Title: How to Effectively Include Students with High Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
1How to Effectively Include Students with High
Functioning Autism and Aspergers Syndrome
- Kimberly Bennett
- Educational Consultant
- Kbennett_at_tiu11.org
2Purpose
- This Power Point presentation is to help teachers
understand the deficit of autism and Aspergers
Syndrome and to provide suggestions on how to
successfully include them in the regular
education classroom.
3- Working with children on the spectrum can be
challenging but I can assure you that you will
learn a great deal about yourself and teaching by
having them in your life.
4- Understanding autism spectrum disorder is the
first step in accepting the differences that make
these individuals unique and fascinating. - This presentation just scratches the surface of
the needs of each of the children on the spectrum
in your classroom.
5- I attempted to cover areas that appear to affect
most teachers and students in the regular
education classroom.
6- I have taught children with autism for the past 7
years and have grown professionally in ways that
I never would have experienced had they not
entered my life.
7Lets begin with COGNITIVE PROFILE OF CHILDREN
WITH AUTISM/ASPERGERS SYNDROME
- Weaknesses
- Inflexibility in applying rules to changing
contexts - Difficulty with Executive Functioning
- Difficulty with Complex Motor planning
- Difficulty with Perspective Taking
- We will cover these throughout the presentation
8Rule Learning
- Rules are a learned concept not a generalized
concept for children with autism. Their brains do
not generate the rules by themselves they have to
be taught to them. - They need to be clearly stated.
- Children with autism can learn things by
categories but they cannot generate or organize
the categories by themselves. They can learn it
if you do it for them.
9Do rules always stay the same?
- When do they change?
- How do we know when they change?
- We categorize rules and that helps us know when
to use them.
10The rule of swearing
- Where can typical kids swear and get away with
it? - What if kids on the autism spectrum hear kids
swearing on the back of the bus and at home?
While playing on the playground they swear at a
teacher or another student. - What discipline procedure should be implemented
if these kids are caught swearing on the
playground?
11Swearing
- The child with the autistic brain needs to be
taught the rules of swearing because they may not
be able to categorize it or apply the rule to
different situations ---
12Rules of liking the opposite sex
- What are some behaviors children perform in
elementary school when they like someone of the
opposite sex? - What do they do in middle school?
- What do they do in high school?
- What do they do in college?
13How do the rules change?
- What if you were functioning at a
social-emotional age of 12-18 months to 3-5
years? Failure to consider this in treatment of
these students worsens the behavior and function.
14Rules, Rules, Rules
- Transition rules
- Lunchroom rules
- Playground rules
- Hallway rules
- Rules at home
- Bus rules
- Different teachers-different RULES
15Rules can sometimes override concepts example
- Bill is a young adult with autism who decided to
take figure skating lessons. His mother drove him
to the rink several times a week. After a while,
she decided to skate while he had his lesson.
Bill performed his routine, but people learned to
stay out of his way. He went where his program
required him to go regardless of others. One day
his mother forgot to note where Bill was and he
ran her over, knocking her unconscious. The
emergency team was called and she was given first
aide and taken to the hospital. The next day she
asked Bill why he did not come to her assistance,
since he was an Eagle Scout with a first aide
badge. He relied, It expired.
16What did Bill understand and what didnt he
understand?
17Children on the spectrum like the following
- Knowing what the rules are, what is going to
happen next. - If your brain is not doing this for you, you will
need some help. - How stressful would it be to never know what to
expect next and then you got in trouble when you
guessed wrong?
18EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
- The capacity to control our own attentional focus
- Enables a person to do or attend to more than one
thing at a time. - It enables us to recognize what is relevant shift
attention, and then recall what is relevant. - Ability to Monitor Self Inhibition
19- Attention, organization, and generalization
contribute to executive functioning. - With strong executive functioning we are not
distracted by the irrelevant and can shift our
focus to the relevant.
20- The teacher told the class to take out their
black pencils. Yours fell on the floor and when
you looked in the case you did not see it. The
teacher continues to give directions-- what do
you know to do? - What is the most relevant thing you would need to
do in this scenario? - If you have trouble with executive functioning
what would happen? What would the child focus on?
21- Can you talk on the cell phone to your spouse
when you are lost in an area with a lot of
traffic? - Can you talk to your spouse and watch an
interesting TV show at the same time? - Why?
22EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING
- Think of how many times a day you require a
student to shift attention. - In the first hour of school what do you require
students to do?
23Transitioning from Reading to a spelling test
- What are your instructions?
- Count up the number of instructions you give your
class. - If your brain did not have the ability to take in
all of that information at once what would you
want someone to do for you?
24I would want someone to
25Poor Executive functioning
- They may not be distractible in the way that
others with attentional problems may be. - In fact it may be very hard to get them to shift
attention.
