Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study

Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study Name Institutional Affiliation Abstract Dealing with autism in children can go one of two ways; either extremely well or catastrophically bad. What is clear, however, is that the first step to managing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is understanding it. The second step is understanding one’s child and where they are in the spectrum. Jessica’s case is one in which ASD has been a constant source of stress and struggle for her in her learning. At the same time, the recurrence of problematic behaviors often stifles Jessica’s ability to learn from her peers as well as her educators effectively. This case study presents a comprehensive assessment of Jessica’s condition as well as the most appropriate methods through which her problematic behavior can be arrested. In essence, this case study provides a clear perspective on how Jessica’s ASD can be approached and effectively managed in a way that promotes learning, development, and independence in her to enable her better communicate with others and integrate into the various communities to which she belongs. Keywords: ASD, learning, communication, development Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study Introduction Jessica is a young girl suffering from what appears to be Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The behavioral and developmental traits exhibited by Jessica demonstrate a significant likelihood to being ASD and as such demonstrates the significant need for attention and care that will enable her not only overcome the condition, but also develop into a young girl that is capable of fully taking care of herself and existing comfortably within the society in which she finds herself. In this sense, it becomes critical to develop a robust understanding of the current condition that she suffers from and how it can best be managed in a manner that allows for consistent development and improvement in her life and behavior. This paper looks to assess this case and hopefully gain an in-depth understanding of what Jessica, as well as her family, needs. Overview Taking into account the symptoms, behaviors, and traits exhibited by Jessica, it becomes quite clear that she indeed has ASD. This is because an examination of her life and behaviors reveals a striking resemblance to those exhibited by children with ASD. For instance, it is abundantly clear that Jessica has challenges communicating (both at school and at home), obsessive interests (such as playing with the hair on her Barbie dolls), difficulty managing social interactions (such as not responding to initiations from peers and classmates), and repetitive behaviors (such as arranging her items and playing with her toys). Although these are the most common traits exhibited in children with ASD, other traits such as speech delays and learning disabilities are also commonly observed in children with ASD (Hall, 2017). Jessica suffers from both of these symptoms, which have further resulted in her lagging behind in class. Considering the fact that Jessica’s behaviors and traits can be easily observed, observation by a physician and expert in child disorders will significantly help in the diagnosis process. Seeing as the symptoms exhibited by Jessica are severe and have been so since she was a child, observation will be the first tool to help make this diagnosis (Hall, 2017). Similarly, other tests aimed at assessing whether Jessica has challenges with social communication and interaction as well as repetitive and restricted behavioral patterns will also serve as a valuable tool in making a diagnosis (Boutot, 2017). In every way, these tools will help experts make an informed diagnosis on the state of Jessica’s ASD as well as the specific kind of condition that Jessica suffers from when the spectrum is considered in its entirety. In this way, these tools serve as a core part of the diagnosis process and help determine whether Jessica has ASD. Working with Families Considering the amount of work that goes into caring for Jessica on a normal day, it suffices to say that the family is significantly stressed. Her parents are affected because they have to consistently factor in Jessica’s condition whenever they plan any event, meal, or family activity in which Jessica will participate (Powell, 2013). At the same time, having to consistently care for her and follow up on her academics is an additional source of stress for the parents as they have to go out of their way to make sure that Jessica is both comfortable and improving at school (Brady, 2012). With regards to her siblings, having to take an additional bus each day to ensure that Jessica gets to school safely can be stressful (Boutot, 2017). This is because it essentially requires her sisters to wake up and leave home earlier than they would in order to ensure Jessica gets to school safely. Also, playing and bonding with Jessica is very difficult for her sisters and is likely an additional source of stress. The entire family is experiencing financial, social, and mental stressors as they work to accommodate and care for Jessica. In the event that Jessica did not have ASD, her family would be considerably less stressed and could engage in a variety of activities that would help them better bond with each other (Hall, 2017). Similarly, the absence of additional financial, social, and mental stressors is likely to make the entire family happier. In order to support Jessica’s parents and siblings, one of the most effective ways would be through a caring and counselling program. This program would take charge of ensuring Jessica gets to school on time and that she is continually counselled to help improve her behavioral, developmental, and cognitive problems (Powell, 2013). One way in which practitioners can help with this is through the use of engagement services such as family therapy and counselling for the other members. In doing so, the family can communicate openly about their challenges and work together towards a common goal as far as helping Jessica is concerned. In this way, the family can be involved in various approaches to service delivery including counselling Jessica to help her overcome her challenges. Environmental Measures Jessica’s problematic behaviors are a source of strain on the family. This is because they make it difficult for the family to fully integrate her in their communal activities such as bonding through play and other activities (Brady, 2012). They also make it challenging for Jessica to learn well at school seeing as she does not interact well with her classmates, which stifles her ability to learn from others (Hall, 2017). In order to conduct a functional behavioral analysis on Jessica, observation, interviews, and data collection would be the tools of choice. Having an opportunity to observe Jessica both at home and at school would ensure that I can collect appropriate data and make an informed decision on the state of her ASD (Boutot, 2017). Similarly, conducting interviews with her parents and siblings will shed light on any activities or behaviors that I may not have observed. It is highly likely that the behavior exhibited by Jessica is stemmed from her ASD but that the behavior is maintained because there have been no active measures undertaken to correct Jessica’s behavior and normalize it to suit normal social settings and interactions. This is why it is difficult for her family and her teachers to get the best out of her and help her overcome some of the challenges caused by her ASD. In order to address some of the challenges caused by Jessica’s behavior, some antecedent-based interventions can include using motivational items, providing choices, and modifying the environment to enable an improvement in Jessica’s behavior (Brady, 2012; Hall, 2017). These interventions are likely to be effective because Jessica’s problematic behavior stems from specific antecedents such as touching or moving her items. An effective measure would be to implement a modification of the environment as a means of arresting her problematic behavior (Powell, 2013). A good example would be to make it difficult for others to access her private space both at school and at home, for instance through the use of a chest of drawers where she can keep her belongings. In this way, antecedents such as touching her items or moving them around can be avoided, and in doing so help regulate her problematic behavior. Applied Behavior Analysis As far as teaching Jessica new skills is concerned, the most effective ABA technique to be used would be positive reinforcement. This is because Jessica frequently needs help in order to undertake many tasks (Brady, 2012). While she is often reluctant to ask for help from peers or the teacher, receiving support helps her immensely in completing her tasks. In this way, providing positive reinforcement every time she receive...