Introduction
The tendency toward inclusivity in education implies a more significant number of children with disabilities and developmental issues included in the classroom activities. One of the most prevailing issues relevant to education is autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which predetermines children’s cognitive, social, and physical complications. Children with autism have specific educational needs since they have difficulty perceiving social constructs, communicating with others, and making judgments. In essence, autistic children have complications with acquiring theory of mind, which necessitates a specific approach to their instruction when in the classroom. This essay explores some common features ASD, its impact on children’s cognitive, social, and physical development, and its relation to the theory of mind. Specific interventions and prevention practices applicable to the educational setting will advise teachers on the proper work with autistic children.
Common Features of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism is one of the prevalent conditions that impair the human ability to socialize and perform cognitive tasks. ASD is defined as “a multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder that significantly impairs children’s verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions, and behaviors” (Kouklari et al., 2017, p. 399). The typical features of the condition primarily include a child’s difficulty interacting with others, inability to empathize or interpret the feelings of others, and difficulty of judgment. According to Brentani et al. (2013), ASD is characterized by “qualitative impairments in social interaction, associated with varying degrees of deficits in communication and marked repetitive behaviors and restricted interests” (p. 62). The disorder might be diagnosed at the early stages of life, namely at the stage of 1-2 years old. Overall, the condition requires adjustment of the environment, including family and school, to a child with autism.
Moreover, the autistic features might not be perceived as a part of a normal continuum where one might have a more or less distinctive presence of autism. For example, as Happé and Frith (1995) explained, while behaviorally autistic children might show more or less distinctive features of shyness, their cognitive development might not be characterized by a continuum of features. In particular, one of the critical features that might often be omitted or neglected in children by teachers or parents is the absence of imaginary attributes in early childhood. However, “the development of pretense in the normal child demonstrates the emergence of a startling new cognitive capacity, on which are built many of the child’s most important abilities,” which is why the absence of pretense in autistic children should be properly and timely addressed (Happé & Frith, 1995, p. 179). Overall, the particularities of biological, cognitive, and social development of autistic children require educators’ understanding for competent application of appropriate teaching methods for such students.
The Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder on Cognitive, Social, and Physical Development
ASD significantly restricts a child’s normal performance in the social domain, development physically and cognitively. Indeed, as Happé and Frith (1995) state, there are three levels of autism, namely biological (or physical), cognitive, and behavioral (social). From the biological perspective, the disorder is associated with abnormal “anatomical structure or physiological functioning of the brain” (Happé & Frith, 1995, p. 178). In addition, people with autism have lower physical activity levels.
As for the social and behavioral manifestations of autism, they are multifaceted and persist in everyday life performances. For example, in childhood, individuals with autism do not exhibit imitation of social interactions, fail to maintain gaze, and lead a meaningful conversation at the later stages of life. Moreover, the impairments in the behavior of autistic children are validated by the inability to monitor their intentions (Baron-Cohen, 2001). In addition, some distinctive patterns of behavior are diagnosed in children with autism. For example, the presence of “pronounced preoccupation with one or more unusual and restricted interests” and “inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals” are commonly observed (Brentani et al., 2013, p. 63). Furthermore, some impulsive and abrupt motor motions such as “hand flapping, finger flicking, pacing, and jumping” or preoccupations with some objects characterize the behavior of autistic children (Brentani et al., 2013, p. 63). Thus, ASD is reflected in the daily behaviors of individuals, which predetermines their specific needs in accommodating social interactions.
At the cognitive level, children with autism experience differences in processing make-belief notions and metarepresentations. Language acquisition is delayed in early childhood with impairments using and comprehending linguistic patterns denoting mental states (Brentani et al., 2013). Moreover, as Baron-Cohen (2001) revealed, they have difficulty differentiating between false and factual statements, fail at appearance-reality distinction, mental-physical distinction, recognition of mental state and emotion, and detect deception and perceive sarcasm and jokes. Another manifestation of ASD at a cognitive level is the impaired executive function. Executive function is a “set of higher-order cognitive and affective control processes that account for future-oriented and goal-directed behavior” (Kouklari et al., 2017, p. 399). In such a manner, ASD causes significant impairments with cognitive functions that ultimately cause behavioral and socialization dysfunction.
