Autism 101:Supporting Students with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome

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Autism 101Supporting Students with Autism and
Aspergers Syndrome

• As Autism Consultants we are committed to
  understanding and appreciating students with
  Autism Spectrum Disorders. Understanding autism
  is the basis of our effectiveness in working with
  students. By attempting to see the world through
  the eyes of our students we hope to be more
  effective in developing programs and improving
  services for students with ASD.

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Pervasive Developmental Disorders(also known as
Autism Spectrum Disorders)
Autism Aspergers PDD-NOS
Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise
Specified
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Aspects of Autism

• Autism affects the neurological system, which
  results in distinct learning and behavioral
  characteristics.
• Autism has an underlying biological/genetic cause
  that produces organic and or physical changes
  during brain development, which results in a
  atypical social development and behaviors.

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If you have met one child with autismyou have
met one child with autism.
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Primary Characteristics of Autism Spectrum
Disorder

• Impaired Social Relating and Reciprocity

• Disordered Language and Communication Development

• Restricted Interests and Repetitive Activities

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Some Key Difficulties

• Social interaction
• Social communication
• Repetitive behavior
• Obsessions
• Resistance to change
• Unusual sensory responses

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Autism Language and communication deficits

• Delayed speech/disordered speech (may be
  nonverbal or have only a few words)
• Unusual language features (i.e., echolalia,
  jargon)
• Difficulty with abstract language

• Limited use of nonverbal communication
• Inconsistent language understanding (verbal and
  nonverbal)
• Limited purposes of communication
• Differences in pitch, loudness, or other voice
  qualities

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Restricted Activities and Interests

• Repetitive play
• Motor stereotypes
• Specific interests/obsessions with certain topics
• Insistence on routines/distress over change

• Unusual sensory interests
• Preoccupation with parts of objects

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Learning and Organizational Issues

• Difficulty sequencing tasks or events
• Difficulty managing multiple steps or materials
• Difficulty keeping up with materials or
  organizing work

• Difficulty with generalization
• Attentional difficulties, especially in a large
  group
• Fine/gross motor difficulties
• Difficulty with performance despite intelligence

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Social Deficits

• -The student may be argumentative
• -May make disrespectful comments
• -Ignoring / Walking away from others
• -Might engage in distasteful behaviors (due to a
  lack of understanding of social rules and of what
  is acceptable)

• May talk on the same topic all of the time cant
  shift to a new topic
• -May wants to be the only one talking doesnt
  allow others to join in
• -May not have any friends and feel socially
  isolated

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Creating a Successful Learning Environment

• In creating a learning environment that will help
  the student with Autism be successful we can
  predict that the student will have
• -challenges related to the physical aspects of
  the school (classrooms, halls, cafeteria,
  lighting, noise, sensory overload)
• -challenges related to the daily schedule

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Creating a Successful Learning Environment

• -challenges related to communication expectations
  and interactions (How many adults work with the
  student each day?)
• -challenges related to social skill deficits
• -challenges related to academic and
  organizational problems

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Exploring Options for Communication

• When children with Autism cant talk,
• we have to continually explore options
• for them to communicate.

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Building Communication Skills

• All children go through stages of communication
• -Expressing needs (crying, meltdowns,
  self-injury)
• Expressing specific needs (making choices,
  reaching for object)
• Using gestures (pointing, using signs, shaking
  head)
• Joint attention (sharing same object, same
  activity)
• Using visuals for choices
• Using words

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Build Communication Around Routines

• Routines are of high interest to children with
  Autism
• Establish joint activity routines adult and
  student engage in an activity together and
  communication is taught in the routine of the
  activity
• Make the routine meaningful and functional
• Make the routine social (involving at least 2
  people)
• Interact at the students level
• Parallel
• Cooperative
• Turn-taking
• Interactive

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Communication Incentives

• The student must see a reason to communicate
  (WHY)
• The student must have a method of communication
  (HOW)
• Be observant of how the student is communicating
• Gestures, body language, facial expressions,
  words, pictures
• Set-up situations that require communication
• Build on students likes/dislikes
• Set up obstacles to objects and activities
• Offer choices, making them visual, but do so in
  natural, meaningful ways

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Building Communication Around Choices

• Offer choices as they naturally occur throughout
  the day use familiar routines
• Offer choices using the students likes and
  preferences (desired/undesired)
• Offer choices that are meaningful to the student
• Offer choices based on the students level of
  understanding
• -objects
• -pictures
• -words

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Building Communication Around Choices

• Avoid creating choice opportunities that are too
  contrived
• Dont deny a student a basic need if they are not
  able to make a choice
• Dont allow choice-making to become overly
  frustrating or confusing

