Atypical Autism
Atypical autism is diagnosed if the symptoms of the disorder do not meet all the criteria for childhood autism (i.e. not all groups of diagnostic criteria are met, or the symptoms begun developing after the 3rd year of age). This very often concerns in children with severe and profound mental retardation, in which specific deviations from behavior necessary for diagnosing autism do not become manifest due to a significant limitation of intellectual abilities.
Supporting children on the autism spectrum in kindergarten
Supporting children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is based on the behavior of each individual child. If a child exhibits any of the behaviors described above, it is appropriate to recommend a professional examination to the parents, which, if the diagnosis is confirmed, can then be used to provide specific support measures from the 2nd to the 5th degree. If the child has already been diagnosed in a school counselling facility (SCF), we should stick to the approach set down in the recommendation and provided as methodological guidance (if the counselling facility provides this). If a methodological visit has not yet taken place at the kindergarten to provide supportive measures, it is appropriate to request one (whether or not it is provided depends on the schedule of the relevant SCF).
In general when educating children with ASD it is recommended to:
- Structure the daily schedule and kindergarten environment. Use tools to visualize the daily schedule (items, pictures or photographs representing activities throughout the child’s day), this will help the child know what to expect and when. Designate specific places in the kindergarten where specific activities are carried out, this way the child knows when and where they will perform a given task.
- Designate a safe space within the kindergarten, somewhere the child can spend time if they want to be alone (such as a cloth tent, relaxing bean bag, pillow area marked with tape on the floor, etc.). The other children should be instructed that the child may sometimes want to spend time there alone and that this should be respected.
- Try to avoid sudden changes to the environment of the kindergarten and daily schedule.
- Prepare the child for any planned changes well in advance (for instance when modernizing classroom equipment, we can show how the new furniture and its arrangement will look on a picture, where in the room each new item will be, what the important places will look like. These places should remain as close as possible to their original state).
- Lead other children to accept the unusual behavior of the child (for instance stereotypical movements – rocking back and forth, head rotations, shaky hand movements. The child may be using these to gain a feeling of safety and control, to release increased tension or express some uncomfortable feeling; this behavior is important to the child and we should not try to prevent it).
- Don’t pressure the child to participate in group activities with the other children.
- When communicating use clear and preferably short expressions. Avoid ambiguous statements, metaphors, hyperbole or irony.