Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often undergo various assessments and evaluations as part of the diagnostic process, identification and classification for special education eligibility, and continued progress monitoring for skill growth. Such evaluations may include cognitive, social and emotional, behavioral, and speech evaluations, among other skill and ability assessments. One other area for assessment that clinicians may consider examining when working on evaluations for individuals with ASD includes the integration of assessments capturing physical and sensory needs. Physical health identifiers that may be included in such evaluations cover physical exercise, sleep, diet and food sensitivities, and elimination. Additionally, sensory evaluations may consider auditory, olfactory, taste, tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive sensory abilities and needs. This practitioner-focused chapter includes a brief review of each of the aforementioned physical and sensory abilities and their connection to ASD. Further, implications for practitioners in their assessment of ASD are explored with practical tips and recommendations for providers to use for their future assessments for ASD.
Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) provides the best opportunity for children to receive evidence‐based early intervention. Research indicates that accurate diagnosis can be made as early as the toddler period when an assessment is completed by experienced clinicians. Typical ASD evaluations involve an assessment of developmental skills, such as those measured with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Fourth Edition. There is limited research, however, on the use of the newest iteration, the Bayley‐4, in discriminating between various developmental disorders and delays. This study compared the performance of three groups of toddlers on the Bayley‐4: (1) ASD (n = 31), (2) developmental delay (n = 26) and (3) problems specific to language (n = 45). Results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated mean differences existed between the ASD and language groups on the five Bayley‐4 subtests that comprise the Cognitive Motor, and Language Scales; however, logistic regression analysis indicated group membership could not be predicted by performance on the subtests. Our findings suggest children who are identified with ASD at a very young age exhibit global developmental deficits, which may help distinguish them from other groups who exhibit more targeted delays.
Alternative education (AE) settings support students with significant social–emotional and behavioral needs. Such settings often implement individualized programming; however, this presents challenges with staffing resources and training. Application of systems to address behavior on a schoolwide level could simplify training, increase staffing flexibility, and decrease use of crisis response procedures. This 2-year, descriptive case study provides an implementation example of universal behavioral supports based on a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework within an AE setting. Over the course of the study, a reduction in staff use of restraint and seclusion procedures was observed. Additionally, staff perceived the framework favorably. Implementation steps are described, along with differentiation of the framework to meet the needs of a heterogeneous student population within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.