Top 5 Strategies for Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Across School Environments

1. Top 5 Strategies for Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Across School Environments Autism Specialists Shawnee Mission School District Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

2. Housekeeping • Strategies – list your top five • Soap Box rules- • 30 seconds on the soap box • Stay on topic (look ahead and find your soapbox area) • Only present soapbox items during slide transitions Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

3. The Top Five Strategies • Visual Supports • Work Systems • Communication • Positive Behavior Supports • Environmental Structures Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

4. Prompting • Prompts are hints or cues meant to increase desired behaviors or to decrease undesirable behaviors. • Prompts are like crutches – a type of artificial support that you don’t want or need forever. • Fading must occur quickly and is accomplished by gradually reducing the strength of the prompt. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

5. Prompting • Most to least prompting is used when teaching a new skill. • Least to Most prompting is used when a skill has already been learned. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

6. Levels of Prompting • Point – teacher points to achieve desiredresult • Gesture – teacher makes a motion to prompt for the desired result (teaching cup – the teacher makes a “drink” gesture) • Model – (full or partial) – teacher models desired result (teaching “clap” – teacher claps) • Partial – requires physical guidance to achieve desired result (a nudge at the elbow) Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

7. Levels of Prompting • Full - gives full physical assistance to achieve desired result (hand over hand assistance) • Verbal – (full or partial) – teacher models desired result (teaching cup, teacher says, “What’s this? Say “cup”.) Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

8. The Top Five Strategies • Visual Supports • Work Systems • Communication • Positive Behavior Supports • Environmental Structures Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

9. What Are Visual Supports • … those things we see that enhance the communication process. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

10. What Are Visual Supports • Environmental Cues • furniture arrangement • location of objects • signs, signals, labels, menus Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

11. What Are Visual Supports • Traditional Tools for Organization and Giving Information • calendars, daily planners • schedules, TV guides, movie listings • maps • written instructions and directions Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

12. Why Use Visual Supports • Some individuals with pervasive developmental disorders experience difficulty attending to, modulating, or understanding auditory stimuli • Some individuals with pervasive developmental disorders demonstrate difficulty attending to the communication message while blocking out background noises Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

13. Someone You Know Can Benefit • “He knows what to do, we do it everyday” • “He understands everything I say” • “He is too high for that” • “He won’t use them” • “He’s choosing not to do it” • The use of visual supports is not determined by the individual’s ability to talk, they are valuable to both verbal and non-verbal students. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

14. Benefits in Implementing Visuals Supports • Provides an understanding of the environment and expectations • Increases the opportunities for communicating • Elicits initiation of an interaction • Increases the ability to self-manage behaviors • Provides structure to allow the understanding and acceptance of change Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

15. Benefits in Implementing Visuals Supports • Clarifies verbal information, enhances comprehension • Helps establish and maintain attention • Presents information in a form that can be quickly and easily interpreted • Supports transitions between activities or locations • Provides a concrete method of teaching concepts such as time, sequences, and cause/effect Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

16. Determining the Level of Visual Representation • Objects • Representational objects • Photos • Color drawings (including picture icons) • Black and white line drawing • Words Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

17. Specifically Designed Tools to Meet Specific Needs • Visual Schedules • Labels • Boundary Setting • Choice Boards • Task Organizers • Activity Completion Signals • Social Stories • Additional Visual Management Tools Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

18. Data Collection • Documentation of how the visual support has impacted the behavior • Increase in the replacement or target behavior • Decrease of the inappropriate behavior • Increase in level of independence Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

19. Demonstration • Please refer to your examples packet Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

20. The Top Five Strategies • Visual Supports • Work Systems • Communication • Positive Behavior Supports • Environmental Structures Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

21. Work Systems • Promote independence for all students • Provide a structured format in which instructional control can be established • Provide a systematic routine in which the student both generalizes and practices a mastered skill Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

22. In addition…. • Predictable thereby reducing anxiety • Adaptable to any setting –promoting generalization • Provide students the opportunity to be around peers thereby increasing the opportunity to develop pragmatic language skills Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

23. Choosing the activitiesfor a Work System • Activities have a clear beginning and ending • Activities are mastered (fluent) or near mastery (fluency) Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

