Autism Awareness Sneak Peak

EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

Move 4 Health – www.move4health.com.au

What is Autism?

� Autism has a wide range of characteristics and traits. Every individual with autism presents with varied characteristics and traits

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What is Autism? (cont.)

� Difficulty relating to others

� Excellent rote memory

� Delayed echolalia

� Failure to assume an anticipatory posture

� Limitation in the variety of spontaneous activity (play)

� Stereotyped body movements

� Abnormalities of posture

� Fascination with movementposture

� Literalness

� An all-powerful need for being left undisturbed

� Noises and motions that are monotonously repetitious

� Fascination with movement

� Odd responses to stimuli

� Often accompanied by additional learning difficulties (about 75%).


What is Asperger’s syndrome?

� Hans Asperger first described Asperger’s syndrome in 1944 as “information is processed in the abstract and logical ways of the intellect, rather than instinctively and concretely.

� Communication is intellect-driven, in language, rather than through the direct instinctive channels that bypass the through the direct instinctive channels that bypass the intellect as in intonation, facial expression, or "body language".


MAKING SENSE OF OUR SENSES


Types of Senses

� Sight,

� Smell,

� Touch,

� Taste,

� Vestibular,

� Sound, and

� Proprioception


How do we sense?

� In order to experience these sensations we require sensory receptors to deliver information (stimuli) from our outside world to our brain, so that we can feel and interpret this information

� Sensory receptors are specialised to respond to changes in their environment (stimuli).

� Each specific type of sensory receptors only responds to a particular type of stimuli


How do we sense? (cont.)

� As the message arrives at the brain, regions of the Somatosensory


SomatosensoryCortex are specific to the type of stimulus (sight, sound, etc.)

� The size of the regions of the SomatosensoryCortex reflect the number of sensory receptors located in the associated body


the associated body area.

� This homunculus shows the most sensitive regions of the Somatosensory Cortex

Key Content

� Every adult and child is different and unique in their own way.

� The ordinary sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of everyday that you and I may not even notice can be painful and extremely uncomfortable for a child with Autism


Sight

� Sight is the most dominant sensory system

� Sight refers to receiving and interpreting sensory input from our eyes in regards to moving and static objects, people, our environment, our body position, body language, etc.


Taste

� Taste refers to receiving and interpreting sensory input from our mouth in regards to the taste of foods, objects, and drinks


Smell

� Smell refers to receiving and interpreting sensory input from our nose in regards to the smell of foods, objects, drinks, our environment, people, danger


Touch

� Touch refers to receiving and interpreting sensory input from our body when in contact with an object, person, food, environmental factor (wind, rain), etc.


Sound

� Sound refers to receiving and interpreting sensory input from our ears when we hear the when we hear the sound of an object, person’s voice, food, environmental factor (wind, rain), etc.


Vestibular (balance and motion)

� Vestibular refers to receiving and interpreting sensory input from our ears in regards to the position of our head in relation to space


Proprioception (body awareness)

� Proprioception involves collecting, interpreting, and organising crucial information about:

� our movement,

� the force of gravity,

� our body position and posture, and

� the amount of force through our muscles and joints


Senses & Autism

� Autism is largely characterised with sensory dysfunction. Which means that the individual’s processing of their sensory world is often misinterpreted, confused, disoriented, etc.

� An individual often experiences one of two sensory difficulties – hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity


WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?


Sensory Integration

� Our survival depends not only on sensation (awareness of changes in internal and external environments) but also on perception (conscious interpretation of those stimuli).

� As sensory information is collected by sensory receptors and a message delivered to our brain, we must use cognitive message delivered to our brain, we must use cognitive processing to interpret and organise this sensory information (perception) to plan an appropriate response to the sensation.

� This process from sensation to action is referred to as Sensory Integration.


Sensory Integration Poster


From the list of behaviours determine which sense is primarily effected

� Your clothes feel like they are made of sand paper

� One piece of orange paper in a selection of brown paper makes a child anxious

� The fluorescent light in this room is flickering and is too bright and it makes them feel uneasy

� The smell of lavender makes them nauseas like seafood for a pregnant � The smell of lavender makes them nauseas like seafood for a pregnant woman

� The sound of a humming refrigerator makes them agitated, dozens of people talking at once makes them want to hide in silence

� The feeling of sitting in a chair makes them want to stand up and jump around

� The sound of people talking in a crowd makes me want to hide under a blanket so the sound is buffered


Sensory Profile

� Each child is unique and individual

� Sensory profiles are assessed and used by health professionals to understand an individual’s sensory dysfunction/awareness and associated dysfunction/awareness and associated behaviours/challenges


Autism in the Classroom

� Having autism doesn’t mean being � Having autism doesn’t mean being unable to learn. But it does mean there are differences in how learning happens.

� Classroom strategies include: routines, schedules, individual work systems, visual structure, and physical organisation of materials.


Understand the Behaviour

� “Bad” behaviour often occurs because the individual is anticipating the onset of a hurtful stimuli

� There may be a lack of fear in response to real dangers such as walking into the middle of traffic, and excessive fearfulness to harmless objects such as teddy bears.fearfulness to harmless objects such as teddy bears.

� We need to always complete a sensory assessment in order to understand their behaviour and to then implement appropriate and effective strategies.


Self-stimulating/Self-injurious behaviour

� Self-stimulating behaviours (repetitive body movements that are unconventional in our environment) are often used with individuals with sensory integration dysfunction to help them to regulate sensory information as they have difficulty receiving and interpreting sensory information.as they have difficulty receiving and interpreting sensory information.

� Self-harming behaviours are often needed for recharging the batteries. While we would like to reduce self-harming behaviours, we need to consider teaching appropriate alternative behaviours with the least possible harm to their self-esteem and sensory needs


Sensory Integration Therapy

� Sensory therapy uses planned, controlled sensory input (somatosensory, vestibular, proprioception, etc.) in accordance with the child’s neurological needs which usually elicit a spontaneous adaptive response that integrates the senses. The purpose is response that integrates the senses. The purpose is to create a state of arousal, attention, and sensitivity to environmental stimuli that is optimal for learning (Ayres, 1972)


Exercise/Sensory Program Design

� Each exercise/sensory activity that is prescribed to an individual needs to be specific to the strengths, weaknesses, goals, and interests of that individual

� There are a wide range of exercises and sensory � There are a wide range of exercises and sensory activities. We have selected a few in the following slides for you.


Exercises to improve motor control

� Fine motor skills

� Grasp/release

� Targeting� Targeting

� Integrate relaxation

� Obstacle courses

� Tummy time


Exercises to improve communication

� Rhythm is important for language development.

� Sing songs,

� Play music,

� Imitate body movements� Imitate body movements

� Imitate the use of the mouth muscles

� Blow bubbles with varied straws

� Blow ping pong balls across the table with a straw


Exercises to improve sensory integration

� Sensory integration difficulties are common

� A thorough sensory assessment is crucialassessment is crucial

� Sensory integration programs are designed for� Sensory Avoidance

� Sensory Seeking


Remember…

� Information in this training package contains only suggested guidelines.

� Each person with autism must be considered and assessed individually before commencing an assessed individually before commencing an exercise/sensory program.


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Autism Awareness Sneak Peak

Health & Medicine

information sensory

sensory input

body language

associated body

number of sensory receptors

body position

body area

dominant sensory system