This text has been created from a combination of original content and materials compiled and adapted from existing open educational resources.

This Module, first in a two-part series, provides information on the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as an overview of the difference between a medical diagnosis and an educational determination of ASD. Resources include notes on instructional considerations for teachers who have children and students with ASD in their classrooms, as well as things to keep in mind when working with the families of those children and students (est. completion time: 2 hours).

This Module, second in a two-part series, highlights strategies that have been shown to be effective in teaching appropriate behaviors and skills and decreasing inappropriate behaviors with children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It next explores several strategies that are particularly effective with young children, elementary and middle school students, and high school students (est. completion time: 3 hours).

Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the symptoms, potential causes, and treatment of several examples of nervous system disorders

This online textbook addresses the population of individuals with disabilities that experience complex lifelong needs across multiple areas in their lives. Drs. Sennott and Loman drafted this book (along with the help from some friends) with the hope of providing pertinent, practical, and current resources to future special educators who plan to serve individuals with complex disabilities.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Over the past decade, research has linked autism spectrum disorder to a dysregulation of the relationship between the brain, the gut, and the trillions of microbes that reside in the gut. Alterations in this so-called “microbiota-gut-brain” axis can be detected as changes in small molecules produced by the microbiota in feces and urine. One of these molecules is p-cresol, a byproduct of bacterial fermentation of proteins. Studies have shown that p-cresol is more abundant in people with autism than in neurotypical individuals. To explore p-cresol’s possible role in autism, researchers fed the compound to mice and monitored their behavior. Mice exposed to p-cresol showed autistic-like behaviors that persisted after treatment was discontinued. Compared to control mice, treated mice showed reduced sociability, reduced social contact, and more frequent stereotypies such as head shakes and circlings..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Open textbook on abnormal psychology. Includes sections on personality disorders, mood disorders, anxiety, schizophrenia, psychopathy, behavioral disorders, autism and disassociative disorders.

Interviews of Parents of Autistic Children for Families Advocating Autism Now (FAAN) in August 2012 in Eureka, California.http://humboldtfaan.org/Creative Co...

An introductory module to autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and a discussion of inclusivity and diversity. Multiple videos, books and articles are included.

Inspired by the guidelines of the Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2018), "Universal Latin Fables" wants to give the opportunity to discover Phaedrus' fables to as many students as possible. The web-site uses storytelling process based entirely on the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Not only does it make the reading process easier, but it also allows autism spectrum students to understand the fable on several levels.

To whom it turns?

DYSLEXIA:
This website uses the OpenDyslexic font in order to increase readability.

AUTISM SPECTRUM
All the fables can be read using Alternative and Augmentative Communication and PECS symbols offered by SymWriter, specific for autistic people but usable by everyone.

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT
The "Listen" step can be useful to blind students. Furthermore, the website is responsive and the text is scalable.

HEARING IMPAIRMENT
The "Watch" and the "Read" step can be useful to deaf students.

The website is designed to be used by adults and teenagers or by children helped by a parent or a supporting teacher.

This module is designed for pre-service teachers who are learning about low-incidence disabilities. The following are included: Multicultural and Bilingual Aspects of Special EducationLow-Incidence, Multiple, and Severe DisabilitiesAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Learners with Emotional or Behavioral DisordersLearners who are Deaf or Hard of HearingLearners with Blindness or Low VisionLearners with Physical Disabilities and Other Health ImpairmentsGifted

A decade ago, the possibility of a link between the MMR vaccine and autism hit the media. Fear of the vaccine spread rapidly and, despite an almost unanimous consensus that the claim was unfounded, still persists today. In this unit, we'll examine why this controversy took on such a life of its own and why parents still agonise about the vaccine.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A new combination therapy may help children on the autism spectrum not only develop better social skills but also maintain them over the long term. Researchers working in the US have discovered that giving young people with autism the drug D-cycloserine before teaching them social skills improves their social functioning for months. Training in social skills is widely used to help people with autism overcome social impairment, the defining diagnostic characteristic. Although such training is very effective when delivered, the benefits are often lost once it’s stopped. To help prolong the training effects, the researchers looked at whether D-cycloserine could help children with autism remember lessons about social skills. D-cycloserine has been shown to boost long-term responses to behavioral therapy, but its impact on autism had not been explored. The team held weekly group training sessions for 68 children with autism..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Topic 12: Psychological DisordersTextbook readings: pp. 545-546; pp. 549-550; pp. 555-581; pp. 590-596.Watch:  Discovering Psychology: Discovering Psychology:  Psychopathology (Program 21)Psychopathology is the twenty-first program in the DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY series. Through glimpses of the original theories of Philippe Pinel, this program explores the biological and psychological components of mental illness, as well as the role of genetics and cultural factors. It also takes a closer look at a few of the major mental illnesses like depression, neurosis, manic-depressive disorders, and schizophrenia.©2001 WGBH Educational Foundation All Rights ReservedWatch: The Mind - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1999, all descriptions are from series website.The Mind:  Mood Disorders: Mania and Depression (Module 31)Presents vivid examples of the mood fluctuations of patients who suffer from periodic affective episodes.The Mind: Mood Disorders: Hereditary Factors  (Module 32)Illustrates the findings of a 10-year study that involved 12,000 volunteers in an Amish community and represents a careful analysis of genetic factors related to manic-depressive disorders.The Mind:  Mood Disorders: Medication and Talk Therapy (Module 33)Shows the effectiveness of combining drug therapies with traditional psychotherapy.Watch:The Brain - Series Homepage  Produced by Colorado State University. 1997, all descriptions are from series website.The Brain: Schizophrenia: Symptoms (Module 26)In this module, mental health professionals observe a patient named Jerry, a classic schizophrenic. Jerry's case and medication schedule are described, and his disordered speech and behavior are shown. Prominent psychiatrists describe schizophrenia and the prognosis for those diagnosed with this disease; a locked psychiatric ward provides a graphic illustration.The Brain: Schizophrenia: Etiology (Module 27)This module covers the history of attitudes, beliefs, and theories about the etiology of schizophrenia. While the illness was long thought to be environmentally caused, this module emphasizes the scientific evidence in support of its organic origins. Dr. Arnold Scheibel of UCLA Medical Center describes cellular pathology in the hippocampus and speculates on the possible role of viruses. A genetic component is also demonstrated.The Brain: Autism (Module 29)This module opens with statistics and a description of autism and how the disorder has been viewed historically. Studies now support the theory that autism results from a lack of normal neural growth during prenatal development. Dr. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University, severely autistic as a child, is presented as someone who overcame her autism and managed to use her way of perceiving the world to her advantage.Learning objectives:1.      Define psychological disorder and psychopathology.2.      State the main features of psychological disorders according to the APA (American Psychiatric Association).3.      Describe how the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is used to classify or categorize disorders.4.      Explain the biological and the “diathesis-stress” models of psychological disorders.  5.      Describe main features (symptoms) of these psychological disorders: Anxiety Disorders (and within this category, “phobia” and “panic disorder” and “social anxiety disorder”); Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (and within this category, “body dysmorphic disorder”), PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), Mood Disorders (and within this category, “major depressive disorder” and “bipolar disorder”), Schizophrenia; ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.6.      Discuss major theories that seek to explain what “causes” Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, ADHD and Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

It is a wonderful opportunity if you have access to a greenhouse. Students usually love working in the greenhouse and there are numerous ways to incorporate greenhouse activities into the curriculum. This is especially true for science, mathematics and vocational skills.
This webpage is a narrative of some of the activities students and staff worked on when we first adopted our greenhouse. Included are learning activities for high school students in a "life skills" program. A few related handouts are included as attached files.