Teaching Students with AutismStep by Step

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Teaching Students with Autism-Step by Step

• Step I-learn as much about the students as
  possible before school begins

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Teaching Students with Autism-Step by Step

• -classification
• -health alerts
• -modifications

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Teaching Students with Autism-Step by Step

• -skill strengths and weaknesses
• -learning style
• Prior educational settings

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Teaching Students with Autism-Step by Step

• -related services
• -assistive technology
• -ability levels

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Step II-Working with Parents

• send a letter home introducing yourself-may want
  to include the brochure-see example

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Step II-Working with Parents

• -meet with parents individually or in group

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Step II-Working with Parents

• -discuss parents role and responsibilities

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Step II-Working with Parents

• -discuss the parents expectations

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Step II-Working with Parents

• -discuss symptoms versus problems and educate the
  parent on how to identify potential problems

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Step II-Working with Parents

• -discuss parents involvement with homework and
  rules to follow to avoid frustration

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Step III-Working with Related Service Providers

• -Send out letters to the related service
  providers for each child introducing yourself and
  asking for a time to get together-see example

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Step III-Working with Related Service Providers

• -Discuss schedules, goals, expectations

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Step III-Working with Related Service Providers

• -discuss that you will be the case manager for
  the IEP

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Step IV-Other Teachers Involved with your
Students

• -Send out a letter to each teacher introducing
  yourself-offer some background if you are new-see
  example

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Step IV-Other Teachers Involved with your Students

• -Follow up the letter with a personal meeting

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Step IV-Other Teachers Involved with your Students

• -talk about roles-define responsibilities and
• discuss scheduling

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Step IV-Other Teachers Involved with your Students

• -discuss modifications for students and leave
  teacher with a written statement of these
  modifications

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Step IV-Other Teachers Involved with your Students

• -discuss curriculum concerns and adapting
  curriculum-your role

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Step V-Setting up your Room

• -Different classroom models
• Learning center oriented model
• Teacher center model
• Small group instruction
• Individual instruction

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• A-Attending
• Sitting in a chair, making eye contact, ...
• Attending skills are often the starting point to
  an educational program for a child with autism.

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area I
• Readying Self for Table Work
• Sitting in a chair when requested
• Sitting at the table when requested

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area II
• Readying Self for Instruction
• Making eye contact in response to name
• Making eye contact in response to "Look at me" at
  the table
• Placing hands in lap when requested

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Making eye contact in response to name from a
  distance
• Making eye contact in response to "Look at me"
  from a distance

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Making eye contact in response to name during a
  teaching activity
• Making eye contact in response to name during
  free play

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Saying, "What?" in response to name
• Making eye contact during group instruction

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area III
• Attending Jointly with Another
• Attending to a nearby object/event jointly with
  an adult
• Attending to a distant object/event jointly with
  an adult

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Attending to a nearby object/event jointly with a
  peer
• Attending to a distant object/event jointly with
  a peer

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• B-Imitation
• Gross motor imitation, fine motor imitation, oral
  motor imitation, imitating blocks, copying
  drawings,

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Much of the typical learning that children do is
  based on their imitating the actions and words of
  the people around them. Teaching imitation to a
  child who may not do it as naturally, then, is a
  very important step in laying the groundwork for
  future learning.

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area I
• Imitating Motor Actions
• Imitating gross motor actions
• Imitating fine motor actions
• Imitating with objects

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area II
• Imitating Vocalizations
• Imitating sounds
• Imitating words
• Imitating phrases

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area III
• Complex Imitation
• Imitating sequenced actions
• Imitating block constructions
• Imitating drawn lines, curves, and simple
  polygons
• Imitating simple drawings

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• C-Receptive, Expressive and Abstract language
• Following directions, making requests, asking and
  answering questions, labeling, conversation, ...

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Language (be it spoken, sign, or
  picture/symbol-based) instruction is often the
  largest, and most important, portion of a program
  for a child with autism

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area I
• Imitating Vocalizations
• "Echoics" or verbal behavior that mimics a given
  model of verbal behavior.
• Imitating sounds
• Imitating words
• Imitating phrases

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area II
• Following Directions
• Typically non-verbal behavior in response to
  spoken words.
• Following one-step directions
• Following directions involving possession
• Following two-step directions

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Following directions involving objects not in
  immediate view
• Following directions involving delayed action
• Following directions as part of a group
• Following illustrated directions
• Following written directions

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area III
• Making Requests
• "Manding" or verbal behavior used to fulfill an
  internal need.
• Pointing to desired items that are in view
• Pointing to the location desired items that are
  out of view

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Requesting preferred items that are out of view
• Asking for help
• Asking to use the bathroom
• Asking for information

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area IV
• Labeling
• "Tacting" or verbal behavior that puts a name to
  stimuli in the environment.

