OVERVIEW
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Typically there are no physical differences that separate children with ASD from most other children. However, the way they communicate, interact, behave, and learn is what commonly sets them apart from their peers. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some, but not all, children with ASD can need a lot of help on a daily basis.
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Typically there are no physical differences that separate children with ASD from most other children. However, the way they communicate, interact, behave, and learn is what commonly sets them apart from their peers. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some, but not all, children with ASD can need a lot of help on a daily basis.
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
Sometimes “autism” really means “autism spectrum disorder”
When people use the term autism, it can mean one of two things. They may actually be referring to autistic disorder, or classical autism. But autism is often used in a more general sense to refer to all autism spectrum disorders.
When people use the term autism, it can mean one of two things. They may actually be referring to autistic disorder, or classical autism. But autism is often used in a more general sense to refer to all autism spectrum disorders.
TYPES OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS
The autism spectrum disorders fall under the umbrella of five childhood-onset conditions called pervasive developmental disorders or PDD. When most people talk about the autism spectrum disorders they are referring to the three most common pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), which are Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). The three main autism spectrum disorders share a host of the same symptoms but also differ in their severity and impact, which is why as teachers and tutors it is important to understand each student’s unique symptoms and experience.
A few sources that can be helpful in understanding each specific autism spectrum disorder are the following:
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism/autism-spectrum-disorders.htm
The autism spectrum disorders fall under the umbrella of five childhood-onset conditions called pervasive developmental disorders or PDD. When most people talk about the autism spectrum disorders they are referring to the three most common pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), which are Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). The three main autism spectrum disorders share a host of the same symptoms but also differ in their severity and impact, which is why as teachers and tutors it is important to understand each student’s unique symptoms and experience.
A few sources that can be helpful in understanding each specific autism spectrum disorder are the following:
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism/autism-spectrum-disorders.htm
COMMON BEHAVIORS & SIGNS
Children with ASD often have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They commonly repeat certain behaviors and might be unwilling to change in their daily activities.
Children with ASD often have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They commonly repeat certain behaviors and might be unwilling to change in their daily activities.
Children With ASD May:
|
|
TECHNIQUES & TIPS FOR HELPING
Visual aids One of the most strongly recommended approaches for teaching students with autism is to use visual aids. Students with ASD often have relative strengths in concrete thinking, rote memory (memory based on repetition), and understanding of visual-spatial relationships, and difficulties in abstract thinking, social cognition, communication, and attention. An advantage of using visual aids is that students can use them for as long as they need to process the information. Conversely, oral information is only present during the time it is spoken, which may not allow children enough time to process it. Given that most children with ASD experience difficulties with attention, visual aids prove to be a successful source of information given their longer duration as compared to oral information. Break down oral instructions into small steps When providing oral instructions avoid using long strings of verbal information. Supporting oral instruction with visual aids/cues will help students with ASD gain a greater understanding of the task at hand. |
Give time for processing Given the cognitive and/or motor difficulties that students with autism commonly experience, they may need longer to process and respond to instructions than other students. Giving these students extra time to process instructions and generate responses is an important tool to keep in mind when working with students with autism. Highlight important information & Stay organized A common difficulty that children with autism experience is maintaining attention. One important step that teachers and tutors can take when helping these students is to eliminate all unnecessary materials from the table or desk to reduce the chance of losing the students attention. It is also important to present these students with only the material you want them to learn/read rather than all of the material at once. One way to make sure the important information stands out to the student is to highlight key words and main ideas to ensure that they don’t go unnoticed. For example, when reading a book present only the chapter or portion of a chapter that needs to be read. Key information to highlight might be the main characters name, the setting, or the main idea. https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/docs/autism.pdf |
Personal Experience
When you spend an entire day in a single classroom of under 20 third graders it is easy to pick out the students that are having a harder time focussing and staying on task. Just after my first day at Burroughs I felt that I could confidently see which kids displayed the typical signs and symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Out of these students that seemed to have an extra hard time focusing there was one student that stood out to me in a different way. Not only was he inattentive and kind of off in his own world, but he also didn't seem to really engage in any conversation with the other students or the teacher when they initiated conversation. During the lunch break with my teacher I asked if we could take a look at his IEP (Individualized Education Plan), so that I could maybe get a better idea of how the student learns best and what help he is usually offered. It was only after this conversation that my teacher realized that the student had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Having no background in special education I felt a bit hopeless to the case, but then I started doing research on what I could do to help. Many of the tips that I found in my research served to be very helpful. In the case of directions and instructions I found that breaking down the instructions into small steps really helped. With the particular student I worked with it really helped to highlight key information and kind of chunk material together. Using shorter sentences and straightforward language seemed to help him really process the information. At times it did take a little bit longer than I expected for him to process and respond to information and questions, and this is where the importance of patience cannot be stressed enough. I learned very quickly that presenting him with too much information at once easily overwhelmed him and didn't lead to much progress at all. The most important things I learned while working with this student were: the use of shorter/simple sentences and instructions - highlighting main ideas and points - giving enough time for processing and responding to information - presenting only the portion of information that is currently at hand rather than all the information from the lesson at once (I found that this really helped him stay on task and not get distracted or overwhelmed by the material that would come next)
When you spend an entire day in a single classroom of under 20 third graders it is easy to pick out the students that are having a harder time focussing and staying on task. Just after my first day at Burroughs I felt that I could confidently see which kids displayed the typical signs and symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Out of these students that seemed to have an extra hard time focusing there was one student that stood out to me in a different way. Not only was he inattentive and kind of off in his own world, but he also didn't seem to really engage in any conversation with the other students or the teacher when they initiated conversation. During the lunch break with my teacher I asked if we could take a look at his IEP (Individualized Education Plan), so that I could maybe get a better idea of how the student learns best and what help he is usually offered. It was only after this conversation that my teacher realized that the student had Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Having no background in special education I felt a bit hopeless to the case, but then I started doing research on what I could do to help. Many of the tips that I found in my research served to be very helpful. In the case of directions and instructions I found that breaking down the instructions into small steps really helped. With the particular student I worked with it really helped to highlight key information and kind of chunk material together. Using shorter sentences and straightforward language seemed to help him really process the information. At times it did take a little bit longer than I expected for him to process and respond to information and questions, and this is where the importance of patience cannot be stressed enough. I learned very quickly that presenting him with too much information at once easily overwhelmed him and didn't lead to much progress at all. The most important things I learned while working with this student were: the use of shorter/simple sentences and instructions - highlighting main ideas and points - giving enough time for processing and responding to information - presenting only the portion of information that is currently at hand rather than all the information from the lesson at once (I found that this really helped him stay on task and not get distracted or overwhelmed by the material that would come next)