Applied Project 5&6

Handwashing

AUT 540 M1

Applied Project 3 – Intro/Lit Review (Handwashing)

Nhazanu Yekeh Pessima

Graduate School College of Education, Endicott College,

AUT 540 : AT01-SU23 ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS WITH ASD

Professor. Gloria Satriale

July 9, 2023

Hand washing is an important skill that applies to all individuals living in society starting from toddlers, school-going children, adolescents, and adults. Most importantly, his paper focuses on the importance of this skill to learners with autism spectrum disorder.(ASD). It involves using soap and clean water to kill accumulated germs in the hands. After every task which involves touching surfaces, learners with ASD need to wash their hands for the benefit of their healthy well-being. In school, learners must wash their hands after visiting toilets, after class activities, and before taking meals. Teachers should therefore take the role of educating them on how to implement the skill at all levels of learning. Common defects associated with failure to wash hands include the spread of deadly diseases such as diarrhea and COVID-19. Eating before washing hands creates pathways for germs into the human body. Through this, an interruption of normal digestion is realized leading to this illness which is dangerous to these learners. Alternatively, it may lead to the accumulation of germs in common surfaces surrounding the living environment like the door grills, tables, playing objects, and window grills. Interaction with other learners leads to the spread of germs through contact. The COVID-19 pandemic is another common deficit associated with inadequate washing of hands. The germs easily navigate from one individual to another hence increasing the number of deaths in the global society. To avoid this increase, learners with ASD should be educated on the need to frequently wash their hands with running water.

Respiratory diseases are likely to emerge due to the failure to wash hands. This occurs when the learners affected with ASD touch their eyes, nose, and mouth creating passages for the germs. As a result, they interfere with the functioning of these organs leading to defects and conditions which require medical attention. People are therefore advised to avoid touching their critical body parts without any consent. Touching foods such as fruits without cleaning hands leads to stomach upsets. Germs are carried to the stomach and upon interacting with other body fluids, they multiply and lead to complications. Failure to observe hygiene in terms of hand washing leads to negative impacts on the target group. Firstly, there is an outbreak of disease that affects their performance in school, work, and society. Learners with ASD who are affected with these diseases develop low concentration in class leading to poor memory and retention of knowledge and skills. On the other hand, adolescents in higher levels of education drop out failing to fulfill their career desires. This contributes to the increased unskilled workforce which affects the general quality of life since there is insufficient money to fulfill the daily needs. Struggles to get basic needs lead to high poverty levels affecting the economy of a country.

Educating learners with ASD on the skill of hand washing is important to them in a variety of ways. They become responsible for their health by maintaining high hygiene levels in and outside school. The ability to practice this aspect of health in their daily life while in school makes them responsible individuals in society. Most importantly, the acquired knowledge and skills are applied in a society where the members are educated on the need to keep their hands clean in all circumstances. The number of admitted patients in the hospital reduces drastically since they take earlier preventive measures so that they do not contact hospital acquire diseases. Healthy learners stay in school for a long time, hence improving their performance. In universities, learners spend most of their time in school sharpening their skills which helps them secure future jobs. After getting their salary, they can live lives of their choice.