"When teaching students with autism, educators must consider the child's social, communication, and academic needs. Thus, teachers must offer a broad array of accommodations to help them cope with the turmoil of school interactions, as well as provide structure and adaptations that enable them to master subject content"
Typical Accommodations for Students with Autism
- Clearly established and ordered routines
- Warning and preparation when changes are anticipated
- Practicing communication strategies and social routines
- Earplugs or noise-canceling headsets in hallways or lunchroom
- A quiet area where the student can take a time-out if necessary
- Visual or written, rather than oral instructions
- Using technology, specifically word processing for writing
- Video Games help autistic students in the classroom (Toppo, 2012)
- Using a note taker
- Extra testing time and verbal tests
- Use graphic organizers and highlight significant concepts.
Interventions
There is not a single method for teaching students with autism that is successful for all students. Each student is unique.
Individual interventions specific to each student are defined in each student's Individualized Education Plan however there are general interventions and accommodations that classroom teachers can take to design and create a classroom environment conducive to each student's individual needs.
A student’s education program could include a combination of:
- Instructional activities from the regular curriculum
- Activities based on goals and objectives that are unique to the individual and set out in an Individualized Education Plan.
Differentiation strategies
Structured Teaching (an instructional strategy created by the Treatment and Education of Autistic and other Communication handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) suggests:
1. Visual aids and symbols to
1. Visual aids and symbols to
- organize the students' activity
- provide directions or instructions for the student
- assist the student in understanding the organization of the environment—labeling of objects, containers, signs, lists, charts, and messages
- support appropriate behavior—posted rules and representations to signal steps of routines
- teach social skills
- teach self-control
2. Tiered Assignments
Varied levels of activities for the same lesson or unit that ensure students explore ideas at a level that builds on their prior knowledge and promotes continued growth.
3. Appropriate work spaces
- Open spaces with soft items
- Minimum number of potential distractions, such as away from a window, close to the front of the room of teacher's desk, and in areas with plain walls and less visual stimuli
- Fill the work space with items that the student finds soothing.
4. Individual Work Systems
- To promote independence
- Most effective work systems present information visually and communicate
- What to do
- How much they are expected to do
- How to know when the task is finished
- What to do when the work is finished
Tips for Implementing Work Systems from The
Indiana Resource Center for Autism
Indiana Resource Center for Autism
- Provide only the materials the student will need for the specific task/activity to decrease confusion.
- Use work systems in a variety of settings (e.g., circle time, social groups, playground, home, doctor visits) to increase generalization across location and adults.
- Prompt nonverbally, direct students to visual cues, prompt from behind so adult is not part of the student’s visual field, fade prompts as quickly as possible to maximize independence
- Create smaller, more portable work systems (e.g. in a notebook, file box) for students who travel to different settings throughout the school day.
- Incorporate student’s interests in the visual cues used in the works system
Other ways to support students with autism
- Provide precise, positive praise
- Provide meaningful reinforcements
- Different reinforcements work for different students
- Work together to develop a "likes and dislikes" list
- Give opportunities for choice
- Break down oral instruction
- Pay attention to processing and pacing issues
- Implement concrete examples and hands on activities
- Task analysis
- Break down tasks into subtasks
- Introduce unfamiliar tasks in a familiar environment when possible
- Celebrate each students' strengths! Many students with autism have a good sense of humor, a love of music, strong rote memorization skills, or a heightened sense of color or visual perspective.
Teacher Resources
Books:
Blogs:
The Autism Teacher
I Teach Autism
Pinterest
Websites
Teachers First
Autism Resources for Teachers from the National Education Association
Autism 101: Tips for Teachers
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and the Pyramid Approach to Education
The TEACCH Method
Do 2 Learn: Printable Picture Cards
Social Stories - Living Well with Autism- http://livingwellwithautism.com/social_storiesSources
Sources
Fukunaga, L., Simonellie, S., & Sperry, L. Individualized educational support strategies for students with autism in inclusive classroom settings. Effective Practices Brief. Retrieved from http://www.sig.hawaii.edu/products/briefs/EPB_Autism.pdf
Special
Programs Branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Education, "Teaching
Students With Autism: A Resource Guide for Schools." British Columbia
Ministry of Education. (2000): 28-64. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. www.bced.gov.bc.ca/specialed/docs/autism.pdf
"Supporting Learning in the Student with Autism" (2012). Autism Speaks. Retrieved from http://www.autismspeaks.org/sites/default/files/sctk_supporting_learning.pdf
"What are typical challenges and accommodations for students with Asperger's Disorder and high-functioning Autism?." AccessStem. DO-IT, University of Washington, 25 2011. Web. 9 Nov 2012.
"What are typical challenges and accommodations for students with Asperger's Disorder and high-functioning Autism?." AccessStem. DO-IT, University of Washington, 25 2011. Web. 9 Nov 2012.
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