Rhode Island College Department of Special Education 580-01

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Rhode Island CollegeDepartment of Special
Education580-01

• Using Research Based Best Practices with Children
  who have Low Incidence or Severe Disabilities
• Sue Constable, MA
• ASD Support Center at RIC
• RITAP
• Technical Assistance Project (RITAP)

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Autism Spectrum Disorders Support Center

• An Initiative of the Rhode Island Technical
  Assistance Project (RITAP)
• Located at Rhode Island College
• Sue Constable
• Director

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Rhode Island Students Eligible for Special
Education with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

• 1994 41
• 1995 86
• 1996 120
• 1997 142
• 1998 197
• 1999 252
• 2000 311
• 2001 407

• 2002 498
• 2003 653
• 2004 786
• 2005 925
• 2006 1139
• 2007 1364
• 2008 1496
• 2008 1531

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Autism 1 in 150Responding to the Needs

• State wide training offerings
• Level 1
• September 23, 2009
• Special Topics in Autism
• January 13, 2010
• March 13, 2010

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Communication/Leadership ASD Network

• The ASD Rhode Island Network is designed
• to assist
• School personnel
• Families and
• Students
• In developing quality programs for students with
  ASD that meet the same high quality standards
  established for all students

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ASD Network Meeting Dates

• October 7 Autism and IEP writing
• December 2 Transition
• March 3 Family Panel
• May 12 Social and Emotional Supports
• Meetings are Wednesdays from 4-6 PM at RIC
• Gaige Hall Auditorium
• Register at www.ritap.org/asd/
• Click on ASD Network and scroll down to register

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Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Used to be Low Incidence
• In the US, Autism and is now estimated to occur
  in as many as 1 in 150 individuals.
• Autism is 4-5 times more prevalent in boys.
• Autism does not discriminate amoung race,
  ethnicity, income and education

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What causes Autism?

• This question still remains unanswered.
• The exact cause is unknown.
• There are many different theories to the cause of
  autism.
• Research has mostly focused on genetics

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How is Autism Diagnosed?

• There is no medical test advanced enough to show
  abnormalities
• Based on observation of the individuals
  communication, behavior, and developmental level
• However, because behaviors associated with autism
  are shared with other disorders, a medical test
  may be used to rule out or to identify other
  possible causes for the symptoms being displayed.

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Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Autistic Disorder
• PDD-NOS
• Asperger Syndrome
• Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
• Retts Disorder

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Diagnostic Criteria

• Social Interaction
• Communication
• Restricted Patterns of Behavior, Interests and
  Activities

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Qualitative Impairment in Social Interaction

• Lack of Social and Emotional Reciprocity
• Marked impairment in the use of non verbal
  behaviors (gaze, facial expression, body
  postures, gestures) to regulate social
  interaction
• Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate
  to developmental level
• A lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment,
  interests, or achievements with other people
  (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing or pointing
  out of objects of interest)

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Qualitative Impairments in Communication

• Delay in, or total lack of development of spoken
  language (not accompanied by an attempt to
  compensate through alternative modes of
  communication such as gesture or mime).
• In individuals with adequate speech, marked
  impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain
  a conversation with others
• Stereotyped or repetitive use of language or
  idiosyncratic language
• Lack of varies, spontaneous make believe play or
  social imitative play appropriate to
  developmental level

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Restricted, Repetitive and Stereotyped Patterns
of Behavior, Interests and Activities

• Encompassing preoccupation with one or more
  stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest
  that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
• Apparently inflexible adherence to specific
  nonfunctional routines or rituals
• Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms
  (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or
  complex whole body movements)
• Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

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Individuals Process Sensory Information
Differently

• Visual
• Auditory
• Tactile
• Smell/Taste
• Emotional Hypersensitivity

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Impaired Executive Functionsrefers to all the
mental processes required to create a plan and
carry it out

• Working Memory
• Inhibitions
• Planning/Organization
• Flexibility/Set Shifting
• Emotional Regulation
• Difficulties in Self Monitoring
• Rigid, Inflexible, Perseverative
• Lack of future orientation (stuck in the present)

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One Channel Processing

• Children with ASD process one channel at a time
• It is often difficult for the person to look and
  listen to you at the same time

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What is Asperger Syndrome?

