Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Disabilities

Catalog description

This course is designed to provide an overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disabilities, characteristics, causation, screening techniques, diagnosis and treatments of autism froma medical and neurological perspective. Issues such as classification, diagnostic instruments, communication assessments and skill development will be addressed. The student will gain understanding of the cognitive and social functioning of the person with ASD with a particular emphasis on style of learning, theory of mind, role of executive functioning, over selectivity, joint attention, generalization difficulties and health issues. Normal human growth and development in comparision to atypical development stages will be addressed in the cognitive, motor, and language developmental areas. Students who complete this course will have an understanding of ASD and Intellectual Disabilities and the role of the family during diagnosis and treatment.