Asperger's Syndrome Infancy Test

Children who have Asperger's syndrome are high functioning and they do not have the same communication problems that most other children do within the autism spectrum of disorders. Identifying Asperger's syndrome early is often difficult since the child functions so well. Many children who have Asperger's syndrome are not diagnosed until the age of seven, much later than most autistic children.

Dr. Osnat Titelbaum and Dr. Philp Titelbaum led a group of researchers in the University of Florida to an amazing discovery that led to the development of the "tilt test". The team noticed that babies who were later found to have Asperger's syndrome keep their heads aligned with their bodies. They proposed a simple home test for babies who are six months in age or older.

The test simply requires the parent or caregiver to hold the baby at the waist in the upright position. The parent slowly tilts the baby to the left until the child is at a 45 degree angle and repeats to the right.

The baby who has Asperger's syndrome will keep his head aligned with the rest of his body. A normal baby will try to keep his head in the upright position. The "tilt test" is a remarkable approach that can help parents detect Asperger's syndrome years before they normally would.

Interactive Quiz For Parents of Infants

Early identification of autistic disorder is helpful in gaining early intervention services for the disorder. Most pervasive developmental disorders are identified relatively late, about 3 years of age. However, parents who are informed can recognize the early signs of autism in their child when the child is as young as one year old.

Autism Speaks offers an on line interactive quiz that helps parents identify the signs of autism and related pervasive developmental disorders. The interactive quiz contains six specific questions that help parents identify signs of autism and related pervasive developmental disorder.

Parents can use the interactive quiz to determine if their child requires more evaluation or formal screening tests for autism. This interactive quiz addresses the "red flags" of autistic disorder. The quiz is designed to help parents recognize developmental milestones and normal interactive development.

For example, the quiz asks if it is normal for a 16 month old baby to use no words. Many parents think that it is fine. However, the lack of spoken words by 16 months in age is a possible indicator of autism.

Transition Planning Review for Adolescents with Autism

During the adolescent stage of development the autistic individual's parents really begin to consider their child's future. Autistic adolescents are commonly provided a transition planning review developed by parents, school district and advocates.

The transition planning review covers serious issues like post-secondary education, career planning and vocational training. Parents also consider living arrangements and personal care for their adolescent as they enter adulthood.

The transition planning review is based on the individual's level of functioning, his strengths and interests as well as his needs. No two transition planning reviews will be exactly alike and they are subject to change as the adolescent develops.

Careers for the Autistic Adult

Many autistic adults are able to choose among countless career options. Parents often begin the planning stages for their adolescent's future career path when they develop the transition planning review. The career path is determined by the autistic adult's interests and strengths.

Common careers for autistic adults include jobs that involve a lot of repetition. Many adults with autism fair well as chefs while others prefer the repetitive nature of assembly line work. Computer-related jobs are common among autistic adults while others prefer to work with animals.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D. is an autistic adult who has worked as a professor and continues to educate the public about autism. She makes wonderful recommendations for possible professions for adults with autism and she organizes them by the individual's strengths.

She suggests that the job should have a definite finishing point each day. The employer should be understanding about the individual's social limitations and the person with autism should sell his skills instead of trying to sell himself to the interviewer.

Visual thinkers could consider the following careers:
Computer programming/web page design
Drafting
Auto mechanic/building maintenance/appliance repair
Lab technician
Animal trainer/vetenary assistant
Commerical art/graphic design/photography

Non-visual thinkers (math, music and fact thinkers) may want to consider the following:
Copywriter/journalist
Accountant
Computer programmer
Inventory control
Bank teller/clerk, filing jobs
Library science
Tuning/repairing musical instruments
Lab technician
Statistician

Non-verbal individuals with autism may want to consider the following:
Assembly work
Copy shop/newspaper or print preparation
Data entry
Fast food preparation and clean-up
Lawn and garden work
Warehouse/restocking shelves in stores
Recyclying plant

Autism in Adulthood

Autism and related pervasive developmental disorder affect the individual throughout his entire life. The individual's ability to work and live independently hinges on his level of functioning.

Many autistic adults are able to earn degrees and many learn the communication and self-help skills necessary to live and work independently. Others require some supervision and some need assistance 24 hours a day.

Living arrangements and finances are two major areas of concern for parents of adults with autism. Some autistic adults live with family members throughout their entire lives while others are able to live in group homes or independently. Adults who are profoundly autistic may be institutionalized later in life.

Finances are of major concern even when the autistic person is able to work. It is necessary for the adult with autism to have an advocate or caring family member help to maintain his financial matters.

Preparing for Adolescence

Parents and professionals who work in the field of autism spend many hours trying to make connections with their children. The child is encouraged to touch and interact with others but as he gets older he becomes faced with new sexuality that makes what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior confusing.

It is important to introduce appropriate boundaries early on in the individual's development. This will help the autistic child adopt appropriate behaviors as he enters adolescents easier than if the boundaries are set during this delicate and confusing stage. Certain interventions can be used to help the child understand appropriate behavior early.

The autistic child is commonly trained to learn his body parts but professionals and parents tend to avoid private parts during these sessions. An autistic child needs to be aware of his body from head to toe. Confusing euphemisms and figurative language will only confuse the matter.

