Discuss What Is Meant by the “Triad of Impairment”.

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The “triad of impairment“ is a theory put forward after an epidemiological study of children living in Camberwell south London by Lorna Wing and Judith Gould 1979. This study screened all children under the age of 15 known to the education, health and social services which resulted in children being selected if they had severe psychological or physical learning disabilities and in conclusion their study identified that the group displayed a triad of impairment. Triad being a cluster of three impairment, and impairment being defined as an inability or difficulty in carrying out certain activities. Wing and Gould put forward the theory that the three impairments of autistic spectrum disorders (asd) in which people experience difficulties are as follows:- (1) Social interaction: - Social interaction can be difficult for neuro-typical individuals; however for individuals with (asd) this problem is manifested by the difficulties that they may encounter with social relationships, they may not be capable of reading certain social cues or adapt to new situations that might arise. It has been noted that some individuals with (asd) also lack in empathy, can display a certain air of aloofness and could make inappropriate responses in social situations. Individuals with (asd) may need the support of their family and carers who are able to prepare them to interact in new social situations they may encounter in their environment and in the community. (2) Language and Communication: - People communicate in many ways such as verbal and non verbal. An impairment in this area, if speech is present, an individual with (asd) may often take the meaning of a conversation literally. They may also have fast and/or echolalia speech patterns which could result in the person repeating what has just been relayed to them. An individual with (asd) may need time to process information given to
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