What is Autism?

1. What is Autism? Strategies to support students with ASD in the Classroom Maree Rowland August 2019

2. Diagnostic Criteria DSM-5 for ASD • Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity. • Social communication/interaction • Inability to initiate or maintain social interactions • Difficulties maintaining relationships • Non-verbal communication difficulties • Mismatch between expressive language and understanding • Restricted repetitive patterns of behaviour • Repetitive behaviours and routines (including sensory sensitivities) • Repetitive speech, motor movements or use of objects • Preference for routines, resistance to change without explanation • Strong interests • Hyper or hypo reactivity to sensory input positive partnerships Fact Sheet 10

3. Expressive Language • Speech: sounds and words • Sometimes words can be quite sophisticated but the functionality level is the teaching level • Language: grammar and intonation • “Apple?” Can tell a stronger message than “You can’t do that Harold” • Functional language: when excited and anxious • “There are 92 bird species in NZ.” but when anxious, “can’t go” • Scripts: strength of echolalia • “I’ve had enough”, “It’s swimming after lunch”

4. Understanding What does the student understand and what strategies might help. Level of anxiety for the task: • Relating the parts of the task that are known and add on the new: Always show a past task – photo, video, sheet. • New tasks increase anxiety: What they can do in a known task is far reduced with a new task • Students with ASD are not keen to ‘give it a go’. They like to know what the compete task is and what that looks like. • Equipment to use Eg building blocks. On the container have some photos of completed constructions.

5. Presence - Participation - Quality Learning Our outcome is quality learning but until we have presence and participation the quality of the learning will be reduced Strategies that students put in place such as sitting under the table, standing at the back of the room, moving, having blutac to mould, - these allow the student to be there and possibly listen. When we concentrate on having them sit with peers we often get compliance but little participation. Being there physically doesn’t mean being present to learn.

6. Key Competencies and TeWhaariki

7. Supporting Presence & Participation See the need for the student and trial strategies that are acceptable to your class and work for the student with ASD. • Break cards • A timer for how long the task will take • A reminder of what is happening next • More water and food breaks • A preferred activity before a new or more attentive task • Permission to leave card • Social Stories – Carol Gray

8. Break cards • Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) • Initially students use more and this can reduce • Its helps self regulate to have the option • Students genuinely need breaks

9. Permission to leave card • this can mean permission to leave the task or an area • Have an agreement as to where the student can go – often a sketch or a photo • Sometimes the use of a timer helps self regulation

10. First - then • Transitions can be difficult – students are trying to remember what the next tasks entails and cope with the spontaneous movements and noises that occur • When & then – easy and stable • Real objects to words

11. What do I need to do? • Showing the task completed previously • Giving the step by step support that you give verbally in a static visual form

12. Video modelling & video self modelling • Showing a video of what the task involves • Video modelling seems to more motivating and less threatening than face-to-face modelling. It also lets students with ASD focus on one aspect of a skill at a time • Video self-modelling is a form of observational learning in which individuals observe themselves performing a behaviour successfully on video, and then imitate that behaviour

13. Observing Others Observing others is often still developing for our students with ASD. We can teach observing by giving repetition and practice Videoing is easy and powerful. On the fly you can video peers participating in a task. Share with whole class or with individuals. “Peter turned the page when Robyn finished reading.” “That’s a red square and then a blue circle – then its repeated – a red square and blue circle” “Numbers 1, 2 & 3 are highlighted – that’s the only ones we need to do” Its an easy opportunity to put our words into pictures. The next day when its reading time – you can prompt with “yesterday Robert, Phillipa and you sat down to read one book with Mrs Brown”

14. Visual schedules

15. Visual schedules • Across or down? • Is it a list of things to do or an instruction sheet? • Does our student like to tick off or see fewer tasks to do?

16. Visual schedules • How often will we use the schedule? • Schedules are for all daily events – not just the changes

17. Visual schedules • Change up and change down • Practice that change is okay!

18. Visual schedules • Photos or pictures?Do they need to be the actual activity or item?

19. Visual schedules • Words or no words? • If a student reads competently can I just use words?

20. Visual schedules • Take the visual off when completed or leave on? • How easy is it to find the visual you need?

21. Schedules with a timer • Watching time fly • Timers are reliable and consistent • Use timers for preferred activities and non-preferred activities – we tend to move the goal posts!! • Its okay to change the time – always give the reason why

22. Calenders

23. Daily work plan • Colour coding the start and next step • Having the chart colour on the folder with the worksheet inside • Sometimes no choice is a good choice

24. Story writing • Teach Me Language: • Detail and 1 detail • Detail and 1 detail with extension • 1 to 4 ideas for news time • Up to 4 sentences for story writing

25. Social stories • Carol Gray 1991 • Carol Gray’s first Social Story • Examples • When can I go swimming? • What will happen when I visit? • What happens when my teacher is away? • Language used • Usually • Sometimes • Might • Many • New & different – another, change

26. Hi my name is James • Hi my name is James • For mat time I listen best when sitting by the lego • At break times I can go outside before the bell to keep out of the hustle and bustle • When my teacher is away can I please sit by my friend Fred? • I don’t like people touching me

27. Conversations

28. Conversation Types • #1 Conversation: Having turns. Sometimes making comments and sometimes asking questions. • “I love chocolate ice-cream. What’s your favourite?” • Bumping: When our words crash and its difficult to follow • Too many turns: One person is the lecturer (sometimes teachers are allowed to be the lecturer) • You had one turn and I’ve had four turns. That’s too many • Changing lanes: changing topic • Oh oh, we were talking about dinosaurs and you changed to car engines • Speech bubbles & thinking bubbles: • We can have some information in our thinking bubbles and only put some into our speech bubble.

29. A picture is worth a thousand words