Autism Spectrum Disorder
Early Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Abstract
Early Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing
The presence of an autism spectrum disorder can significantly complicate language acquisition and developmental outcomes. Early identification of an autism spectrum disorder in order to facilitate targeted treatment planning is essential for improving outcomes. Unfortunately, ASD is commonly identified later among children with reduced hearing loss than among hearing peers. Early diagnosis and intervention of hearing loss has significantly improved our ability to identify symptoms which do not appear related to hearing at a much earlier age. Early diagnosis may be complicated by symptoms of ASD which may appear to overlap with the impact of the child’s hearing loss and by a lack of assessment tools developed for children who are deaf of hard of hearing. Furthermore, little is known about evidence based treatment for children dually diagnosed with reduced hearing and ASD.
In this two part workshop, drawing from current literature and clinical experience, this presentation will outline “red flags” for ASD, emphasizing symptoms which distinguish ASD from features characteristic of typical development of Deaf/hard of hearing children. Time will be devoted to strategies for discussing these developmental concerns with families, in order to empower families to make informed decisions about next steps in pursuing high quality assessment and intervention. Secondly, the presentation will describe evidence based interventions for treating ASD among young children. Consideration for applying these interventions with children with reduced hearing will be described, recognizing the unique communication implications for deaf children. Attendees will be able to identify red flags for ASD, understand how to share information with families to facilitate appropriate referrals, and describe ASD treatment approaches which can be integrated in their own practice
In this two part workshop, drawing from current literature and clinical experience, this presentation will outline “red flags” for ASD, emphasizing symptoms which distinguish ASD from features characteristic of typical development of Deaf/hard of hearing children. Time will be devoted to strategies for discussing these developmental concerns with families, in order to empower families to make informed decisions about next steps in pursuing high quality assessment and intervention. Secondly, the presentation will describe evidence based interventions for treating ASD among young children. Consideration for applying these interventions with children with reduced hearing will be described, recognizing the unique communication implications for deaf children. Attendees will be able to identify red flags for ASD, understand how to share information with families to facilitate appropriate referrals, and describe ASD treatment approaches which can be integrated in their own practice