26If a student has difficulty writing down thoughts
what can you ask him to do instead?
- Answer let them tell you instead of writing
- For some student the act of writing and thinking
at the same time is to difficult. Many students
with autism/Aspergers have fine motor delays and
it is very difficult for them to write. If you
want to know what a person with autism knowsask
them.
27ATTENTION DEFINITION
- The ability to see what is relevant, and shift
attention to the relevant, contributes to what is
called attention.
28What can we do?Answer Use a strength-Visual
Performance
- Children with autism frequently have better
visual performance abilities than auditory alone.
29Live it out loud
- Explain what you are doing and why
- i.e. verbally walk through the process of losing
a pencil. - THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
30- Let the child know the sequence of events a
visual schedule posted on the wall or at their
desk is extremely helpful. - Let them know what is going to happen throughout
the day.
31Older Children
- Prepare a schedule for daily routines
- What do I do first, next, last?
- Books needed for each class
- Completing a project
- Provide information about time periods
- Graphic organizers
- Highlight important information
32Make a task schedule for a spelling test
- What does the child have to do first, next, last?
(List the steps in order, place it on their desk
to remind them.)
33Executive Functioning
- Tell them what is relevant.
- When presenting them with a structured lessons
the child needs help figuring out the relevant
information so that they can answer the relevant
questions.
34The Autistic Brain
- Some adults in the spectrum state that thoughts
come into their heads and they cant get them to
stop unless they say the words over and over
again. - I heard one man say, When I feel my autism take
over it is like a train speeding down a track and
I know it will soon crash. The looks and comments
that will come from others will not be nice, or
understanding, but hurtful and rude.
35Non Fiction
- Information presented in a direct way
- Usually not a problem
36Fiction
- In most literature a great deal is implied.
- The reader is invited to understand and wonder
about things. - This is frustrating as the communication of most
people, (the communication that is to be
understood), is said without explicitly being
stated.
37This causes stress and anxiety
38And then meltdown
39BRAIN IMAGING Brain activation in people with
autism during sentence comprehension.
- Autism group has less activation in Brocas area
( a sentence integration area) than the control
group and more in Wernickes area ( a word
processing area)
40- These results have been consistent with
performance. These student have poorer
comprehension of complex sentences but are good
at reading words (spelling bee champs).
41- Reading a text is not a problem but being able to
pull out relevant information from the text can
be a problem. Some researchers feel that some
people on the autism spectrum see a sentence as
one big word and not individual words with
different meanings.
42- Brain circuitry underlying basic abilities are
intact, and these circuits plus visual processing
are relied upon to perform tasks that typical
individuals perform using and integrative
circuitry and higher order abilities.
43- Functional under-connectivity of neural systems
is a general feature of the brain in autism. - Information processing capacity is reduced so
dual tasks, speed of processing, and any task
relying on strategy is very problematic.
44In other words
- If a student is feeling rushed to do more than
one task at a time, they are incapable of
handling all of that information at once, and
performance will be effected. - Neuro pathways are not connecting information
together at a high speed or at all.
45Executive Functioning
- Monitoring Self Inhibitions
- Neuro-typical people can self talk
- Children with brain damage in executive
functioning areas of the brain will tend to
blurt out what they are thinking. - Engage in self talk that is repetitive in nature
at times not directly related to what is
happening.
46Executive functioning and writing
- Many children do not show what they know when
they have to write. - It is important to find out how the child learns
best and how he demonstrates what he knows.
47THEORY OF MIND(Cognitive)
- Modular view of cognition that suggests the
capacity to understand the intentions of others
AND it follows its own propriety development.
48THEORY OF MIND
- A special type of cognition that allows one to
depict the psychological states of others
(thoughts and beliefs).
49Theory of Mind
- Critical decoupling mechanism that allows the
child to keep cognitive representations organized
so his/her thoughts can easily be distinguished
from the thoughts of others. - A break down in this process leads to the
social and pragmatic deficits in children with
Aspergers Syndrome
50IMPLICATIONS
- Children with autism will have significant
problems understanding the social world around
them. - They will be unable to predict the actions of
others. -
51Mind Reading
- Neuro typical people do a lot of mind reading
- We have the ability to predict what someone is
going to say next based on the content of the
conversation. - We can read body language--this helps us read
people. - Inflection of tone helps us understand the
context in which something is being said. Think
of how many ways you can say the word Great.
Each inflection of your voice changes its
meaning.
52Non Verbal Language is 90 of our communication
- Children with Asperger Syndrome/autism have a
very difficult time reading body language and our
verbal inflections.
53Emotional Reaction
- When we have an emotional reaction to the
behavior or words of those with Aspergers
Syndrome, our reaction may not accurately reflect
the intention or meaning of their behavior.
