Characteristics of ASD

Dyspraxia

Dyspraxia, or Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects fine and gross motor coordination.

Some Characteristics are:

Dyspraxia

• Delayed or impaired planning of movement
• Dysfunction with simple to complex muscle control and coordination (hold a pencil, writing, walk up steps, balance)
• Speech and language impairment (inability to form grapheme sounds, words, or organize words into sentences)
• Difficulties with working memory
• Comorbidiy with some learning disabilities such as: ADHD, Dyslexia, and Dyscalculia

Vestibular Disorder

Affects the cranial nerves that convey sensory impulses from the inner ear to the brain regarding hearing and balance.

Some characteristics are:

Vestibular Disorder

• Difficulty with balance (standing or sitting)
• sensations of movement
• dizziness
• giddiness

Fine Motor

The control and coordination of small muscles, usually related to the facial muscles, hands and fingers, feet and toes.

Fine Motor Impairment

Some examples of difficulties are:

• holding a pencil and controlled writing
• Gripping and holding items
• picking items up with fingers
• Various finger skills (typing)
• Facial and eye movement

Gross Motor

The control and coordination of large muscles, usually related to the arms, legs, torso and head. Gross motor and fine motor skills combine to establish balance.

Gross Motor Impairment

Some examples of gross motor difficulties are:

• Sitting, standing, Crawling, walking (including toe-walking and irregular gate), running (stride consistency/ and listing)
• Carrying items, passing items, placing items, moving items.

Difficulty with Attention

Attention

• Verbal Overload

• Sensory Distractions

• Non-preferred Activity

• illness or Discomfort

• Lack of Sleep

• Combinations of factors

Issues with Time

TIME

• Difficulty keeping track of the passing of time
• Hyper-focused awareness of time
• Issues with the chronological order of events
• Difficulties with the abstract concept of time

Difficulty with Transitions

Transitions

• Ridged adhearence to schedules
• confussion with unstructure time
• Leaving a preferred activity
• Beginning an undesireable activity
• limited time to processing input

Difficulty with Emotions

Emotions

• Little or no verbal filter
• Exagerated reaction to a disliked activity or circumstances
• Lack of sleep
• Situational defiance
• Sensory overload
• Combinations of these and other factors

SMD

Characteristics

Sensory Modulation Disorder

Sensory Modualtion Disorder is the difficulty the brain has in sensing the intensity, duration, frequency, and complexity of sensory input or stimuli. There are 3 types of SMD:

• Sensory over-responsivity (hypersensitivity)
• Sensory under-responsivity (hyposensitivity)
• Sensory craving/seeking

SMD characteristics include:

• Dislike of textures, noise, light, touch, crowds, and the anxiety that may accompany them
• Lacking awareness of others
• Lacking awareness of pain, toileting needs, and temperature
• Sensory cravings for loud noises, jumping or climbing, extreme sesations, mouthing/biting cloths, pencils, and other non-food items

SBMD Characteristics

Sensory-based Motor Disorder

Sensory-based Motor Disorder is the brains dysfunctional processing of sensory stimuli that affects the ability to discern balance and body position, or postual control.

Postural disorder is a form of Dyspraxia, which we've already discussed.

SDD Characteristics

Sensory Discrimination Disorder

Sensory Discrimination Disorder is the brain's inability to correctly process input from the five senses of hearing, sight, smell, touch, and taste, as-well-as, proprioception/vestibular reception.

Some charachteristics of SDD are:

• Low attention and inattentiveness
• Poor balance, standing and sitting
• Dropping things (often using one hand)
• Low or poor muscle tone
• Difficulty dressing, eating and toileting
• Disorganized and poor academic performance