Why Do We Need to Learn About Autism?

Why Do We Need to Learn About Autism?

It is important for young educators to know about autism because more and more children each day are becoming diagnosed with it (Thompson, 81). More than 7000 students have Autism in Ontario (6, 2)! Therefore, special need is growing significantly and teacher have to be ready to know how to accommodate these students needs and give them the best education possible!

Commonly Asked Questions

1. Can you ever grow out of Autism?

Answer: no you can't grow out of autism because it's a complex neurological disorder that will have lifelong effects on the development of a child's skills and abilities (3, 10)

Assistive Technology for Students with Autism

Assistive Technology can support students with Autism in many ways. It can help them with their written output, academic concept development, communication, motivation and development of social skills (3, 48). Possible suggestions would be:

-Portable word processor
-Talking word processor
-Headphones (eliminate noises)
-Ipad/ Computers
-Visual electronic assistants
-Non-electronic organizers (Graphic Organizers)
-Assistive listening systems: speaker worn by teacher and listener worn by student with speakers

Assessment and Evaluation

When teaching a student with autism, you may need to alternate the learning expectations. In particular, with autism you will want to assess the individual's intellectual communication, behaviour, and academics (6). Furthermore, keeping track of a student's progress should be continuous and ongoing.

As stated in Growing Success, when assessing a student with autism, possible accommodations could include (4, 72):

-Visual supports to clarify verbal instruction on tests/ worksheets
-Assistive devices to offer support to the student
-Allow the student to have extra time to complete an assignment
-Modify grade-level expectations in a subject if necessary to meet the student's learning needs
-Highlight/ clarify key words for instructions
-Provide a quiet location for the student to work in
-Provide prompts for the student to look back on when being tested
-Adapt the assessment format (Ex. making it an oral test, demonstration, interview...)
-Allow them flexibility with the number of questions they answer
-Provide student with sample questions prior to test/assessment piece

Planning Transitions

It is very important to plan for transitions and make the student aware of change so that the situation will be less stressful when it comes.  Therefore in order to plan and be prepared for smooth transitions you should take into account: their entry into the school, their entry into different grades, between activities, classrooms and from elementary school to high school (6, 26). Although, it is hard to make all of these transitions smooth you could: provide a signal as a warning, preparing them well in advance, a calendar to count down days until a certain event, a schedule of visits to get the child accustomed to a new school, or let them have a "transitional object" that they can hold or carry from one activity to the next (1, 78).

Environment Accomodations

Students with autism need to have an environment that is structured and where they won't face any surprises. Ways in which you could accommodate to these student's needs would be:
-Using age appropriate materials
-Limit the amount of pacing (5, 30)
-Be consistent and organized
-Use hands on activities
-Visual Supports: cue cards, labelling objects, daily schedule, list of written expectations and rules, posters... (4, 43). This will help them with their communication skills and it also supports their routines and prevents problems but still teaches new skills (4, 42).

In general, you want to note the tasks and activities that may be frustrating to a student and provide them with relaxing and calm areas along with opportunities to interact with their peers to develop their social skills (1). Furthermore, be aware of the sensory considerations because you want to diminish the anxiety that may be felt by the student (3). Furthermore, provide predictable, scheduled breaks and allow them flexibility when doing activities in the classroom.

Teaching Approaches/ Strategies

We know that all students can succeed because they have their own unique ways of learning. Here are some ways to teaching students with ASD:

Visual Approaches
  Many students with ASD have strengths in concrete thinking and understanding in visual-spatial relationships (1, 27). Therefore, having a daily schedule in the classroom is an excellent way for them to be prepared of the activities for the day. Other possible visual approaches that will aid the students: activity checklists, calendar, choice boards, written instruction for learning new information, and labelling of objects, containers, and signs in the classroom (1). Furthermore, it is also important that there is a poster of the rules for behaviour; therefore, the students will be even more aware of the expectations.

Memory Strategies
Students with autism generally have a short term memory and a short attention span. Therefore, possible memory strategies would consist of: rehearsal, cued call, and semantic organization (8)

Universal Design for Learning
As indicated in Learning for All, this strategy helps students who experience difficulties in the classroom (5, 125). Using this strategy will allow you to understand the student's strengths and needs and what kind of activities will help them succeed the most. According to Learning for All, when using UDL you will:
-Have different ways of assessing the student and use different teaching strategies
-Make sure you have an appropriate use of space
-Communicate student-friendly and consistently
-Provide descriptive feedback
-Promote their safety and be respectful to them

Motivation:
   You want to motivate the students so that they can succeed! As we've learned in class, giving a student personal praise leads to performance goals and process oriented raise leads to learning goals (8). These two types of praise will encourage the student to try their best and let them know that they are in charge of their own success. Also, motivating students to do work independently is also important (considering they constantly supported, they need to know what its like to work independently).