The autistic child is rarely modest and many have little concept of personal boundaries. Introducing personal boundaries including appropriate dress early in the child's development is good practice because it saves the parents and teachers the problem of re-teaching appropriate behaviors in the future.

Common boundary issues involve excessive touching. The child may sit too closely or right on another individual. Boundaries also include personal property as well. A child may help himself to his neighbor's cookies during lunch or take another child's toy during play time.

Teaching boundaries can be tricky because we want to encourage interaction but we also want to help the child develop a sense of what is and what is not appropriate. Social stories are wonderful tools for preparing the child to understand boundaries.

Visual aids can be helpful in teaching boundaries as well. For example the child may have a token reward system that uses stars on a chart. Once he has earned 10 stars he receives a reward.

If he crosses appropriate boundaries, (puts finger in someone's ear, tugs on another person's hair...) he loses a sticker. When he refrains from the behavior for a few minutes he is praised with "Nice sitting." or "Nice quiet hands," and the star is replaced.

Autism in Adolescence

Adolescence is a difficult time for any child transitioning through this stage of his life. Individuals with autism are faced with unique challenges that are relevant to their particular level of functioning.

Ironically, the higher functioning the autistic adolescent is, the more problems he faces during the teenage years. Individuals with Asperger's syndrome are particularly delicate during this stage because they are aware of their differences but they are unable to navigate through social situations very well.

Among the common concerns are sexual development and social interaction. Some autistic adolescents have difficulty understanding modesty and delicate social rules when it comes to sexuality. Many of these individuals are not likely to refrain from touching themselves and touching others inappropriately.

The complexity of social contact and sexual contact is very confusing. While the autistic adolescent is encouraged to reach out and interact with others, he is suddenly instructed to refrain from this same behavior when sexuality is a factor.

Autism in Infancy

The signs of autism in infants are very difficult to identify but researchers and pediatricians are developing early screening tools that can be used in infancy. The most common screening tool used to detect autism in infancy is typically administered during a routine check up at the infant's pediatrician's office. The doctor or nurse will ask a series of questions that revolve around communication and social development. Typical questions in these screening tools include but are not limited to:

"Does the baby respond to his name?"
"Does he smile at others?"
"Does he point at objects?"
"Does he reach for objects?"

These questions are typically asked at a 12-month visit. However, some doctors will ask about the child's responding to his name as well as smiling and cooing during an earlier visit.

If the answer is "no" to at least six of the questions then the parents would want to have further screening for autism. This does not mean that the child actually has a pervasive developmental disorder.

Autism in Childhood

Children with autism are faced with many challenges. They are also faced with very busy schedules. Autistic children will hopefully have early intervention treatment that requires a treatment plan designed specifically for the child's individual needs.

Structure and routine are very important to autistic children and transitions can be very stressful. Behavior therapy and the structured environment provided in treatments for autism as well as in school will help the child navigate through his daily routine.

The treatment plan is developed by professionals in collaboration with the child's parents. The plan serves as a fundamental guide for the specific interventions that will be used to treat the disorder.

Some autistic children will have up to 40 hours of therapy each week. School-aged children may still have about 20 hours each week in addition to their regular classroom schedules. Therapies and interventions include speech and occupational therapy, sensory integration, Applied Behavior Analysis and complimentary approaches to the treatment of autism in childhood.

Formal Screening Tools for Toddlers

There is a plethora of formal screening tools used to detect autism in young children. Many of the tests are administered by parents while others are administered by physicians. The parent-administered tests are used to determine if there is a need for further observation, not for a specific diagnosis.

Common parent-centered tests include Child Development Inventories and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. These tests include a battery of questions that the parents consider.

The questions are answered "yes/no" and are organized in categories and by age. Social questions for a three-year-old would include:

Does the child smile at others?
Does he greet people with "hi" or similar greeting?
Play games with other children?
Initiate play with others?

Gross motor questions would include skills like standing without support and rolling from his back to his tummy independently. Walking, running and jumping are included as well.

Language development would involve asking if the child uses more than 10 words. If he uses words like, "a, an, you" or "the" in short sentences and if he is able to retell a simple story.

The questions will also include possible problems that parents notice.
Is the child clingy?
Does he act immature?
Does he have eating problems?
Is he potty trained?

Self help questions include feeding skills like using spoons, forks and cups independently and grooming skills like dressing independently. Fine motor skills would include turning pages in a book one at a time, holding a crayon properly and transfers objects from one hand to another.

The screening tests focus on motor skills, social interaction, communication and problem-solving skills. Parents determine if their child requires further evaluation after taking these initial screening tests.

Formal screening tools used to detect autism and related pervasive developmental disorders are administered by a physician. In some cases, a child psychologist will have to administer the test.

Two formal screening tools used to detect autism in toddlers are the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). There are many other tests available as well.

The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers is designed to measure social interaction, imaginative play, joint attention (the ability to focus on an object in sync with another person) along with communication skills. The M-CHAT is a version of the formal screening tool that is administered by parents of children under 18 months in age.

The Childhood Autism Rating Scale explores five major domains: verbal communication, listening skills, body movement, tolerance for change and relating to others. CARS also uses input from parents and caregivers in the examination as well.

CHAT and CARS are useful in determining if a child has the symptoms of autism and related pervasive developmental disorders but neither of these formal screening tools are used to diagnose autism.