Prevalent Theories Concerning Autism
There are several theoretical frameworks applicable to ASD, which tend to explain the particularities of human development under the influence of the condition and treatment methods. In particular, according to Richman and Bidshahri (2018), “reactive attitude theories of moral responsibility” might provide a theoretical explanation of the social performance of people with ASD (p. 43-44). Overall, the central theory that applies to ASD is the theory of mind since it incorporates the implications of other theories at a more generalizable level. This theory’s core argument is that people function as social beings where behaviors and interactions are based on mental state perception (Happé & Frith, 1995). Since autistic individuals lack the theory of mind, they fail to perform their social functions.
In particular, the deterioration in executive function is associated with further impairment in acquiring the theory of mind since the inability to process higher-order cognitive tasks impairs a child’s ability to socialize appropriately (Kouklari et al., 2017). Furthermore, reactive attitudes are also inherent in the theory of mind since they refer to the interpretation of the emotions of others as the core of empathy. Indeed, the inability to make moral judgments leads to the impairment in moral responsibility that denotes particularities in an autistic child’s adjusting to a social environment.
Thus, the theory of mind and the inability of an autistic child to acquire one allows for a more in-depths understanding of how to approach an individual with this disorder. Multiple experiments and tests unveiled that most autistic children fail theory of mind tasks (Baron-Cohen, 2001; Happé & Frith, 1995; Tager‐Flusberg, 1992). The comparison of normally developing children with autistic children unveiled an abundance of differences pertaining to the impairment in the theory of mind (Baron-Cohen, 2001; Tager‐Flusberg, 1992). Within the context of this theory, autistic children cannot differentiate between real and false notions and cannot recognize emotions (Kouklari et al., 2017). When tested for the ability to interpret mental states and use utterances for the depiction of attention and cognition, children with ASD displayed impaired language and inability to comprehend clearly (Tager‐Flusberg, 1992). Thus, the lack of language denoting mental states explains the dysfunction in communication.
Suggested Interventions and Prevention Practices
Firstly, parental and educator training might help in adjusting interactions toward the needs of autistic children. For example, the knowledge about the impairment of executive function might help educators to communicate effectively with autistic children through deliberate articulation and explanation of implied information (Happé & Frith, 1995). Moreover, applied behavioral analysis characterized by using such methods as positive reinforcement, punishment, shaping, fading, and others might help in upbringing (Brentani et al., 2013).
Secondly, since some of the tests showed that the minority of autistic individuals demonstrate partial success in performing theory of mind tasks, the efforts aimed at practicing such skills might be an effective intervention (Happé & Frith, 1995). Moreover, the severity of a handicap in autism implies different feature manifestations in different individuals (Happé & Frith, 1995). Therefore, it is relevant to employ an individual approach to working with autistic children with precise attention to the particularities of a child’s development. Thirdly, the aggressive and antisocial behavior of autistic children might be treated with the help of cognitive behavioral therapy interventions and Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children (Brentani et al., 2013). To prevent difficulties in development, children with the signs of ASD should receive proper diagnosis and treatment at the early developmental stages.
Conclusion
In summation, ASD is a multifaceted neurological condition characterized by a child’s impairment in processing conversations, notions of mental state, differentiation between false and true statements, and overall hinders one’s social, cognitive, and physical development. The theory of mind best explains the deteriorations in social and cognitive performance of autistic individuals by exemplifying their core differences from typically developing individuals. Regardless of the multifaceted nature of the discussed disorder, its multiple manifestations, and its high epidemiology rate, there is no treatment for autism. However, the understanding of the particularities of this condition might help teachers and parents manage the behavior and development of autistic children.
References
Baron-Cohen, S. (2001). Theory of mind in normal development and autism. Prisme, 34(1), 74-183. Web.
Brentani, H., Paula, C. S. d., Bordini, D., Rolim, D., Sato, F., Portolese, J., Pacifico, M. C., & McCracken, J. T. (2013). Autism spectrum disorders: An overview on diagnosis and treatment. Revista Brasileira De Psiquiatria, 35(1), S62-S72.
Happé, F., & Frith, U. (1995). Theory of mind in autism. In Learning and cognition in autism (pp. 177-197). Springer, Boston, MA.
Kouklari, E. C., Thompson, T., Monks, C. P., & Tsermentseli, S. (2017). Hot and cool executive function and its relation to theory of mind in children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Cognition and Development, 18(4), 399-418.
Richman, K. A., & Bidshahri, R. (2018). Autism, theory of mind, and the reactive attitudes. Bioethics, 32(1), 43-49.
Tager‐Flusberg, H. (1992). Autistic children’s talk about psychological states: Deficits in the early acquisition of a theory of mind. Child Development, 63(1), 161-172. Web.