54- Intention of others
- Many children on the autism spectrum report
being bullied. Bullies take advantage of their
inability to read social cue or their
overreaction to social situations. - This is a very serious problem for kids on the
spectrum. (More on that later)
55More on Theory of Mind
- Many children with Aspergers Syndrome can
understand another persons mind to the extent
that they may know what knowledge another person
has.
56- THEORY OF MIND
- They can figure this out only when it is based on
whether the other person has seen or heard
something.
57THEORY OF MIND
- They recognize knowledge based on exposure or
lack of exposure to information the same way they
would know what was on an audio/video tape, based
on whether the recorder was present or turned on.
58FACTUAL INFORMATION
- Children with Aspergers Syndrome have a theory
of mind as it relates factual information that
someone else has.
59- Can Learn to Identify Emotions
- They may learn (perhaps the way that they learn
facts) what someone may feel in certain
situations, but do not sense the other persons
feelings or personal experience as it relates to
the information.
60- AS children often have strong feelings and
reactions themselves. - However, they often do not recognize or
understand someone elses emotional experience.
61DIFFERENT FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
- The classroom may be a difficult place for an AS
child, and that child may be confusing or
upsetting to others who do not understand him.
62- The Aspergers child may participate without
anticipating or comprehending the response of
others.
63How can we recognize theory of mind (TOM) issues
in Aspergers Syndrome?
- If the answer to these questions is yes your
student may have TOM issues - Do you have student that is always correct and
can never be wrong? - Do you have a student who cannot work in a group
because they did not use the suggestion that they
offered? - Very Argumentative?
64What About Empathy?
- Empathy requires understanding the mind and the
experience of another person. - This is not really possible for those who
understand as though they are receiving
information, what others or most understand by
feel and by identification.
65- EMPATHY
- Also includes awareness of your effect on
others. - It includes an awareness of what another person
may be feeling as that person communicates with
you or reacts to what you are saying.
66- CAN LEARN ABOUT OTHERS
- Asperger children can learn about others.
- Sometimes they study our minds and reactions, and
find that cognitive understanding can help them
cope with us. - This is not the same as feeling or identifying
with our experiences.
67- Assignments that deal with understanding
feelings. - How can their difficulty understanding emotions
and feelings of others interfere with assignments
that requires them to respond to emotional
information?
68- Example
- Terry and Rich are on the same softball team in
the town league. Rich knew that Terry had never
gotten over the fact that he had once dated
Terrys girlfriend. During the second inning,
Rich made an error at third base and the other
team scored a run. Back in the dugout Terry said
to Rich, Nice play at third, Rich.
69- Fact Question Did Rich miss a play at third
base? - Belief question Was Terry giving Rich a
compliment? - Belief Question Did Rich believe what Terry said
about the play at third?
70- Perspective Taking
- The ability to take perspective is essential for
participation in any type of group (social or
academic) as well as interpreting information
that requires understanding of other peoples
minds such as reading comprehension, history,
social studies, etc.
71- Perspective Taking
- Weakness in perspective taking is a significant
part of the diagnosis of social cognitive
deficits.
72CENTRAL COHERENCE
- The process of constructing a higher meaning from
diverse information.
73CENTRAL COHERENCE
- Asperger Syndrome children remember a lot of
information. - Little Professors when they share information in
an area of interest. - They generally do not judge certain facts to be
more important than others.
74CENTRAL COHERENCE
- Knowing what is relatively more or less important
to learn can be difficult or even impossible. - They may already know more than the teacher
expects them to learn, perhaps even more than the
teacher knows, about a specific area. - This is very annoying to teachers who do not
understand the disability.
75Lets talk aboutHOMEWORK
- Identify the purpose of homework
- Identify the amount of time the student must
spend on homework. - Determine whether homework can be done after
school or in school. - Ensure that homework planner has enough room for
writing assignments.
76HOMEWORK
- Decide
- Whether teacher will write in planner
- If teacher will prompt student to write in
planner - Who will review planner to ensure that all
details are included in planner.
77Homework
- Homework should be presented in the same manner,
same place each day. - Provide models of homework
- Long division old way versus new way
- Parents report that homework can be frustrating
for them their child screams, - You dont know how to do it!
78Homework
- Recognize that homework is a family activity
- Some families CANNOT do homework
79HOMEWORK
- Provide enough specificity so that parents
understand the assignment solely from the written
information. - Have teacher sign homework planner
80Homework
- Have a method in place for clarifying or
obtaining homework. - School hotline
- Peer system
- School web-based system
- Faxed or emailed assignments
- Require parent to sign the planner
81Homework
- Ensure that homework is turned in
- Homework is the passport to enter the classroom
- Develop a means of letting parents know that a
homework assignment is not turned in ( same as
in-class assignments).