• Asperger Syndrome is a neurobiological disorder
  named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger.
• In a 1944 published paper, he described a pattern
  of behaviors in several young boys who had normal
  intelligence and language development, but also
  exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked
  deficiencies in social and communication skills.

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Asperger Syndrome

• In spite of the publication of his paper in the
  1940s, it was not until 1994 that Asperger
  Syndrome was added to the DSM-IV.
• Only in the last few years has AS been recognized
  by professionals and parents.

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Literal Understanding

• Youre Killing Me
• You crack me up
• You are out of your mind
• Pull yourself together
• If looks could kill
• Butter her up
• Ive got a Bug

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Individuals with AS

• Perceive the world very differently.
• They see themselves as adults, not as children.
• They have an allegiance to truth.
• They are weak in central coherence.

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Individuals with AS

• Are sometimes viewed as eccentric and odd.
• They are not interested in how others think of
  them and their clothing is functional, not
  cool.
• They can easily become victims of bullying and
  teasing.
• Limited vocabulary for characterization.

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Asperger Syndrome

• Is a neurological disorder, which impacts how
  they think, feel and react
• Individuals react emotionally rather than
  logically
• Under stress, the individual with Asperger
  Syndrome often reacts and does not think

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Effective Practices

• For Students with Disabilities that Significantly
  Affect Function

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Agenda

• Good Teaching is Good Teaching!
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Skill Development
• Student and Family Involvement

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Continuum of Research-Based Effective Practices
for students with Disabilities that Significantly
Affect Function

• Three Focus Areas
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Skill Development
• Student Family

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Curriculum and Instruction
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Curriculum and InstructionCompetencies

• Curriculum
• Students Life is Predictable and Understandable
• Instruction Reflects the Students Individual
  Needs and Strengths
• Positive Behavioral Support
• Student Makes Progress Toward Goals

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Students Life is Predictable and Understandable

• The student is provided with an ongoing means to
  understand where he/she is, the expectations, and
  when the structure of the environment will
  change. The schedule system matches the
  students age and level of understanding.

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TEACCHTreatment and Education of Autistic and
Related Communication handicapped CHildren

• Structured Teaching provides an Organizational
  Framework
• Organize the physical environment, develop
  schedules and works systems,
• make expectations, clear and explicit,
• use visual materials
• As a means to develop skills and allow people
  with ASD to use these skills independently of
  adult prompting and cueing

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TEACCH

• Students with ASD frequently have the ability to
  process visual information better than spoken
  language
• Use the childrens visual strengths to support
  them to understand the environment and the
  expectations

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TEACCH

• Structured Teaching is the framework of the
  classroom into which other teaching methods can
  be incorporated into

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Elements of Structured Teaching

• 1. Physical Structure
• 2. Daily Schedule
• 3. Work Systems

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Physical Structure

• Refers to the way that classrooms are set up and
  organized
• The placement of the furniture and the materials
  can concretely and visually communicate the
  function of the space
• 1.Clear Physical and Visual Boundaries
• Boundaries help the child understand where each
  area begin and ends.
• 2. Minimize Auditory and Visual Distractions
• Help the student focus on the concept not on the
  details

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Daily Schedule

• Presented visually
• Object/Object Sequence
• Single Picture/Photograph
• Pictographs (Part Day or Full Day)
• Written

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SchedulesLinda Hodgdon

• Show what is happening as part
• of their day
• What is happening that is NEW or DIFFERENT
• The sequence of events
• What is NOT going to happen that the child would
  normally expect
• What is changing

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Remember

• The student needs to understand the schedule NOW
• The CHILD needs to manipulate the schedule, NOT
  the adult

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Individual Work Systems

• When working with a Student, be sure they have
  the answers to the following questions at all
  times (Division TEACCH)
• WHAT work am I supposed to do?
• How MUCH work do I have to do?
• How will I know when I am FINISHED?
• What happens when I am done?

