Db replies | Psychology homework help
Amanda Peer 1
Casey’s behaviors in the case study do appear to be consistent with the diagnosis of Autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving social interaction, communication, and behavioral impairments (Boucher, 2003). Typically developing children pass the false belief task when they are 3-4 years old (McCartney & Phillips, 2006). The false belief task tests children to see if they have the understanding that others have different emotions and thoughts from their own. Typically, when children pass the false belief task, they also pass the representational and language tasks around the same time. Autistic children will usually fail language tasks, which correlates as to why Casey is just now developing more advanced verbal language at 6 years old. The minimal gestures that Casey had developed are consistent with Autism. While the gestures of waving goodbye and blowing kisses that Casey did learn may be because they are repetitive and has a consistent use, or it could be that it is a mimicked gesture and the context or reason is not fully understood (McCartney & Phillips, 2006).
Impairments in pointing is an early indication in determining Autism, and Casey presents with being non-communicative through pointing. The absence of proto-declarative pointing, in particular, is a key indicator for early diagnosis in autism (McCartney & Phillips, 2006). Proto-declarative pointing is a gesture or pointing to a shared interest (Emery, 2000). These types of pointing or gestures can vary in meaning and can be difficult for Casey to interpret. The repetitive behaviors, such as echolalia and pacing back and forth, that Casey displays also support Autism as the diagnosis. There have been studies that have shown that echolalia can be a way for Autistic children to cope when they want to communicate but cannot produce the words to do so (Patra & De Jesus, 2023).
To help Casey I would suggest targeting intervention in communication. Why I would suggest this is because communication is more than just verbal ques. It can be integrated into his play and made more relative to him by playing with the cars and trucks that he likes. From there it can be progressed to more gesture and verbal ques. The reason why I think intervention in communication would be most beneficial is because communication is an important factor in development throughout our lives. In Proverbs 31:8, the Bible goes over speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves (The International Bible Society, 2011) and this correlates to Casey’s situation, as he is unable to properly voice his wants and needs, without the proper help and treatment.
References
Boucher, J. (2003). Language development in autism.
International Congress Series,
1254, 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0531-5131(03)00976-2
Emery, N. J. (2000). The eyes have it: The neuroethology, function and evolution of social gaze.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews,
24(6), 581–604. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0149-7634(00)00025-7
McCartney, K., & Phillips, D. (Eds.). (2006).
Blackwell handbook of early childhood development. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470757703
Patra, K. P., & De Jesus, O. (2023).
Echolalia. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565908/#:~:text=Autism%20spectrum%20disorder%3A%20Recent%20studies
The International Bible Society. (2011).
Proverbs 31:8 NIV – – Bible Gateway. Www.biblegateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+31%3A8&version=NIV%20(Original%20work%20published%201973)
Nicole Peer 2
Based on this case study, I believe that the diagnosis of autism for Casey is accurate. First, the fact that Casey usually does not point or use hand gestures other than saying bye and blowing kisses at someone, suggests that Casey has seen these gestures repetitively and has knowledge that these gestures do not change so they are repeated (McCartney & Phillips, 2006). Secondly, as discussed in McCartney and Phillips (2006), children with autism usually do not point to objects that they want their parents to see. Instead, the child will grab the parent’s hand and lead their hand to an object the child wants them to see. This is because children with autism have an absence of proto-declarative pointing (McCartney & Phillips, 2006). This was also an interesting point because finding this can lead to diagnosing autism early in life (McCartney & Phillips, 2006). Thirdly, the case study says that Casey does not show interest in pretend play. This can be for different reasons, but mostly it can be because of social skill problems. For instance, a study was conducted to make the connections between the Theory of Mind and social interaction in autism, Chiu et al., (2023) stated, “social interaction style is an individual’s habitual pattern of interacting with others” (p. 3660). This means that because Casey plays alone mostly with his cars and trucks, that may just be his social interaction style. Overall, all of these characteristics that Casey shows are all along the diagnosis of autism.
Based on the previous discussion about this case study, I believe that imitation could be a treatment intervention for Casey. I think this intervention is because children grow up learning to imitate their parents, and I know Casey struggles with it, but he does imitate people waving goodbye and blowing kisses. Also, I think this intervention could be helpful for Casey because of his love for playing with his cars and trucks. This is because I think if someone were to show him some new tricks to learn he would be able to imitate those new tricks over time, or if someone imitates Casey’s actions with the trucks and cars, he might learn from that as well. For instance, a study by Brown and Whiten (2000) stated “there is evidence that children with autism may benefit from being imitated” (p. 186). This finding means that children with autism may open up and like to play with others who imitate the actions they are already doing.
Overall, children with autism have a lot to overcome, but these children are smart individuals who just need a little more attention so we can understand them. In the Bible, Isaiah 54:13 states, “All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children’s peace” (Holy Bible: The NIV Study Bible, 1995). This verse is enlightening and inspiring that all children are children of God, and all will enjoy peace because of Him.
References
Baker, K. L. (1995).
Holy Bible: The NIV study bible/10th anniversary edition/intro./burgundy top
grain leather/plain (10th ed.). Zondervan
Brown, J., & Whiten, A. (2000). Imitation, theory of mind and related activities in autism: An
observational study of spontaneous behavior in everyday contexts.
Autism, 4(2), 185-204. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361300004002006.
Chiu, H. M., Chen, C. T., Tsai, C. H., Li, H. J., Wu, C. C., Huang, C. Y., & Chen, K. L. (2023). Theory
of mind predicts social interaction in children with autism spectrum disorder: A two-year follow-up study.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53(9), 3659-3669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05662-4.
McCartney, K., & Phillips, D. (2006).
Blackwell Handbook of Early Childhood Development.
Blackwell Publishing.