82HOMEWORK
- A web based posting of homework turned in/not
turned in makes the responsibility the parents.
83JOINT ATTENTION -Another part of autism to be
aware of
- Definition The ability to coordinate attention
between people and objects. Loveland Landry (
1986) - An attentional state during which a child and a
partner share an interest.
84COMPONENTS OF JOINT ATTENTION
- Sharing experiences
- Attention To some 3rd object or event apart from
the two participants in the interaction.
85YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM HAVE
- Deficits in declarative pointing and showing
- Baron-Cohen (1989)
- Deficits in looking where others point
- Leekman et al. (1997)
86- Deficits in following eye gaze of others. They
are not aware of where others are looking. This
interferes with understanding what others are
thinking about. What is the woman thinking about?
How can you tell?
87THINK OF WAYS THIS CAN INTERFERE WITH A CHILD IN
YOUR CLASSROOM
- If a student has a difficult time following eye
gaze or is not following social cues as to where
they should be looking - How would this interfere with learning in your
classroom? - What are social cues teachers give?
88SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
- They dont understand the rules of
- Social proximity
- Eye Contact
- Gestures
- Posture
- Facial expressions
- Take things literally
89What do these eyes tell you?
How do you know that? Nothing has been said?
90- Children on the autism spectrum can have a
difficult time reading our eyes- yet our eyes
speak of our feelings and reactions.
91BULLYING
- 90 of participants reported extensive bullying
with physical assault, of those - 50 reported sexual harassment
- 50 of those cases occurring during class
- 47 during lunch
- 33 of participants perceived that they were not
liked as well as their peers
92BULLYING
- When students reported bullying incidents, 33
perceived bullying was likely to increase.
93Lets Understand Each Other
- It is helpful for those with autism to learn
about us. - It is helpful for us to Know about them.
- Being open to knowing that persons experience
from his or her perspective can help with
behavior management.
94How can wanting to understand help with the
moment?
- Knowing about the Asperger/autism mind does not
necessarily mean understanding a particular
childs meaning, behavior, and learning issues at
any given time. - Teachers are confronted by the need to handle
situations in the moment.
95HOWEVER
- Knowing that there is something to understand
allows the adult to consider whether there is a
real need to respond immediately, such as when
safety is a concern.
96REMEMBER TO BE KIND
- Remembering that there is something to
understand, whether or not it is understood at
the time, helps the adult to be kind, even when
firm about important issues.
97CHECK THE INTENTIONS
- Consequences do not always have to be punishment.
- We can be sympathetic when a child is dealing
with the consequence of something she did not
intend.
98- ALIEN EXERCISE
- If we were to spend time in a very different
culture, as we tried to learn what is
appropriate, we might make faux pas or seem
offensive, and we would misunderstand others.
99- ALIEN EXERCISE
- We would need to learn new skills, rules, and the
meaning of our behavior to others. - We would need to find a way to be with others,
without trying to become one of them, which we
really could not do.
100ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
- Who would we want to help us?
- What would we need to help us describe the
culture in a way that we could understand?
101List 3 things you would want your guides to
understand about you.
102- Would you want them to see things from your
perspective? - How would this be helpful to you?
103- Please be the childs guide make every situation
a teachable one!
104Things we can do
- WE CAN
- Accept what we do not understand without feeling
overwhelmed or angry. - Understand more
- Avoid alienating the child- Dont be the childs
first bully. Children in the classroom follow the
teachers lead.
105- Be the Guide -Set the Tone
- Give facts in an unemotional tone of voice.
- Be logical and sequential-they need logic for
everything. - Model positive acceptance.
106Before You ReactAsk yourself
- What could this behavior mean?
- How does it serve the child?
- Could it be an attempt to cope?
107- What appears to be an unwillingness to do an
assignment or participate in a learning activity
may have an important reason.
108- IF WE ASK HIM
- He may tell us
- Its too hard.
- I know this already.
- Its too loud.
109- When the child answers our questions like this
- It is not useful to see the ways that the childs
answer seems wrong to us. - It is useful to consider how his answers may be
the right answer for him.
110- Is this purposeful disrespect?
- What they say and how they say it leads others to
assume that they are communicating feeling or
intend to affect the feelings of others.
111- They often do not recognize or understand this.
- They often do not understand what others
experience.
112Sensory Deficits
- Child can be hypo- sensitive or hyper- sensitive
to sound, light, smell, touch, or taste. - REMEMBER
- Do not put a child with autism next to a noisy or
busy area in your classroom.
113I leave you with this question?
- How would you like to live in this world with
these challenges?
114- If you need further assistance, please feel free
to get in touch with me. I will be more than
happy to assist you. - Kim Bennett 814-542-2501 ext 126
- kbennett_at_tiu11.org