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Labeling general nouns (objects, people, places)
• Labeling verbs (actions)
• Labeling environmental sounds
• Labeling emotions
• Labeling colors
• Labeling numbers
• Labeling letters

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Labeling professions
• Labeling possession
• Using the carrier phrase, "I see a ..."
• Using the carrier phrase, "I have a ..."
• Using the carrier phrase, "I hear a ..."
• Using the carrier phrase, "I feel a ..."

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area V-
• Conversation
• "Intraverbals" or verbal behavior as a response
  to spoken words

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Completing word associations
• Animal noises
• Associated objects
• Completing songs and nursery rhymes
• Answering WH-questions
• What

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Answering social questions
• Questions about personal information
• Questions about family
• Questions about school
• Questions about preferences
• Questions about emotions

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• D-Pre-academics
• Matching, sorting, sequencing, numbers, letters,
  reading, counting, ...
• Ahh, the stuff of school. Included here are those
  skills that can help build readiness for school,
  as well as some skills that your kids might
  typcially be working on during their first few
  years in school.

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area I-Matching
• Matching identical objects
• Matching objects to identical pictures
• Matching identical pictures
• Matching non-identical objects
• Matching number to quantity
• Matching uppercase and lowercase letters

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area II-Sorting
• Sorting by color
• Sorting by size
• Big/large and little/small
• Big/large, medium, and little/small
• Sorting by shape
• Sorting by texture
• Sorting by two attributes
• Sorting by common function
• Sorting by common feature

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area III-Sequencing
• Sequencing by size
• Sequencing numbers
• Sequencing the alphabet
• Logical Sequences
• Sequencing a story

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• E-Academics
• Higher level functional academics
• Instructional Area I-Alphabet
• Identifying uppercase letters in a single
  typeface
• Identifying lowercase letters in a single
  typeface
• Identifying letters in multiple typefaces

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area II-Numbers
• Identifying numbers in a single typeface
• Identifying numbers in multiple typefaces
• Matching numbers of varying typefaces
• Sequencing numbers

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area III-Counting and Quantity
• Counting on fingers
• Matching numerals with quantities
• Giving a requested quantity
• Quantitative vocabulary
• More
• Less
• All
• Some
• None
• Most
• Least

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Instructional Area IV-Mathematics
• Big / Small
• Tall / Short
• Full / Empty
• Relative comparisons
• More / Less
• Bigger / Smaller
• Taller / Shorter
• Fuller / Emptier
• Addition
• Subtraction

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Curriculum-Instructional Program

• Insructional Area V-Reading
• Letter sounds
• Teaching sight words
• Words that should be taught by sight
• Suggested literature

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Structured Teaching

• Autistic students respond well to structure.

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Structured Teaching

• A teacher must structure the classroom in order
  to effectively teach autistic students.

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Structured Teaching

• Definition Physical structure refers to the way
  in which we set up and organize the person's
  physical environment

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Structured Teaching

• It emphasizes where/how we place the furniture
  and materials in the various environments
  including classrooms, playground, workshop/work
  area, bedroom, hallways, locker/cubby areas, etc.

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Structured Teaching

• Close attention to physical structure is
  essential for a number of reasons

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Structured Teaching

• Physical structure provides environmental
  organization for people with autism.

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Structured Teaching

• Clear physical and visual boundaries help the
  person to understand where each area begins and
  ends.

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Structured Teaching

• The physical structure minimizes visual and
  auditory distractions.

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Structured Teaching

• The amount of physical structure needed is
  dependent on the level of self-control
  demonstrated by the child, not his cognitive
  functioning level.

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Structured Teaching

• As students learn to function more independently,
  the physical structure can be gradually lessened

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Structured Teaching

• Physical structure consists of a number of
  components

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Structured Teaching

• Location Physical structure should be considered
  in any environment in which the person with
  autism interacts, including classrooms,
  playground, workshop/work area, bedroom,
  hallways, locker/cubby areas, etc.

