Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders:
Adaptations to Interventions for Mental Health Support and Services
In the Fall of 2015, the York ASD Partnership provided an intensive 6 session training program to York Region service providers providing mental health services to individuals with ASD. This included organizations providing services to individuals with ASD and agencies not providing services to individuals with ASD.
Course content includes an overview of the unique learning and processing styles of individuals with ASD, early diagnosis, effective supports for individuals with ASD, differential diagnosis of mental health issues, common medical concerns, sensory processing differences, modifications to evidence informed treatments and effective treatment for mental health issues. Those sessions were recorded and edited and are now available through the CTN Community Learning Library.
Who should complete this training?
Any staff involved in providing mental health supports and services to individuals and families who are seeking or accessing these services in York Region. This includes agencies who are ASD service providers and those that are not ASD service providers.
Why is this training important?
Individuals with ASD frequently experience mental health challenges in addition to their unique learning and processing styles. A good understanding of those unique learning and processing styles and of the evidence based modifications to mental health interventions that are effective with individuals with ASD will enhance the ability of service providers to meet those needs while ensuring the experience is supportive and positive for those individuals and their families.
How to access this training
- Interested staff must be registered by their supervisor/manager.
- To receive login information, supervisors/managers should contact Janette Seymour, Assistant Project Manager for the York ASD Partnership
- Please provide the participants’ name as they would like it to appear on their certificate and their email address.
- Once this information has been received, a training “seat” will be made available to that staff. An email notification will be sent directly to that staff.
- The training “seat” will remain open for 90 days. The participant will be reminded by email 14 days prior to the closure of the seat.
- Participants who complete the training will receive a certificate of participation.
Training Module Descriptions
Dr. Roberts discusses and explains:
The importance of recognizing that ASD is a hard-wired biological disorder
The range of functioning that makes each individual with ASD so unique
The dimensions of the autism spectrum
How the dimensions of development interact with the dimensions of autism to result in the individual differences across the autism spectrum
The importance of the team for diagnosis and support
In this module, you will learn about:
The differences between the DSM-IV and DSM-V diagnostic criteria.
On overview of the DSM-V criteria including deficits in social communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interested, severity levels and specifiers
Dr. Roberts provides an overview of a variety of factors related to an early diagnosis of ASD that include:
The history and timing of the appearance of symptoms
The interactions between behaviour and developmental stages
Individual and family differences and experiences
The current state of genetic research and the implications for:
The neurobiology of ASD and the impact on thinking
Dr. Roberts reviews a longitudinal study of infants at risk for ASD because they have a sibling with ASD. Learn about:
The recurrence rate of ASD in siblings, the differences between girls and boys
The earliest age for reliable prediction of a diagnosis of ASD
The most common indicators of a subsequent diagnosis at various ages
Dr. Rombough reviews how internal factors (ASD) and external factors (environment) can impact learning and behaviour. Learn how to set the stage for individuals with ASD to be successful by using a variety of proactive strategies including:
Communication tools
Visual supports
Task modification
Reinforcement
Sensory breaks
Anxiety reduction
Dr. Goldfarb highlights the difficulties in accurately diagnosing mental health issues in complex individuals with ASD and reviews various factors that may result in a presentation that may be mistaken for mental health concerns. These factors include:
Neurologic problems
Problems with environmental supports and expectations
In this module learn about the most common medical concerns that impact individuals with ASD and may present as behaviour concerns. Topics include:
The difficulties in identifying and assessing medical concerns in individuals with ASD
The most common medical concerns
An overview of other medical issues
As a continuation of the previous module, learn about:
A review of various gastrointestinal difficulties
A review of how individuals with ASD may present symptoms in unusual ways
A review of various sleep challenges including those that are most common in individuals with ASD
A review of effective intervention strategies
Learn about:
Sensory processing
Sensory systems
The importance of an integrated sensory system and some of the challenges experienced when that foundation is not as solid as it could be.
Learn more about sensory processing:
Why we need it?
The difference between sensory processing and sensory integration
Where does it happen?
How does it happen?
The impact on how we react and behave
Learn more about sensory processing:
An overview of assessment tools
Case examples that review characteristics, assessment results and effective strategies
Planning that includes environmental adaptations, specific approaches and specific activities to address sensory processing needs
A review of areas impacted by sensory processing
Once the medical, environmental, emotional and sensory factors have been taken into account, mental health assessment is the next step. Learn about:
The prevalence of mental health disorders in ASD
The factors impacting the prevalence of mental health disorders in ASD
The most common comorbidities in ASD
The correlates of anxiety in ASD
Contributors to anxiety in ASD
Continue with the process of mental health assessment in ASD. Learn about:
The expression of the symptoms of anxiety in ASD and the overlap with the characteristics of ASD
Factors to consider when assessing mental health in ASD
Recommendations and considerations for assessment of mental health in ASD
Continue with the process of mental health assessment in ASD. Learn about:
The importance of a thorough and detailed developmental history
The strengths and applicability of a wide range of mental health assessment tools
How to put it all together with clinical judgement to develop a treatment plan
The importance of goals and ongoing assessment
In this module, learn about the modifications needed when assessing mental health issues in individuals with ASD including:
How to interview a client with ASD
How and why to interview the parent of the client with ASD
How to conduct a joint interview of a parent and a client with ASD
In this module learn:
An overview of the modification principles and key adaptation for treatment of mental health in individuals with ASD including the use of visual, concrete structures, using special interests, utilizing special interests
An overview of helpful APPS
In this module, learn about the 3 most common challenges when treating mental health in ASD:
Identifying the problem and a willingness to change
Client engagement
Therapy plateaus
In this module, learn about the best practices for individuals with ASD that are the basis for modification of evidence informed mental health treatments:
Using reinforcement
The importance of exposure and response prevention
Challenges related to deep breathing
Developing concrete coping strategies
Integrating social skills
Using cognitive restructuring
In this module, learn about mindfulness including:
What is mindfulness?
A review of the types of mindfulness therapies
An overview of the research on mindfulness and the impact on staff, parents and children
A review of adaptations to mindfulness for individuals with ASD
In this module, learn about the challenges associated with determining if the use of medication is appropriate and what that medications might be including:
Difficulties related to clinical trials and ASD
The strengths and weaknesses of the target symptom approach
The increased use of medication over time
The problems related to measuring the efficacy of a specific medication
In this module learn about specific medications for mental health when used with individuals with ASD:
SSRI’s – indications, benefits, adverse effects and efficacy
Stimulants- indications, benefits, adverse effects and efficacy
Continue learning about specific medications for mental health used with individuals with ASD:
Respiradone – indications, benefits, adverse effects and efficacy
Atypical neuroleptics – indications, benefits, adverse effects and efficacy
Melatonin – indications, benefits, adverse effects and efficacy
Anti-seizure medications – indications, benefits, adverse effects and efficacy
General recommendations for using medication in ASD
