The Autism Encyclopedia - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1557666717 ISBN 13: 9781557666710

Publisher: Brookes Publishing, 2004

Synopsis

500+ entries for parents and professionals! The best A-Z reference available on autism spectrum disorders and pervasive developmental disorders, this comprehensive encyclopedia includes more than 500 terms, alphabetically listed and clearly described. Today's most respected autism experts have contributed essential terminology from various disciplines—including pediatrics, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, education, psychology, and psychiatry—to bring you reliable information on

• classification systems
• signs and symptoms
• causes
• incidence and prevalence
• diagnosis
• screening and assessment
• interventions
• behavior
• education
• assistive technology
• daily living
• medical issues
• legislation

Synonyms and relevant cross-references are included for the terms, and the two appendixes describe assessment tools and curricula and list autism-related study centers and organizations. Every professional whose work involves autism spectrum disorders needs a copy of this essential resource—to keep on hand as a daily reference and to share with parents of children who have these complex disorders.

About this title

About the Author

John T. Neisworth, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus in Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Neisworth was Program Co-planner for the Pennsylvania Autism Conference & Institute, Academic Director of Penn State's Applied Behavior Analysis program, Consulting Co-director of the Penn State Autism Distance Program, Director of the Pennsylvania Early Intervention Institute, and Chair for Recommended Practices in Assessment for the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Dr. Neisworth has authored or coauthored numerous research articles and texts in special education, early intervention, and behavior analysis, including the HICOMP Preschool Curriculum (Bell & Howell Company, 1986), Modifying Retarded Behavior (Houghton Mifflin, 1973), and Assessment for Early Intervention: Best Practices for Professionals (with S.J. Bagnato; Guilford Press, 1991). He is Cofounding Editor of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education and an editorial board member of that journal as well as the Journal of Early Intervention, Child and Family Behavior Therapy, and Infants & Young Children. He received the 1995 Best Research Article Award from the American Psychological Association (Division 16) for his 2002 article (with Stephen Bagnato) on the misuse of intelligence testing in early childhood.

Dr. Neisworth received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Association for Applied Behavior Analysis. He provides consultation and workshops for state and private early intervention agencies and is President of Behavior Technics Associates, a group devoted to application of behavioral strategies to educational and therapeutic efforts.

Pamela S. Wolfe is Associate Professor of Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University (PSU). She is Academic Director of the PSU Professional Certificate in Autism and a lead instructor in the PSU Applied Behavior Analysis Program. Dr. Wolfe has written numerous articles in international and national journals as well as book chapters on transition, advocacy, and functional academics. She serves on several editorial boards, including those for Exceptionality, Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, and Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. Dr. Wolfe has directed a number of federally funded research and training grants. She is co-director of the PSU Autism Specialist Program, which trains students in autism, applied behavior analysis (ABA), and communication disorders.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpted from The Autism Encyclopedia, edited by John T. Neisworth, Ph.D., & Pamela S. Wolfe, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2005 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. All rights reserved.

Aa

AAC
See augmentative and alternative communication. See alsoalternative communication.

ABA
See applied behavior analysis.

ABC analysis
See antecedent-behavior-consequence analysis.

accommodations
A term used in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), its amendments, and its regulations (Assistance to States, 2003) to refer to environmental changes related to the education of an individual with disabilities, especially with regard to assessment of learning. See alsoadaptation, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). John T. Neisworth & Pamela S. Wolfe

ACTH
Adrenocorticotropic hormone; seehormone therapy.

activities of daily living (ADLs)
Self-care tasks such as grooming, bathing, eating, bowel and bladder management, toilet hygiene, functional mobility, and device care. These basic life functions are used as benchmarks for independence. More complex life functions are clustered into instrumental activities of daily living, including care of others, community mobility, financial management, home management, shopping, and emergency and safety procedures. See alsofunctional limitations, functional outcomes, self-help skills. Winnie Dunn

activity-based instruction
Also called activity-based intervention. See embedded skills, naturalistic interventions.

acuity
Degree of clarity of sensory stimuli; physical ability of the sensory organs to receive input. The term acuityis used with reference to hearing and vision. Visual acuity is the accuracy of the eyes to see both close and distant objects (normal visual acuity is 20/20). Auditory acuity is the ability to hear with measured decibels. Normal auditory acuity (in which there is no negative impact on communication) is 0–15 decibels. Acuity can be corrected with glasses (for vision) and hearing aids (for hearing). Winnie Dunn