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Examples of Work Systems/Directions

• Independent Work
• 1. Math paper
• 2. Language Paper
• 3. Write your name at the top of the papers
• All Done
• Choose a book

• Reading Groups
• 1. Write a story-at least 3 sentences
• 2. Draw a picture about the story for 5 minutes
• 3. Cut out the picture
• 4. Glue the picture on to the purple paper
• All Done

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Tools To Give DirectionsLinda Hogdon

• 1. Help Gain and Maintain a Childs attention
• 2. Ensure that the Children get complete
  instructions
• 3. Help Refocus a Childs Attention
• 4. Clarify Instructions
• 5. Support a Childs Performance to Completion
• 6. Reduce the Intensity of Adult Support Needed

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Experience shows

• Productivity increases when the student has a way
  to know how much work they are expected to
  complete and when they are finished.

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Types of Work Systems

• 1. Written System
• 2. Matching
• Colors, shapes,
• alphabet or numbers
• Left to Right - Finished Box

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Instruction

• Is based on the individual needs and strengths of
  each student. Teaching methods, environmental
  modifications, and levels of support reflect
  individual needs and strengths and change to
  match each students progress.

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Curriculum

• The students curriculum is linked to general
  education, incorporates participation in the
  community, participation at home and
  participation in the students culture.
• Although different, the student is provided
  curriculum in a way that is functional and
  understandable to the student.

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Accommodations

• Are provisions made in how a student
  accesses/demonstrates learning.
• They do not substantially change instructional
  level or content.
• Accommodations provide equal access to learning
  and equal opportunity to demonstrate what is
  known.
• They are based on individual strengths and needs
  and may vary in intensity and degree.

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Peripheral Supports

• Visual Graphic Organizers
• Time lines
• Flow charts
• Outlines
• Lists
• Any other visual depiction of salient information

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Modifications

• Are changes in what the student is expected to
  learn and demonstrate.
• They change the instructional level or benchmark
  and may vary content as well.
• Modifications affect the number of key concepts
  mastered within a benchmark or unit of study.

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In Autism

• Many students with ASD are hyper-lexic
• Often, from a very young age, children learn to
  decode words
• There is often no meaning attached to the words

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In Autism

• There are often working memory deficits
• Individuals with ASD often miss the big picture,
  instead focusing on the details
• Lack of Central Coherence (Uta Frith)

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Because of the core deficit of perspective taking

• This affects how a student reads
• He often struggles to take perspective of the
  characters
• This affects how a student writes
• Most students with Autism are unable to write
  with the readers perspective in mind

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Students with Autism

• Often are able to develop word reading skills but
  have poor comprehension of text.

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Social Thinking is Embedded into our Academic
curriculums

• The ability to predict, infer, conceptualize,
  determine motive and intentions, get organized,
  listen actively and speak our thoughts coherently
  are heavily grounded in ones social thinking.
  Michelle Garcia Winner

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Reading for Students who Have Disabilities

• Typically focus on
• Reading words in isolation
• Having students practice through worksheets
• Lack instruction on
• Strategies for reading
• Reading comprehension
• Reading texts or passages longer than a paragraph

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Classroom Instruction

• Should assist the student
• To relate what they know to what they are reading
• Learn to set purposes for reading
• Apply strategies while reading
• Monitor comprehension

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Vocabulary

• Focus in on building knowledge of what the words
  mean
• Students often lack knowing what the vocabulary
  words mean
• Most students learn vocabulary indirectly from
  daily experiences
• Instruction takes place in all stages of reading
  development

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Building Background Knowledge

• Comprehension without background knowledge is
  difficult, if not impossible
• Start with reading activities to build background
  knowledge

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Language Experience StoriesLinda Hodgdon

• To encourage a student to retell events
• from their daily experiences
• Pictures support this written language activity
• The addition of the photos can significantly
  improve the language recall and comprehension

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To Make a Conversation Book..

