Learning, teaching and assessment strategies to support students with Asperger syndrome

1. Learning, teaching and assessment strategies to support students with Asperger syndrome Dr William Scaife & Jo Bowman

2. Figures to show number of undergraduates presenting with Asperger syndrome at Anglia Ruskin University 2004 - 2010

3. What is Asperger Syndrome? Asperger syndrome is a form of autism, which is a lifelong disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people. NAS 2009

4. Triad of Impairments: • 1 - Problems with Social Interaction • Struggle to make and maintain friendships • Cannot understand the unwritten social rules that most of us take for granted • Find people unpredictable and confusing • Can become withdrawn and aloof • Behave in what may seem an inappropriate manner

5. 2 - Difficulty with Social Communication • Difficulty understanding gestures, facial expression or tone of voice • Difficulty knowing when to start or end a conversation • Use of complex words and phrases but not understanding their meaning fully • Literal – difficulty understanding jokes, sarcasm and metaphor

6. 3 - Difficulty with Social Imagination • Imaging alternative outcomes to situations and finding it hard to predict what will happen next • Understanding and interpreting others peoples thoughts feelings and actions (due to misreading facial expression and body language) • Having limited range of imaginative activities, which can be pursued rigidly and repetitively. Students may have an interest or obsession.

7. Beardon 2007, argues against this term, and identifies the positive traits of Autism, such as ‘honesty, straight talking, attention to detail, perfectionism, drive and focus” more in line with the ‘Social model of disability’ – he recognises that those with AS have ‘difference that needs acknowledgment”

8. CASE STUDY

11. Workflow of research Case Study Research Proposal Ethics approval Focus groups Production of Blog Use by students

12. The Dissertation Week 7 Proposal presentation Weeks 1 – 4 Find supervisor Ethics Approval Dissertation 10,000 words Week 22 Hand-in Week 17 Poster Presentation PDP CV & Exit Strategy

13. Staff development Special interest & motivation Regular supervisor meetings Dissertation student Computer based assessment Literal interpretation Meetings include LSA Allocate supervisor

14. Discussion of the use of blogging for learning and assessment

15. Dialogue Lecturer Blog Account Student Blog Account Dialogue VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) Dissertation Proposal VLE Page Blog Addresses Student Blog Account Dialogue Student Blog Account Community of practice Weigel (2002) states that deep learning stems from the formulation of ‘conditionalised knowledge, metacognition and communities of enquiry’ (communities of practice).

16. Customisation Reflection on set e-tivities Links Student Blog Personality Repository of work CV and self promotion Communities

20. Looking to the Future We want the students to: “Negotiate the meaning of their practice” Wenger (1998) Form a true ‘community of practice’ where students show interest and comment on each others’ blog, cite references where pertinent information can be found about each others’ dissertation areas, and therefore build friendship and trust.