ADA
See Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (PL 101-336).

adaptation
A change made to typical or standard environments or materials to accommodate differences in children's functioning. Adaptations can range from simple rearrangements of classroom furniture, to alterations to instructional materials, to more elaborate or high-technology adjustments designed to minimize the effect of a disability and optimize performance. See alsoaccommodations. John T. Neisworth & Pamela S. Wolfe

adaptive behavior
Typical performance on daily tasks and activities related to personal and social sufficiency. As individuals age, the types of adaptive behaviors they exhibit typically increase in complexity. Examples in young children include self-care (e.g., dressing), communication (e.g., verbal expression and reception), and socialization (e.g., relating to peers). Examples of adult adaptive behaviors include self-care (e.g., holding a job, managing money), communication (e.g., advanced reading and writing), and socialization (e.g., acting responsibly toward others) (Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984b). See alsoactivities of daily living (ADLs), adaptive skills, daily living skills, self-help skills. Krista Dalbec-Mraz & Julie Wolf

adaptive skills
Conceptual, practical, and social skills that permit a person to function in everyday life and to deal with, and change in response to, everyday environmental demands. Individuals with autism show a unique pattern of adaptive skills as compared with normative groups (Schatz & Hamdan-Allen, 1995). Such individuals typically have strong daily living skills but only intermediate communication skills and significantly low scores in socialization skills. Adaptive skills can be assessed using one of many standardized measures of adaptive behavior such as the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS; Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984a, 1984b) that have been normed for individuals with autism (Carter et al., 1998). Adaptive skills must be assessed to diagnose mental retardation, a disorder commonly found in individuals with autism (American Association on Mental Retardation, 2002). See alsoadaptive behavior, daily living skills, self-help skills. Leah Bucknavage

ADHD
See attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

ADLs
See activities of daily living.

advocate
Person who speaks, writes, or acts in support of or in defense of a person or cause. Individuals with disabilities and their families may act as their own advocates or appoint others to secure appropriate services and programs. See alsoAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (PL 101-336), selfadvocacy. John T. Neisworth & Pamela S. Wolfe

age appropriate
Matching of activities, materials, and environments to a child's age. Depending on the child's development (delayed or typical), either chronological or developmental age (DA) may be used to guide decisions regarding appropriateness. See alsodevelopmental age (DA). John T. Neisworth & Pamela S. Wolfe

AIT
See auditory integration therapy.

allergy
A term coined in 1906 by Austrian pediatrician Clemens Von Pirquet that originally referred to a maladaptive persistent altered reactivity to substances (allergens) that did not similarly affect most people. Although there are many mechanisms for persistent altered reactivity (e.g., congenital and acquired enzyme deficiencies, operant and respondent conditioning), current medical convention restricts the term allergy to altered reactivity of cellular and antibody (immunoglobulin) components of the immune system. Unfortunately, there is minimal research in the area of immunologic allergy, particularly food allergy, as a cause of autism (Lucarelli et al., 1995). There is robust evidence, however, that elimination diets may substantially improve the behaviors associated with autism. In this area of food-induced illness, current popular as well as older medical literature frequently use allergyin its original connotation, incorporating both immune (food allergy) and nonimmune (food intolerance) mechanisms. Although the underlying biobehavioral cause of altered reactivity to dietary constituents may remain undiscovered, longterm treatment for either immune or nonimmune adverse food reactions involves primarily the reduction or elimination of offending foods from the diet. See alsodiet therapy, food intolerance, immunoglobulin. Robert A. Da Prato

alternate assessment
Methods and materials for gathering information regarding a child's status that can supplement, complement, or replace traditional assessment that is based on normative and criterion referencing. Alternate assessment includes surveys of a child's environment (ecological assessment), how a child accomplishes or attempts activities (qualitative measures), appraisals of parent stress and family needs, informed clinical opinion, and authentic procedures (measures of child skills in natural, ongoing routines and situations rather than "tabletop testing"). John T. Neisworth & Pamela S. Wolfe

alternative communication
See augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

Edition details

• Publisher: Brookes Publishing
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1557666717
• ISBN 13: 9781557666710
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 336
• Editor: Neisworth Ph.D. John, Wolfe Ph.D. Pamela