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Structured Teaching

• Design/Layout.
• "Design / Layout Clear visual and physical
  boundaries

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Structured Teaching

• Each area of the classroom (or environment)
  should be clearly, visually defined through the
  arrangement of furniture (e.g., bookcases, room,
  dividers, office panels, shelving units, file
  cabinets, tables, rugs, etc.)

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Structured Teaching

• and use of boundary markers, such as carpet
  squares or colored floor tape.

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Structured Teaching

• Children with autism typically do not
  automatically segment their environments like
  typically developing children. Large, wide-open
  areas can be extremely difficult for children
  with autism to understand

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Structured Teaching

• What is to occur in each area Where each area
  begins and ends, and How to get to a specific
  area by the most direct route.

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Structured Teaching

• By strategically placing furniture to clearly
  visually define specific areas, it will decrease
  the child's tendency to randomly wander/run from
  area to area.

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Structured Teaching

• Example During group story time, a carpet square
  or taped-off square can provide the child with
  autism clear visual cues as to the physical
  boundaries of that activity. Floor tape can also
  be used in gym class to indicate to the child
  with autism the area in which he should stay to
  perform certain motor skills, like warm-up
  exercises.

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Structured Teaching

• Example Color coded placements (according to
  each child's assigned color) can be used for
  snack or mealtimes. The placements will visually
  and physically define each child's "space" (and
  food items) on the table.

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Structured Teaching

• These visual cues will help children with autism
  better understand their environment, as well as
  increase their ability to become more independent
  in their environment and less reliant on an adult
  for direction.

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Structured Teaching

• Minimize visual and auditory distractions Visual
  distractions can be minimized

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Structured Teaching

• By painting the entire environment (walls,
  ceilings, bulletin boards, etc.) a muted color
  (e.g., off-white)

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Structured Teaching

• By limiting the amount of visual "clutter" which
  is typically present in most classrooms in the
  form of art projects, seasonal decorations and
  classroom materials

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Structured Teaching

• By placing sheets/curtains to cover shelves of
  classroom materials, as well as other visually
  distracting equipment (e.g., computer, copy
  machine, TV/VCR, etc.)

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Structured Teaching

• By storing unnecessary equipment/materials in
  another area.

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Structured Teaching

• Example In the play area, limit the number of
  appropriate toys which the children can use and
  then, on a weekly basis, rotate in "new" toys,
  while putting away the "old" ones.

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Structured Teaching

• Through the use of natural lighting from windows
  to reduce visually distracting fluorescent
  lighting

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Structured Teaching

• By controlling the amount of light through the
  use of blinds, curtains, or shades, thus creating
  a warm and calm environment

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Structured Teaching

• By placing study carrells and individual student
  work areas, bordered by a wall or corner of the
  classroom, away from group work tables can also
  reduce environmental visual distractions

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Structured Teaching

• By carefully considering where the child with
  autism will sit in the regular education
  classroom.

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Structured Teaching

• Example Tony, a student with autism was seated
  in the front of the class, facing away from the
  door or windows and away from shelves with
  instructional materials in order to minimize
  visual distractions.

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Structured Teaching

• Auditory distractions can be reduced through the
  use of carpeting, lowered ceilings, acoustical
  tiles, P.A. system turned off (or covered with
  foam to mute the sound) and headphones for
  appropriate equipment, such as the computer or
  tape players.

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Structured Teaching

• Develop appropriate instructional, independent,
  recreation and leisure areas in each physically
  structured environment

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Structured Teaching

• In a classroom setting, these areas may include
  Small group work areaIndependent work
  area11 work areaPlay/recreation/leisure
  areaSensory motor areaCrash/quiet area.

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Structured Teaching

• At home, these areas may include An independent
  work areaPlay areaCrash/quiet area.

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Structured Teaching

• Again, these specific areas should have clear
  visual boundaries to define each area for the
  child with autism. It is also important to keep
  in mind the various distractions which may be
  present in each area, and make accommodations
  accordingly.

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Structured Teaching

• Organization A physically structured environment
  must be extremely organized to effectively
  implement a structured teaching approach.

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Structured Teaching

• Adequate storage of various materials (not in
  view of the students), which can also be easily
  accessed by the adults in the environment, is
  critical.

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Structured Teaching

• Example A sectioned-off storage area (with high
  dividing units to keep materials out of sight of
  the students) within the classroom can be very
  helpful to keep the environment "clutter and
  distraction-free" yet provide easy access to
  needed materials.

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Structured Teaching

• Students with autism can also be taught to keep
  the physical environment structured and organized
  through the use of pictures, color-coding,
  numbers, symbols, etc.