• Select age appropriate topics of conversation
• Topics need to be meaningful, so choose
  photographs and accompanying written phrases of
  favorite people and things, as well as recent
  activities
• Photographs and/or pictographs that tell a story
  about a recent event
• Photos and/or pictographs that summarize the
  days school activities (to share with family)

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Our Boat

• Over the weekend, my family and I went out on our
  boat.
• My brothers Jacob and Jared and my mom and dad
  went to Chatham.
• The weather was sunny and warm.
• We went swimming. The water was cold, but we had
  lots of fun.

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Question Worksheet

• Who went out on the boat this weekend?
• ______________________________________
• What are your brothers names?
• ______________________________________
• Where did you go on your boat?
• ______________________________________
• Did you go swimming?
• ______________________________________

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Going Lobster fishing

• On Saturday, my family and I went lobster
  fishing. My dad and I put bricks in the lobster
  traps and then dropped them in the water. We
  tied the rope from the lobster trap to the buoy.
  The yellow buoy sits on top of the water so we
  know where our trap is. We caught a lobster. I
  like to look at the lobsters, but I do not like
  to hold them or eat them. They taste yucky.

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Question Worksheet

• What day did you go lobster fishing?
• _______________________________________________
• What did you put into the lobster traps so they
  would sink to the bottom ?
• _______________________________________________
• Why did you tie the buoy to the lobster trap?
• _______________________________________________
• Who went lobster fishing? ________________________
  _

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Visual BridgesLinda Hodgdon, Visual Strategies
for Improving Communication

• Support ongoing communication between home and
  school.
• Guide the student in remembering what he/she did
  during the day
• The student reviews what occurred during the day
  and puts that information in a visual form to
  take home

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Visual Bridges

• Can include the following activities
• Marking schedule pictures/pictographs
• Copying the names of activities from the schedule
• Collecting advertising photos from an excursion
• Photos
• Copying fill-in-the-blank sentences
• Writing original sentences

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Last Night at Home

• The goal is to share information in a visual form
  to encourage communication about the students
  experiences outside of school.
• This format gives teachers
• more information to use.

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Visual Bridges

• Can be created and developed to match the
  students level of literacy.
• For many students, functional literacy and
  reading comprehension are increased because the
  activity evolves from their real life experiences.

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Visual Instructional Aids

• Are an important element of support for students
  to develop functional literacy skills
• Visual tools (photos/pictographs) are an
  effective means for students with Autism Spectrum
  Disorders who often have limited spontaneous
  expressive language

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Visual Cues for Social Behavioral Expectations

• Display of
• Desired Behaviors
• Choice making
• First/Then

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Why is Visual Information Easier to Process?

• Individuals with ASD have difficulty shifting and
  reestablishing attention
• Individuals with ASD often attend to foreground
  noises and sounds and block out background noises

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Environmental supports (schedules,
behavioral contracts and social rules defining
expectations) that match the students nature are
used across contexts to prevent challenging
behavior and to promote appropriate skills.
Positive behavioral supports, based on a
Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) are
implemented consistently across staff and across
settings.

• Effective Strategy
• Positive Behavioral
• Support

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In Autism

• We want to work on and change the behaviors we
  can see, but in order to do so we must understand
  the factors beneath the surface.
• Mesibov, Shea and Shopler, (2005)

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How we respond makes a difference!

• These children often show a surprising
  sensitivity to the personality of the teacher.
• They can be taught but only by those who give
  them true understanding and affection, people who
  show kindness towards them and yes, humor.
• The teachers underlying attitude influences,
  involuntarily and unconsciously, the mood and the
  behavior of the child.
• Hans Asperger, 1944

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Positive Behavioral Supports

• Clearly define classroom and school-wide
  expectations/rules for social behavior.
• Identify short statements for the students, such
  as
• Follow directions from adults
• Be kind
• Respect self and others
• Be a friend

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Positive Behavioral Supports

• Directly teach the skills
• Role play with the students
• Have them show what it means to be a
• friend and what it does NOT mean

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Positive Behavioral Supports

• Every faculty and staff member should acknowledge
  appropriate behavior by stating the target
  behavior
• Great job following directions
• That was so kind.
• For behavior to change, staff should reinforce a
  5 to 1
• ratio of positive to negative comments!!!!!

