Serious Emotional Disturbances and & autism

Public Law 102-321 defines children with a serious emotional disturbance as those who are from birth to age of majority who have had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria specified within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). For the individual to be deemed emotionally disturbed, it must be determined that the child's condition results in functional impairment, substantially interfering with one or more major life activities, such as the abilities to eat, bathe, and dress oneself, or the abilities to function effectively in social, familial, and educational contexts.

Autism is defined as a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three year.

Characteristics SED

• Inappropriate types of behavior under normal circumstances, such as aggression or self-injurious behavior
• Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness)
• Withdrawal or a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression (failure to initiate interaction with others, retreat from exchanges or social interaction, excessive fear or anxiety)
• Development of physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems
• Immaturity (inappropriate crying, temper tantrums, poor coping skills)
• An inability to build and maintain relationships with peers and teachers
• Learning difficulties that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors (academically performing below grade level)

Characteristics Autism

Autism is a highly variable neurodevelopmental disorder that first appears during infancy or childhood, and generally follows a steady course without remission.Overt symptoms gradually begin after the age of six months, become established by age two or three years, and tend to continue through adulthood, although often in more muted form. It is distinguished not by a single symptom, but by a characteristic triad of symptoms: impairments in social interaction; impairments in communication; and restricted interests and repetitive behavior. Other aspects, such as atypical eating, are also common but are not essential for diagnosis.Autism's individual symptoms occur in the general population and appear not to associate highly, without a sharp line separating pathologically severe from common traits.

resources from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_emotional_disturbance &http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autism

During this class, we have watched the video about the Autism child at the Multimedia roOM, library of Hamdan Tahir, USM kubang kerian kelantan.