Differentiated Instruction/ Explicit Instruction
    According to Learning for All, differentiated instruction focuses its structure on content, process, product and affect/ environment (5, 11). Explicit Instruction states the process and content objectives, states why strategy is helpful, and states when and where to use the strategy (5, 11). Teachers often share personal learning experiences, model strategies using Think Alouds, provide evidence of strategy effectiveness, and provide opportunities of practice (5, 11). This strategy is useful because it’s the gradual release of responsibility insuring that students will not work alone until they definitely understand the concepts of the lesson. Furthermore, explicit instruction will help break down the big concepts into little steps and through teacher stories or analogies of concepts, the student with autism will be able to gain insight on the material more because of the deeper connection. Finally, this strategy relates to Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development because explicit instruction uses many opportunities for repeated practice and guidance through a teacher until gradual release of responsibility is obtainable (8). 

STAR: Strategies for Teaching Based on Autism Research
   "This is a program that demands detailed lesson plans, data systems, different teaching materials, curriculum based assessment for teaching in receptive, expressive language and functional routines, academics and social skills (2, 44)." This strategy will allow the students with ASD to understand the lessons at their own level and pace the activities at their level.

How to Communicate Your Lessons/ Instructions
   When teaching your want the student to understand you and not be too overwhelmed. For a student with autism the best way to communicate would be speaking to them slowly, clearly and don't overload them with information (3). Furthermore, make sure that when you're introducing unfamiliar tasks in a familiar environment to eliminate possible stress that the student might feel (1, 32).

Areas of Focus When Planning/Teaching Lessons

As stated below, there are three categories that teachers should always consider when programming for students with ASD: social skills, communication skills and behaviour. 

CHARACTERISTICS OF ASD AS SEEN IN THE CLASSROOM

Social skills

• demonstrates difficulties interacting with peers and adults

• has difficulty reading and understanding social cues or situations

• withdraws from or provides unusual responses in social situations

• engages in play that is lacking in the imaginative qualities of social play

Communication skills

• has difficulty communicating thoughts and needs verbally and non-verbally

• has difficulty with non-verbal communication, such as use of gestures, pictures, eye contact, and facial expressions

• uses speech that includes repetitive, echolalic, or unusual language

Behaviour

• displays obsessions or preoccupations with specific themes or objects

• likes order and may line up toys repeatedly

• engagesinunusualbehaviours,suchasrocking,spinning,or handflapping 

• gets extremely upset with changes in routine or schedules

• has an unusual response to loud noises or other sensory stimuli

Chart from (3, 16)

Reading- Many students with ASD struggle with sentence construction (3, 60). Therefore, provide students with software, highlight connections between words, use literacy games with them and bring items directed towards their interest (3).
Behaviour- Show them what is acceptable behaviour and let them aware of the consequences that will follow if they misbehave. Use positive reinforcement when you see good actions and deal with misbehaviour as soon as it happens and with the appropriate consequences. Also, make sure you observe when and where undesirable behaviour happens, how often and what is the reaction (3, 74). Therefore you can analyze these observations and develop behaviour plans to help the student.
Writing- Some students with ASD have difficulties with their fine-motor skills (3). Therefore, give them opportunities to use keyboards, word processors, graphic organizers, word banks, and a reduction in the length of the response (3).
Social Skills- Looking at the chart above, there are a few great strategies to develop their social skills of a child with Autism. This would include: getting them to greet others, having them learn how to wait for their turn, share, play games with the other students, initiating and closing interactions (3).
Mathematics- Some students with ASD struggle with the verbal component of mathematics, along with the terminology (3, 64). Therefore, possible accommodations would be to create a personal mathematics dictionary for them, break down concepts with them and provide many scaffolding sheets to give them more help with each lesson (3).
Communication-Possible suggestions for developing a students communication skills would be to use sentences when talking to the the student (role modelling), and use vocabulary that they would understand (1). Also, make sure you're clear and simple and allow them time to process what you're saying (1, 39). Furthermore, promoting integrated play groups can provide students with ASD to interact with their age peers and allow them to imitate social interactions and develop communication skills (1, 50).

Planning Lessons for Students with Autism

     When planning programs for students with autism, your lessons should consider the strengths and weaknesses of the student. Therefore, an important strategy would be to make a classroom profile at the beginning of the year. Therefore, this will allow you to know the type of learning preferences, weaknesses, strengths, and other important information of all the students in your class. After, you should plan your lessons with this classroom profile and the planning should be individualized and focused on developing various skills (3). Furthermore, it is important to always observe how the students react to your lessons. You should note the students progress to transitions, learning environment, social language skills and progress to learning outcomes (3, 23). These reflections will be a good indicator for you on what to develop or expand more on next time.
    Another potential strategy would be talking to previous teachers who had the student. They've already had the experience teaching this student; therefore, they can inform you on what works and what doesn't work with the child and how they succeed best!