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Functional Analysis

• Identifying the current variables which maintain
  behavior. Behavior is looked at as an avenue of
  communicating a need or desire.
• A thorough analysis of the conditions under which
  behaviors occur leads to an understanding,
  treatment and prevention of behaviors which are
  socially inappropriate.

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Pinpointing and Recording Behavior Naida Grant

• Behavior Simply something the person does
• Describe behavior in terms that can be observed
  and measured. USE VERBS!
• Advantages
• Better agreement between observers. It is
  generally agreed that consistency in dealing with
  children is highly desirable.
• Objectivity Clear definitions help remove the
  emotional attachments that sometimes go with
  unwanted behaviors.

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If Then

• You will
• the bring

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If Then

• treat the may

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Ask Questions

• What does the child do?
• What do you want him to do?
• What does the child look like while engaged in
  this behavior?

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Recording Behavior

• Occurrence/ non-occurrence When does the
  behavior occur?
• Frequency How often?
• Duration How long?

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Functional Analysis

• It is important to remember that behavior is a
  way of communicating a need or desire.
• It is also important to look at the function of
  the behavior (escape/avoidance, attention, to get
  something or to self stimulate).

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Incentive/Reinforcement Systems

• Some behavior plans in schools are punishment
  based.
• This MOST OFTEN is NOT effective to teach
  positive target behaviors for students with ASD.
• The target, positive behaviors need to be taught
  and reinforced.

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Visual Contract
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Incentive/Reinforcement Systems

• Some behavior plans in schools are punishment
  based
• This MOST OFTEN is NOT effective for students
  with ASD

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Contingency plans/mapsPat Mirenda

• Assists students in understanding that actions
  have consequences positive and negative.
• Allows them to see the big picture.
• Helps students learn about choice making
• Teaches students to stop and think

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Classroom rules
If you follow the rules. Keep hands and feet to
self, mouth closed.
You stay in the third grade classroom
Third Grade classroom
You must leave the third grade classroom
If you hit, kick or spit.
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You will be able to
Stay in class Get good grades!

• Listen to the teacher
• Follow Directions
• Use Polite Language

If you
Biology Class
Leave the room Get a zero on the days
assignment
If you

• Swear
• Do not follow directions
• Are rude to someone

You will have to
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Reinforcement

• Refers to the increasing or strengthening of a
  behavior over time.
• Reinforcement increases behavior whether you want
  it to or not.
• Reinforcement can be food, social interaction,
  activities, privileges, desired objects and
  tokens.

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Basic Behavioral Rules

• State things positively for the student.
• Only one person give the directions.
• Keep verbal directions to a minimum.
• Whenever possible, offer the student choices.
• Respect the choices your student makes.

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• The number one guideline to remember is

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It takes two to Tango and.
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It is all about YOU!!
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It is important to Understand Setting Events

• A Setting Event is an event that occurs at a
  different point in time and may influence the
  likelihood of a behavior occurring.
• A setting event sets the occasion for behaviors
  good or bad

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Positive/Good setting Events

• Child had a good nights sleep
• Child is eating well
• Child is following a good daily routine
• Child has familiar family and caretakers
• Child has access to preferred toys and activities
• Child has no current sensory sensitivities

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Bad/Negative Setting Events

• Child is not sleeping well
• Child is not eating well
• Child has sensory sensitivities
• Child has some current medical issues (gut
  problems, ear infections, anxiety, etc.)
• Childs home routine is inconsistent/schedule
  changed (new person in the home, child was rushed
  more than usual)
• Child did not get time with preferred activity

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Skill Development
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Skill Development Competencies

• Student Has Way To Communicate And To Understand
  the Communication of Others
• Embedded Social Skill Development
• Student Can self-Organize and Plan to Maximize
  Attention

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Every student should have an effective
communication system that matches his/her
abilities and preferences and is available for
continued use throughout the day.
Effective Strategy Student Has Way To
Communicate And To Understand the Communication
of Others
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Qualitative Impairment in Social Interaction

• Children often need to be taught to get the
  attention of a communicative partner before
  delivering a message
• Joint attention skills must often be taught to
  students with ASD

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Communicative Functions and Means

• Behavioral Regulation
• Requesting, refusing, protesting
• Social Interaction
• Greeting, calling
• Requesting permission
• Showing off
• Joint Attention
• Comment
• Asking questions
• Answering questions

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Augmentative Communication Supports

• Assist a Childs Language both Receptively and
  Expressively

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Some Children are Verbal, but...

