The listlessness that
Devontae demonstrated continued to be an issue, and the Jones’ took him to a
developmental pediatrician who diagnosed Devontae with Autism Spectrum
Disorder. Devontae did not have recognizable verbalizations, and, now at age 2,
Sasha and Julius at least had an answer for why Devontae was different from
other children his age. They committed themselves to providing the very best
for him in terms of interventions to help.
1) What are the major
developmental milestones for a 2 year old child?
2) What physical and mental
health risks exist for a 2 year old child? From what you know about Devontae,
might any of the risks you identified apply to him?
3) Assuming money was not a
factor, what would your group recommend with regard to a “gold standard”
intervention for Devontae upon receiving the news that he had ASD? In what
kinds of therapies would Devontae and/or the family participate at this time? What
might Sasha and Julius expect in terms of Devontae’s speech patterns and the
development of those?
4) What is the impact on the family of a child receiving a diagnosis of Autism?
5) What else is important for
you to know about Devontae’s family at this point? (Hint: Think about all that
you don’t currently know about the family that could be helpful for you with
regard to demographic information.)
In a social and emotional aspect, a typical two year old will begin to come more and more independent. They seem to do things when told not to, which shows defiant behavior. Many two year olds copy others, especially those that are older or even adults. The babies begin to play games with other children instead of just being content with playing by themselves. A child at two years old has dramatic language and communication changes and obstacles. This is the time when they first being to know certain names and body parts. They also start speaking in small sentences, about two to four words. They can follow easy instructions; they seem to be able to point to things or pictures when they are named or in a book. On the cognitive level a two year old typically begins to distinguish shapes and colors. They start playing make-believe games with their imagination. This is also the time when the child begins to use one hard more than the other. On the physical side the child can kick, run somewhat, climb, throw balls, and even walk up and down the stairs but with some assistance. Overall, a child of two years of age being to copy and mimic others and has much more muscle stability then before.
ReplyDeleteThere are many physical and mental health risks that can develop during childhood. Many children can develop anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disruptive disorders, pervasive development disorders and especially learning and communication disorders. We believe that from the information we know about Devontae that he has a very high risk of a learning and communication disorder. Many children that are diagnosed with autism have a hard time communicating with their peers and learning. Most children do not respond to his or her name, have a hard time with eye contact and showing empathy. We also believe that Devontae will have a harder time communicating since he is non-verbal at this time which may lead back to developing depression and becoming aggressive since he cannot expressive himself well. In addition we believe that Devontae could undergo some physical difficulties due to the fact that many children with autism are very aggressive and can physically hurt themselves or others at times. Some can have poor muscle tone and can have difficulties walking correctly.
ReplyDeleteSasha and Julius should make sure that an Individual Service Plan (ISP) set up for Devontae. The ISP will cover most aspects of his life and seeking future care for his Autism since it deals with: recovery and rehabilitation, physical health and wellness, finances, housing, community presence and participation, self-help and environment, educational and employment, legal issues, spirituality, and any other areas of concern. Devontae will receive emotional therapy at this time but since he is 2 years old he will not be given an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) yet to ensure he receives education that is tailored to his specific needs. The outcomes always vary from child to child and there could be no promises that the therapists could make ensuring Devontae will develop accordingly but he should receive structured, therapeutic activities for at least 25 hours per week. Highly trained therapists should deliever the intervention who have expertise in autism therapy where they define the objectives in the therapy and record and evaluate Devontae’s progression in all of the meetings. The intervention should focus on core areas such as language and communication, social skills, imitation, motor skills, and play skills. This program will actively engage Sasha and Julius in which they will play a role of delivering the treatment. The therapist should respect any of Devontae’s unique needs along with his values and perspectives of him and his family. Overall Devontae will have a multidisciplinary team which includes his physician, occupational therapist, and speech-language pathologist. With Devontae receiving early intervention he is more likely to go on and live an independent fulfilling life where he can develop meaningful relationships but the better the intervention the better the outcome in all spheres of his life. Devontae will undergo speech therapy since he is non-verbal at this time where the therapist will improve the way he will be able to communicate. Devontae may learn certain signs to better his life along with picture boards and letters. His parents should see a change in the way he communicates and more likely effectively express himself. He should be able to recognize more of his shapes and colors along with saying simple words. Also a big step that Devontae should start picking up is imitating other people as in their emotions along with recognizing simple body parts such as a nose on other people. The development of Devontae’s speech even after therapy will most likely not be up to speed as a normal two year old. Devontae could also start repeating words that his parents say to him a lot.
The family is now going to be faced with very unique challenges on a daily basis. Sasha and Julius will encounter a range of emotions since they love Devontae so much and want the best for him. They will most likely go through stages associated with grief since they want him to get better. These emotions will appear again as Devontae gets older. This is only the start of their journey. As for the stages of grief that are similar to what they are going to go through are: shock, sadness, anger, denial, loneliness, and acceptance. They feel these emotions because the diagnosis is new to them and they have to make changes, a lot of changes, in their life. They feel isolated with what is going on because they do not have experience in Austim and most likely do not know many people that have gone through this. They also will likely to reject what is going on at first because they are frightened for what is to come. They will have to make time for doctor appointments along with getting Devontae to meet with all kinds of therapists and finding support groups to help them with they are going through. Sasha and Julius will have to adapt to the new situation and be patient with themselves. They will have to make sure that Devontae is getting all the services he needs, emotionally, mentally, and educationally, along with giving him a lot more attention than a normal child normally requires. Sasha and Julius will definitely feel stressed out at points and overwhelmed, that is why it is important for them to ask for help, take a break, and keep a journal for personal use.
ReplyDeleteWe would like to know about Sasha’s and Julius’s job situation since Devontae will need someone to take care of him during the day and it most likely he will need special care and someone paying very close attention to him. It is also important to know if they have adequate transportation since that is important to make sure Devontae gets to all his appointments for all his doctors and therapists. In regard to his demographic information, how close are the hospital and his doctor’s/therapist’s offices to make sure they are easy to get too for the family. Knowing the support system as in family, friends, and community to help them out in any way is key because that could really make a difference in Devontae’s life along with the life of his parents. Also what are their available resources in terms of his education, seeing if they live in a good school district that can meet his needs, is important to learn early on to see if they need to make any changes ahead of time and not be stressed about it when he becomes school aged. The financial situation along with their insurance policies of the family is good to know to see if they can afford certain specialists and try alternative therapies to make Devontae live a more normal life. Also where the family lives could make a difference and important to know since the accessibility of the home could come into play depending on the severity of Devontae’s autism.
References:
ReplyDeleteAutism & Your Family | What is Autism? | Autism Speaks. (n.d.). Home | Autism Speaks. Retrieved May 25, 2012, from http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/autism-your-family
Benefits of Speech Therapy for Autism. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved May 26, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/benefits-speech-therapy-autism?page=2
CDC - Learn the Signs. Act Early. Milestones 2 Years - NCBDDD. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-2yr.html
Disabilities Support. (n.d.). New Mexico Department of Health. Retrieved June 24, 2012, from www.health.state.nm.us/ddsd/promisingpractes/ISP
Mental Health: Mental Illness in Children. (n.d.). WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-illness-children