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  • Strategic Instruction Model®(SIM)

T/TAC is an office of the Virginia Department of Education

Autism

Amanda Armstrong with her display board at April's Stakeholders' Meeting

This project’s goal is to increase the awareness and implementation of evidence-based
practices for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). T/TAC staff provides
teachers and other school personnel in Region 5 with assistance in staff trainings,
development and implementation of evidence based strategies, access to our resource
lending library, Web resources, and many other services to assist in effective education
for students with ASD. Trainings and assistance include, but aren’t limited to, the areas
of communication skills, social skills, behavior modification, sensory motor development,
and social competence. T/TAC staff also provides support for, and participation on,
Virginia’s Autism Council to improve services for individuals with autism from birth
through adulthood.

What is Autism?
Autism is a general term used to describe a group of complex developmental brain
disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). The other pervasive
developmental disorders are PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not
Otherwise Specified), Asperger's Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, and Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder. Many parents and professionals refer to this group as Autism
Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Autism Spectrum Disorders are typically diagnosed by
age three and are defined by a “triad” of common characteristics including social
challenges, communication differences, and repetitive behaviors or obsessive interests.

What is Autism?  www.autismspeaks.org. Autism Speaks, Inc., 2010.
(Retrieved from http://www.autismspeaks.org/whatisit/index.php, May 4, 2010)

Online Resources

• VCU Autism Center for Excellence
• Autism Resources for Educators in Virginia
• Autism T/TAC 0n Line  (Click on Region 5)
• Social Competence
• Virginia Autism Council
• National Professional Development Center on Autism

Autism Myths and Facts

Barbara T. Doyle debunks 18 commonly held myths about ASD.
 (Posted with permission from Barbara T. Doyle)

Myth: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders do not care
about others.
Fact: Children and adults with an ASD often care deeply but lack the
ability to spontaneously develop empathic and socially connected typical behavior.

Myth: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders prefer to self-isolate.
Fact: Children and adults with an ASD often want to socially interact but lack
the ability to spontaneously develop effective social interaction skills.

Myth: Children and adults with an ASD cannot learn social skills.
Fact: Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders can learn social skills if
they receive individualized, specialized instruction and training. Social skills may
not develop simply as the result of daily life experiences.

Myth: Autism spectrum disorders are caused by poor parenting or parental behavior.
Fact: Parents do not and cannot cause autism spectrum disorders. Although the
multiple causes of all autism spectrum disorders are not known, it IS known that
parental behavior before, during and after pregnancy does not cause autism
spectrum disorders to develop.

For Barbara T. Doyle’s full list of Myths and Facts go to Autism Myths and Facts.

 VDOE T/TAC

       Linking People

 
         and Resources

Contacts:
Amanda Armstrong
armst2ar@jmu.edu
Sally Chappel
chappesl@jmu.edu
Teresa Cogar
cogartl@jmu.edu