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Autism 101:Supporting Students with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome

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... during brain development, which results in a atypical social development ... Have peers give instruction. Teach peers to persist. Use games with turn-taking ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Autism 101:Supporting Students with Autism and Aspergers Syndrome


1
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.

2
Pervasive Developmental Disorders(also known as
Autism Spectrum Disorders)
Autism Aspergers PDD-NOS
Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise
Specified
3
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.

4
If you have met one child with autismyou have
met one child with autism.
5
Primary Characteristics of Autism Spectrum
Disorder
  • Impaired Social Relating and Reciprocity
  • Disordered Language and Communication Development
  • Restricted Interests and Repetitive Activities

6
Some Key Difficulties
  • Social interaction
  • Social communication
  • Repetitive behavior
  • Obsessions
  • Resistance to change
  • Unusual sensory responses

7
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

8
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

9
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

10
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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11
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

12
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

13
Exploring Options for Communication
  • When children with Autism cant talk,
  • we have to continually explore options
  • for them to communicate.

14
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

15
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

16
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

17
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

18
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

19
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)

20
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.

21
Allow processing time
  • Give an instruction and wait
  • Ask a question and wait
  • Students may need 10 seconds or more to process
    and respond

22
Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices
  • PECS
  • GoTalk CheapTalk, Big Mac, Keyboards
  • Writing with symbols
  • Sign language
  • Smartboards
  • Touch screen computers

23
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)

24
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?)

25
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?)

26
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?

27
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

28
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?

29
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.

30
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)

31
57 Questions
  • Physical Structure
  • Scheduling
  • Task Demands
  • Communication
  • (see handout 57 questions)

32
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!

33
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)

34
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)

35
Use peers to teach
  • Social skills groups/activities
  • Video models
  • Social Interactions through shared interests
  • (see examples)

36
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
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