Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurological disorder that was first described

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  by Hans Asperger in 1944.


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  Some individuals with ASD are non-verbal and engage in stereotypic, repetitive behaviors while others are very high functioning, contributing members of the community .

70 percent of adults with autism have at least one additional disorder such as social anxiety and attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder and   insomnia and depression are also commonly found in people with autism.

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  Young learners with autism spectrums will be able to negotiate the challenges of entering higher education and adjusting its demands.

Some common problems faced at Higher Educational Institutes:

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  Difficulty in communicating ;


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  Difficulty in social relationships ;


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  Difficulties with imaginative thought and flexible thinking;


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  Difficulty in course completion;


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  However, students with Asperger syndrome are respected and valued for their skills and positive attributes as well as being supported in the areas they struggle with.


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  The things which cause Autistic stress and anxiety may be different than for the average student population. For example, a student with Asperger syndrome may seem unconcerned about a particular assignment, but may experience high levels of anxiety if changes are made to the timetable.

Bangladesh’s model in responding to those suffering from autism is a ‘unique, multi-faceted and multi-sectoral’ one, says Saima Wazed Hossain.

Source:http://bdnews24.com/health/2016/04/02/bangladesh-s-autism-tackling-model-is-unique-says-saima-wazed-putul

Asperger syndrome may affect the way the person:

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  Ensure application forms clearly give the opportunity for the person to disclose that they have Asperger syndrome.


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  Identify a key person, usually the disability co-ordinator  who has clear responsibility for supporting students with Asperger syndrome.


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  Orientation  themselves around the campus by authority;


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  Differentiate teaching materials according to individuals needs organizes their workload


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  knows how to make sense of the academic requirements and teaching styles


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  prepares for exams


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  manages their living skills, study skills, career guidance


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  manages the social aspects of university life

Identify a 'safe' space on campus for the individual to go to when anxiety levels get too high or for a break from social demands.

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  Susan Stokes(2000) argued that a large variety of strategies and tools, including technology, have been used to enhance both the functional capabilities and the quality of life of people with developmental disabilities.


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   These areas are: Visual Representation Strategies, Sensory Input, Motor, Receptive Communication, Expressive Communication, Academics, Organization, Behavior, Social Interaction, and Transition.


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  Individualized Education Program can include technology training and support for academic and non-academic staff. Parent counseling and training also can be incorporated into the IEP or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) (Wright, P. & Wright, P. , 2007).


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  At least 1 in 110 American children have an autism disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control. "The rapidly growing numbers of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder represent a significant proportion of the future population and work force," says Schreck.


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  The number of autistic personnel at underdeveloped countries will be higher than USA.


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  Assistive technology is an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and also includes the process used in selecting, locating, and using them.


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  Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks:


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  Adaptive technology


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  Mobility impairments


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  Visual impairments


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  Personal emergency response systems


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  Accessibility software


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  Hearing impairments


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  Augmentative and alternative communication


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  Cognitive impairments


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  Assistive technology in sport


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  Assistive technology in education


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  Computer accessibility


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  Home automation


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  Impacts of assistive technology

 

Products, devices or equipment, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that are used to maintain, increase or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities .

    Assistance and adaptive technology is sometimes divided into high tech (uses electronic equipment) and low tech (does not use electronic equipment). some behavioural interventions (such as theory of mind training, video modelling, and visual schedules) rely on technology for their delivery.

       Boardmaker pictures as the stopping and starting points for letters can be a way to engage students in wanting to learn to form letters. Allowing the student to choose the pictures makes it meaningful to them and may help engage them so they will want to practice.

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  Computer access aids include hardware (such as mobile devices) and software (such as apps) that enable people to access, interact with, and use computers.


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  Daily living (or functional) aids are devices and tools (such as videos) which are designed to help people perform daily living activities, such as getting dressed, getting around safely and so on.


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  Education and learning aids (such as robots and visual schedules) are designed to help people cope with educational tasks such as reasoning, decision making, problem solving etc.

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  Recreation and leisure aids (such as models and games) are designed to help people participate in sports, social, cultural events. Motor aids refer to any devices and tools which make use of, or which aim to improve, motor functioning i.e. control, coordination and movement of the whole body or parts of the body.

Specific types of aids include:

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  Environmental aids (such as workspaces) which are designed to remove or reduce physical barriers for individuals with disabilities.


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  Hearing and listening aids (such as noise cancelling headphones) which are designed to help people gain a better sense of, and more control over, their hearing and auditory processing.


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  Multi-sensory aids (such as multi-sensory environments), which make use of many different tools and devices at the same time. 


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  Positioning aids (such as therapy ball chairs) which are designed to help people gain a better sense of, and more control over, their own balance and coordination.


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  Tactile aids (such as weighted blankets) which are designed to help people gain a better sense of, and more control over, their own tactile sensitivity.


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  Vision and reading aids (such as coloured filters) which are designed to help people gain a better sense of, and /or more control over, their vision.

Specific medical devices include those used in:

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  biofeedback including electromyogram, heart rate variability biofeedback and neurofeedback training.


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  hyperbaric therapy


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  transcranial stimulation including transcranial direct stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation.


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  The LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) is described as being particularly beneficial for  autistic, because of its heavy emphasis on motor planning. The use of consistent motor patterns is advantageous because it:


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  decreases the need to learn the meaning of a symbol;


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  results in more automatic and therefore faster communication over time (e.g. touch typing); and


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  reduces the cognitive demands associated with continually analyzing and choosing from different symbol sets.  

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  Cloud computing is encompassing everything from infrastructure as a service through to software as a service . In the middle, there is a platform tier providing the microservices that power the likes of Android and iPhone apps, and also manyImproving autistic student productivity, conferencing and collaboration;


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  Extending the reach of higher education


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  Enhancing and scaling delivery of course material


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  Personalizing education and improving learning outcomes

  

     Other innovations are rapidly emerging by way of startup companies. One example is Learnmetrics, a company that wants to make report cards obsolete. They have a cloud-based application that analyzes educational data to give teachers real-time insight into student performance. Cloud-based application can help autistic students for completing higher education.

Lesson For Bangladesh:

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  Higher educational Institutes must take special care for Autistic students;


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  Low and High tech innovations depending on the nature of the need of the autistic personnel should be arranged;


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  Each university should utilize cloud computing for the benefits of Autistic students;


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  Each HEIs should spend at least 10% for welfare and educational purposes of autistic personnel which may be tax exempted.


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  Assistive, Adaptive, and Rehabilitative devices at the university level should be established by the top  management of the universities;


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  As Bangladesh Govt. is trying to ensure inclusive autism in the development processes for Sustainable development goals ,private sector as well as NGOs should come forward;


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  Social awareness should be raised for autistic personnel for their normal life cycle.


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  Collaborative role of Public-Private and foreign strategic alliances for autistic personnel are very important.


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  Wtiter:- Muhammad Mahboob Ali,PhD