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Structured Teaching

• Example In the play area, pictures of the toys
  can be placed on the shelves to provide structure
  when putting things away.

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Structured Teaching
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Structured Teaching

• Visual Schedules
• Definition A daily visual schedule is a critical
  component in a structured environment. A visual
  schedule will tell the student with autism what
  activities will occur and in what sequence.

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Structured Teaching

• Visual schedules are important for children with
  autism because they
• Help address the child's difficulty with
  sequential memory and organization of time.

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Structured Teaching

• Visual Schedules assist children with language
  comprehension problems to understand what is
  expected of them

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Structured Teaching

• Visual Schedules lessen the anxiety level of
  children with autism, and thus reduce the
  possible occurrence of challenging behaviors, by
  providing the structure for the student to
  organize and predict daily and weekly events.

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Structured Teaching

• Visual Schedules clarify that activities happen
  within a specific time period (e.g.,
  understanding that "break time" is coming, but
  after "work time"), and also alert the student to
  any changes that might occur.

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Structured Teaching

• Visual schedules assist the student in
  transitioning independently between activities
  and environments by telling them where they are
  to go next

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Structured Teaching

• Visual schedules can be used in all environments
  (e.g., classroom, gym, Occupational Therapy,
  Speech/Language Therapy, home, Sunday School,
  etc.).

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Structured Teaching

• Visual Schedules are based on a "first-then"
  strategy that is, "first you do ___, then you do
  ___", rather than an "if-then" approach (i.e.,
  "if you do ___, then you can do___").

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Structured Teaching
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Structured Teaching

• This first-then strategy allows the "first"
  expectation (whether a task, activity or
  assignment) to be modified, as needed.

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Structured Teaching

• Example A student is having particular
  difficulty completing a math worksheet, due to
  anxiety, sensory processing difficulties,
  communication, difficulty generalizing,
  internal/external distracters, change, etc. The
  assignment can be modified so that the child only
  has to complete three math problems first, and
  then he has a break, as indicated on his visual
  schedule.

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Structured Teaching

• Visual Schedules can incorporate various social
  interactions into the student's daily schedule
  (e.g. showing completed work to a teacher/parent
  for social reinforcement, requiring appropriate
  social greetings).

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Structured Teaching

• Can increase a student's motivation to complete
  less desired activities by strategically
  alternating more preferred with less-preferred
  activities on the student's individual visual
  schedule.

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Structured Teaching

• Example By placing a "computer" time after
  "math", the student may be more motivated to
  complete math knowing that "computer" time will
  be next.

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Structured Teaching

• A visual schedule for a student with autism must
  be directly taught and consistently used. Visual
  schedules should not be considered as "crutches"
  for students with autism, from which they should
  gradually be "weaned".

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Structured Teaching

• Developing Visual Schedules In general,
  schedules should be arranged from a
  "top-to-bottom" or "left-to-right" format,
  including a method for the student to manipulate
  the schedule to indicate that an activity is
  finished or "all done" .

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Structured Teaching
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Structured Teaching

• A minimum of two scheduled items should be
  presented at a time so that the student begins to
  understand that events and activities happen in a
  sequential manner, not in isolation.

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Structured Teaching

• Various visual representation systems can be used
  for an individual visual schedule includingReal
  objectsPhotographs (e.g., "Picture This"
  software program or own photos)Realistic
  drawingsCommercial picture system (e.g.,
  "Boardmaker" software program)Written
  words/lists.

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Structured Teaching
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Structured Teaching

• Individual Schedule It is necessary to develop
  an individual schedule for the child with autism
  in addition to the general classroom schedule.

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Structured Teaching

• An individual schedule will give the child with
  autism important information in a visual form
  that he can readily understand.

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Structured Teaching

• Another consideration when individualizing a
  schedule for a student with autism is the length
  of the schedule (number of activities).

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Structured Teaching

• The length of the schedule may need to be
  modified due to the student becoming increasingly
  obsessed and/or anxious regarding an up-coming
  scheduled activity, or due to difficulty in
  processing "too much" information presented at
  once.

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Structured Teaching

• Example A particular student "obsesses" over
  recess. If at the beginning of his day he sees
  "recess" scheduled later in the morning, he will
  continue to be obsessed with "going out for
  recess", resulting in increased anxiety and
  distractibility for the rest of the morning
  activities until recess. The student's schedule
  could be created with a few activity items at a
  time, up until recess. Again, individualization
  is the key to success.

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