• Athabasca University, Athabasca

• PSYC 478

Reflective Journal 1 Unit 1 Part 1 – Reflect: From reading the outline and learning outcomes and brushing over chapter one, I can see that there is a big focus on the characteristics of autism and methods to diagnose autism. Autism impacts two main areas. The first is deficits in social communication and social interactions, which include deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communicative behaviours, and developing and maintaining relationships. The second area relates to restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities. Deficits in the second area are defined as stereotyped or repetitive speech or motor movements, excessive rigidity and adherence to routines or resistance to change, restricted interests, and hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimuli. My current psychiatrist believes I may have autism, but she never diagnosed me. That said, I was already aware of these symptoms because I deal with most of them firsthand. I do believe I have highfunctioning autism. Another big topic in chapter one is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is a program for the student, and it describes the special education and related services to help a child with a disability. I was aware of the characteristics of autism and how they present differently in every individual. I was also aware that most children with autism have a special plan (IEP) put in place to help them strive in school. I had an individualized plan to guide me toward my goals when I was younger. I have observed that most of the youth I work with also have individualized plans put in place. Part 2 -Set Goals I am interested in gaining a better understanding of the tools and methods used to diagnose autism. I want to learn about the various assessments conducted to identify the condition and how they are administered. Additionally, I want to learn more about the Individualized Education Program and how it is designed to support the unique needs of students with autism. I hope to understand these topics comprehensively to support individuals with autism and their families better. Part 3 -Summarize one of the topics provided in the Learning Outcomes The IEP has six requirements that must be addressed to plan for a student's individualized education program. These requirements are as follows:  When developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP), we first describe the child's current academic and behavioural skills, interests, and learning styles. This helps to identify their priority educational needs (PENS). We use assessment data, including performance levels, learning styles, and preferences, to create a successful instructional plan. We also EDPY/PSYC 478 (Rev. C3) This study source was downloaded by 100000874968972 from CourseHero.com on 04-13-2024 10:43:26 GMT -05:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/225803018/reflective-journal-1-Autismdocx/ discuss how the child's disability affects their academic and non-academic achievements, such as social and communication skills. This information is presented in a clear and concise manner, with short sentences and everyday language, to make it easy to understand.  When it comes to annual goals and objectives, they are based on the information provided above, which includes descriptions of the child's current level of performance and identification of the most crucial educational needs. Goals and objectives describe the skills the child is expected to develop over a specific period. Goals are generally written to reflect the annual expectations for progress, while objectives are usually shorter-term steps that help achieve the yearly goal, often quarterly.  The IEP outlines additional se