, thoughts, emotions and point of view. People who have ASD often are limited in their ability to …show more content…
Children with ASD are often developmentally behind or delay in reaching what the “typical” milestones are. Examples of this are speech, theory of mind, problem solving, and perspective taking. There is a developmentally based intervention for ASD called Floortime that has been receiving some attention recently. In Floortime, adults follow a child’s lead in play and interaction, in hopes of helping children to be at the appropriate developmental point of emotional and social relating. Floortime seems promising so far, but needs more research to prove its …show more content…
It is a theory that mainly explains human motivation and how people have an inherent tendency towards growth. It examines the choices people make based on their internal states. The four concepts of self-determination are freedom, authority, support and responsibility. When applied to individuals diagnosed with ASD, it means ensuring that care takers, teachers, etc. who are involved in the care, support, and education of those diagnosed with ASD are doing everything they can to make sure those with ASD are able to participate in self-determination to the best of their ability. One example of this would be with talking to an individual with ASD about what their interests are, and how they would like to apply this to possible future job opportunities. One person I knew with the ASD had the freedom to decide they liked cooking, had the authority over themselves to choose they wanted to work part time and accepted the responsibility that went with this. This person worked at Auntie Ann’s, which is a pretzel store inside many malls. Another example of a person participating in self-determination is an adolescent with ASD deciding that they want to take some courses at the local community college to increase their knowledge and