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Visual Supports

• Rely more on visual cues rather than verbal
• Allow the student to see what his/her day will
  look like
• Helps to plan for changes in the students day
• Builds routine and predictability
• Use an individual schedule (at least in the
  beginning)
• Give warnings prior to leaving a preferred
  activity
• Use a timer for preferred activities (visual
  timer)

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Use visual instead of verbal cues

• Minimize the words you use use as few words as
  possible to cue the student rely on
  visual/gestural cues
• Students with autism often need time to process
• Visual prompts are much easier to fade than
  verbal ones our students can become prompt
  dependent
• Use visuals for class rules (i.e. nice hands,
  sit, quiet voice, etc)-the picture reminder
  should be all he needs
• Review rules with visuals each day in the
  beginning, and prior to transitions.

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Allow processing time

• Give an instruction and wait
• Ask a question and wait
• Students may need 10 seconds or more to process
  and respond

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Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices

• PECS
• GoTalk CheapTalk, Big Mac, Keyboards
• Writing with symbols
• Sign language
• Smartboards
• Touch screen computers

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Behavior Support

• Begin with your school wide Positive Behavior
  Support System
• Work as a team using all the available resources
• Be consistent in your techniques as individuals
  and as team members
• Frequently praise/reward positive behavior
• Use specific praise (i.e. Good sitting, I love
  how you are listening Awesome that is a blue
  triangle)

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Providing motivation for learning

• When our students with Autism encounter behavior
  and motivation problems we should first look for
• -hidden medical problems (Are there issues other
  than Autism affecting the students behavior?)
• -sensory overload (Are there specific
  places/activities that are causing problems? Does
  stress from sensory overload build up through the
  school day?)

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Providing motivation for learning

• -frustration related to problems with
  communication
• (Does the student understand the directions and
  expectations? Is the student overloaded with
  verbal input? Are team members consistent in
  their approach/techniques?)
• -Is the student just wanting attention (Can more
  positive attention be given when behavior is
  appropriate? Is the student being given attention
  for inappropriate behavior?)

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Providing motivation for learning

• -Is the student trying to avoid a task
• -Why is the task undesirable?-Am I providing
  the accommodations and modifications in the IEP
  to make the task more achievable?
• -Can the student show mastery of the task with
  less written work required?
• -Does the student understand
• 1. What is the work to be done?
• 2. How much work?
• 3. When am I finished?
• 4. What comes next?

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Reinforce or Ignore?

• Many problem behaviors are maintained by
  attention (positive or negative attention)
• When you give attention to noncompliant behavior,
  you reinforce it and the behavior will increase!
• State your expectation, and ignore subsequent
  inappropriate behaviors
• IMMEDIATELY praise appropriate behaviors

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Ignoring Inappropriate Behavior

• What does ignoring really look like?
• -no eye contact with the student
• -turn away from the student if possible
• -stop all verbal interactions/comments
• What if ignoring doesnt seem to work?
• -Did you eventually give in and make a comment?
• -Did other students reinforce the behavior?
• -Did the negative behavior increase?

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Use a first/then board

• Particularly for non-preferred tasks
• Lets him know that he will get to do something or
  have something that he wants after he completes
  something else
• NOT an if/then board
• This frequently works well for students with
  autism. Demonstrate the desired behavior and then
  what he will get when he does the desired
  behavior. Put it where he can see it and wait him
  out.

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Sensory concerns

• Many students with autism experience sensory
  problems related to
• -lighting
• -sounds and noise levels
• -textures
• -taste
• -smell
• -room/space arrangements
• -sensory overload (sensory stress)

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57 Questions

• Physical Structure
• Scheduling
• Task Demands
• Communication
• (see handout 57 questions)

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Social Stories

• Hi! My name is____. I am going to the
  1st grade. I used to be in Ms. ______
  Kindergarten class. I had lots of friends at
  school. I will have lots of friends in the 1st
  grade too. I will have a new teacher, but she
  will help me just like Ms. ______. I am going to
  go to different rooms like the cafeteria and
  music room. That is okay because I will be with
  my friends and do fun things. I love the 1st
  grade!

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Social Stories

• Story written from the students perspective that
  explains the expectations of a situation
• Should be written in first person and in a
  positive manner (stating desired not undesired
  behaviors)

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Social Stories

• For transition to new grades
• For major events (i.e. field trips, etc)
• For problem routines (i.e. going to the
  cafeteria, playing a game with friends)

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Use peers to teach

• Social skills groups/activities
• Video models
• Social Interactions through shared interests
• (see examples)

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Use peers to teach

• Very important to build in social opportunities -
  they will not just happen on their own
• Teach peers to initiate
• Ask student to play
• Ask student a question
• Ask student for a material
• Have peers give instruction
• Teach peers to persist
• Use games with turn-taking