      Many students with ASD will have an IEP; therefore, it is important to make adaptations to instruction, classroom environment and classroom management related to the student's IEP (1). Their lessons can be based off curriculum along with helping to develop goals specific to the individual (Ex. communication and social skills) (1, 22).

Getting the Parents Involved!

If you're told that you will be teaching a student with autism for the year, there are many different things that you should consider planning and looking at ahead of time. First, having a meeting with the student' parents is a great way to get to know about the student because their parents definitely know the child best! A parent will be able to advocate for their child's interest, tell you what works well with them, what stresses their child out and what their goals are for their child (3). Parental participation will definitely help you when planning programs that will meet the needs of their child!

Parents are able to provide valuable information about many key aspects that affect how a student participates at school, such as (Chart from 3, 19):

• Developmental history
  
• Health issues
  
• The range of professionals who are or have
  been involved with the student and the
  services provided
  
• Their child’s likes, dislikes, special interests,
  and sensory sensitivities
  
• Effective positive reinforcers and motivators
  Teachers should secure appropriate consents from parents regarding personal information about students. 
•  How the student has learned skills at home
•  Behaviour and communication strategies that have been successful at home and in other environments
• Student performance across settings and over different periods of time
• Perspectives on the student’s personality.

Characteristics of ASD As Seen in the Classroom

Symptoms of Autism can be mild or severe depending on the type of autism that the child has. Some general characteristics could include: overly sensitive to sensory stimuli, impairments in communication and social interaction, the child may have limited interests and activities that they wish to engage in and they can sometimes react to stimuli with extreme emotions (3, 15-16). Usually the student will have troubles generalizing new skills, have difficulties in abstract reasoning, planning, organizing and solving problems and with social cognition (2, 8). However, just because a student has autism doesn't mean that their intelligence is going to always be below all the students in the class. We have to realize that every child is different and has various strengths and weaknesses; therefore, their intelligence level fluctuates.
    Furthermore, students with autism have difficulty making friendships among peers, may have a restricted vocabulary, repetitive speech patterns, difficulty with language pragmatics, difficulties in interpreting, comprehending and understand speech (2). Also, the students tend to have repetitive body movements, need to follow routines precisely and have difficulties with attention span and motivation  (2, 7).

Features of ASD:
Unusual patterns of attention ~ they may only focus their attention to one aspect of the situation and their attention span does not last long (2, 26).
Unusual response to sensory stimuli ~ responses may be related to tactile (touch), vestibular (balance), proprioception (body awareness), auditory (hearing), visual (sight), gustatory (chemical receptors to tasting) or olfactory (chemical receptors to smelling) (2).
Motor Performance and Planning Difficulties ~ It is important to make observations of the child's gross- motor skills, fine motor skills, bilateral coordination and visual-motor coordination.
Anxiety ~ A student may have a fear with certain people or objects because they may cause confusion, frustration and produce stress when processing the information (2)

Strengths of ASD:
Strengths: A child with autism shows a highly developed ability to learn when using visual spatial skills and tasks (2, 8)

What is Autism?

Definition: According to the Ministry of Education, autism is a severe learning disorder that impacts an individual's rate of educational development (7). It may impact one's ability to relate to the environment, their mobility, perception, speech and language (7). Another instance could be that the student lacks a representational symbolic behaviour that proceeds language (7).

Different Types of Autism: There are three main different types of autism although the severity of each type within each child is different. The three types are Autistic Disorder, Aspergers Disorder/Syndrome or Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) (2).

Autistic Disorder
    When a child has autistic disorder their diagnose relates to delays or atypical functioning prior to the age of three (2). The student will generally show abnormal/ impaired development in social interaction and communication (3, 10). Furthermore, the child will usually have a restricted repertoire of activities and interests (3, 10).

Aspergers Disorder/Syndrome
    When a child has aspergers they have similar features that are present in the autistic disorder. Usually the students will have impairments in social interaction, and communication (2). Furthermore, they generally have restricted patterns of behaviours, interests and activities (6, 6). The main difference between Aspergers and Autistic Disorder is that children with Aspergers do not show significant delays in early language or cognitive development (3)

Pervasive Development Disorder
   When a child has PDD they generally have the same diagnoses as autistic disorder except there are usually less symptoms (2). This is the moderate form of autism.

Every Child is Entitled to an Appropriate Education