Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Classroom

1. Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Classroom September 21, 2010

2. What are ASD’s? • A category of neurological disorders characterized by severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development • 5 Disorders under the PDD umbrella: • Autism • Asperger’s Disorder • Childhood Disintegrative Disorder • Rett’s Disorder • Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

3. Affected Areas • Communication skills • Social Interaction skills • Behavior • The number and intensity of symptoms vary with each case

4. Communication • Difficulty initiating or sustaining conversation • Stereotyped and repetitive use of language • Difficulty talking about abstract concepts • May have difficulty with “why” and “what if” questioning • May have peculiar voice characteristics

5. Social Interactions • Non-verbal difficulty • May have limited use or understanding of non-verbal behavior • May not understand meaning of common facial expressions • Difficulty with age-appropriate peer relationships • Lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, accomplishments, interests with others • May appear to have a preference to be alone, when in actuality wants peer interaction

6. Behavior • Restricted, repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests • Prefers routine and structured environments • May become upset with loud noises and/or demonstrate an intolerance for stimulating environments

7. Uneven Cognitive Profile • Visual-perceptual skills often better developed than verbal skills • Expressive language often better developed than receptive language (can be hyperverbal) • Typical strengths: rote learning, spelling, sight word vocabulary, factual knowledge, math computation • Typical weaknesses: reading comprehension, verbal reasoning, character analysis, prediction, written work, differentiating relevant from irrelevant detail, difficulty generalizing skills from one setting to another

8. Challenges • Bullying • Other adolescents begin to question authority while the student with an ASD is still in the mentality of following the rules • Being a stickler for the rules, the student with an ASD may correct another student who is breaking a rule • Other adolescents may misinterpret the ASD student’s behavior

9. Challenges, Continued • Depression & Anxiety • May become frustrated and disappointed by social difficulties • Sensory Processing Issues • May easily experience sensory overload which can affect learning

10. Educational Supports • Effective Instructional Strategies: • Visual aides • Schedules, outlines, graphic organizers, pictures, models, charts, lists • Multi-sensory instruction • Classroom structural strategies • Preparation for change in schedule • Predictable, consistent routine & consequences • Peer model/tutor • Provide clear & specific instructions • Supports • Positive behavioral supports • Counseling • Social skills instruction

11. Educational Supports • Instructional Supports • Organizational assistance • Comprehension checks • Cueing to relevant details • Assistance in generalizing skills (may need to re-teach in different settings) • Break down the steps within a task • Modeling • Repetition • Provide clear & specific instructions • With group work, may need to designate specific tasks for each student • Language • Avoid idioms, double meanings, sarcasm, and slang

12. Questions? Comments?

13. References • Henry, K. (2005) How Do I Teach This Kid? • Jackson, L. (2002) Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome • Schmidt, C., & Heybyrne, B. (2004) Autism in the School-Aged Child. • Sicile-Kira, C. (2004). Autism Spectrum Disorders. • Smith Myles, B., & Andreon D. (2001) Asperger Syndrome and Adolescence