• Often depend on verbal prompts to communicate
• Demonstrate difficulty with spontaneous
  initiations
• Have difficulty communicating in stressful
  situations
• Are often difficult to understand
• Kathy Quill

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AAC Supports

• Enable the child to attend to communicative
  interactions
• Clarify the meaning of spoken language
• Provide a means of communication
• Expand the range of communicative functions
• Provide a retrieval cue about what to say
• Increase spontaneity
• Kathy Quill

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The development of social skills is embedded
into natural contexts.

• Effective Strategy Embedded Social Skill
  Development

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Skills to Learn for Social and Emotional
Competence

• Recognizing and naming ones own emotions
  (labeling)
• Understanding the reason and circumstances for
  feeling the way one does
• Coping and Controlling impulses, aggression, and
  self-destructive, antisocial behavior
• Understanding others perspectives, points of
  view and feelings

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A 5 Could Make Me Lose ControlKari Dunn Buron
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5 Point Scale

• Strategy that assists students in understanding
  social interactions and emotional control.
• Reduces abstract concepts into concrete numbers
• Defines the students behavior in relation to a
  number.
• Gives clear direction regarding what to do in
  relationship to the situation.

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Whats in your toolbox?

• Toolbox should be created with a hierarchy of
  coping strategies that the student can pick from
  to help them overcome their emotions.
• Some examples
• Doodling heavy work
• Drawing walk
• Reading break

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Teaching Social Understanding

• Social Stories are an Instructional Technique
  Developed by Carol Gray.
• Social Stories teach social skills through
  improved social understanding and the extensive
  use of visual materials.
• Help us understand the perspective of the student
  while at the same time providing the student with
  information regarding what is occurring in a
  given situation and why.

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Social Stories

• Social Stories are home made books, audiotapes
  and/or videotapes that describe social
  situations, teach social expectations and explain
  the perspectives of other people.
• They can be written with photographs, pictographs
  and/or print.
• Storybooks can be accompanied by a storybook
  audiotape or a videotape depicting the social
  content.
• Social Stories can be adapted for children of all
  ages.

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Hidden CurriculumBrenda Smith Myles

• Those things that everybody knows but the
  student with Asperger Syndrome.
• Unspoken rules
• What can be said in front of whom.

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Hidden Curriculum

• Do not tell the man at the grocery store that he
  is big and fat even if you think he is.
• While waiting in the doctors waiting room, do
  not ask people why they are waiting to see the
  doctor or tell them in detail why you are there.
• Do not shout hello to your friend sitting two
  pews in front of you during religious services.

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Hidden Curriculum Examples

• When you get on an elevator, always stand facing
  the doors do not face the back or sides of the
  elevator or stare at others.
• Whisper inside a movie theatre.
• When other seats are available in the theatre,
  leave a space between yourself and a stranger.
• It is a good general rule not to do in real life
  what people do in movies or on TV.

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Student and Family Competencies

• Students Level of Involvement in Life
• Family Has Valued Input Into Planning And
  Decisions for the Student

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Student Interest

• Criteria for ASD
• Key to motivation

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Student Choice

• Gives control back to the student
• Provide as many opportunities as possible

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Families have meaningful input in designing
programs and in selecting outcomes.
Effective Strategy Family Has Valued Input Into
Planning And Decisions for the Student
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Understanding Families

• Family Unit
• Who lives with the child?
• Family Functions
• What role does each family member have?
• What are the cultural influences of the family?

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Remember

• Every family loves their child and wants what is
  best for them.
• Parents are the experts of their children.

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Shared Responsibility

• Work with a family to develop goals and
  objectives for the student.
• Advocate for the student.

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Remember.Good Teaching is Good Teaching!