24. Setting up the system • All materials necessary for completing the activity and/or meeting objective are available • Each activity is clearly labeled by a picture, letter, number, etc. • A schedule strip with a matching symbol of the activities is available • Activities are lined up in the same order as they appear on the strip • A location is picked and clearly labeled for finished work Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

25. Prompting within the Work System • The overwhelming majority of prompting is nonverbal and done from behind the student. • Verbal prompts are only used when the student is engaged in the actual activity, never while in the process. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

26. Prompting within the Work System • Only nonverbal prompts are used when the student is involved with the process of the work system. • The process includes the following • Picking from the schedule • Matching the schedule symbol to the activity symbol • Placing the activity on the table Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

27. Prompting within the Work System • Putting the completed activity in the finished area • Choosing the next activity from the schedule Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

28. Prompting within the Work System • When the term “prompt” is used in describing the work system, it is assumed that the prompt will be whatever level of nonverbal is needed – i.e. hand over hand, point, gesture, etc. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

29. Be’ware • When you continue to use high levels of prompting throughout teaching, it will appear that the child is learning when in fact… THEY ARE ACTUALLY PROMPT DEPENDENT Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

30. Teaching the student to use the system • The student is seated at his desk. • The schedule is to the side of the student • The adult stands behind the student. • Using prompts, the adult directs the student to pick up the first symbol from the schedule. • Standing behind the student, the adult guides the student towards the work system Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

31. Teaching the student to use the system • Standing behind the student, the adult guides the student towards the activity with the corresponding symbol. • The student places the symbol on the matching activity, picks up the activity and carries it back to the table. • Once the student is seated, the adult prompts him to take the activity out of its work holder. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

32. Teaching the student to use the system • At this point, the adult may use some verbals if the student needs assistance, encouragement or reinforcement as it relates to the task…..not the process of the work system • The adult may stand behind the student while he works, or the adult may sit beside or across from him Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

33. Teaching the student to use the system • Once the student has completed the activity, prompt him to put it back in the work holder (from behind; nonverbal) • Prompt the student to place the activity in the finished box. • Prompt the student back to the schedule. • Repeat the above sequence until the student has completed all activities Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

34. One More Thing • Remember that any time you make a change in a student’s program such as moving the task from the speech room to the classroom, or changing the interaction from student to adult to student to peer, it may be necessary to move briefly to a higher prompt level and to a higher rate of reinforcement. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

35. Considerations • Data collection sheet • Who will collect the data • How often will the data be collected • Where will the data be stored • Criteria for program change • Who will determine the reinforcement • Who will provide the reinforcement • Types of schedules; types of work holders Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

36. Demonstration • Please refer to your examples packet Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

37. The Top Five Strategies • Visual Supports • Work Systems • Communication • Positive Behavior Supports • Environmental Structures Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

38. Communication and AutismTwo most common errors • Assuming communicative competence (2) Mistaking problems in communication for problems in behavior Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

39. Visually Cued InstructionandCommunication Use of visual tools to teach: (1) Social communication (2) Comprehension (3) Initiation Marriner, Nola. http://www.talklc.com/handout/Visually_Cued_Instruction.html#Symbol%20Exchange Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

40. Social Communication The functional use of language in social contexts Social communication includes the whys and hows and do’s and don’ts for: Gaining attention Taking turns Interrupting Shifting topics Nonverbal rules (eye contact, distance, gestures, facial expressions) Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

41. Visually cued instruction and social communication • Direct/explicit instruction; repeated practice • Social stories, cartooning, strategy cards • Model • Role play • Social forums Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

42. Social StoryPersonal Space People have an area around their body called “personal space.” Every person has personal space I have personal space. My Mom has personal space. My teachers have personal space. My friends have personal space. Personal space is like an invisible bubble. Personal space goes out from the arm to fingertips. People should stay out of a person’s personal space. My teachers have personal space. I should stay out of my teacher’s personal space. I should stay at least an arm’s length from my teacher. My friends have personal space. I should stay out of my friend’s personal space. I should stay at least an arm’s length from my friend. I will try to stay of someone else’s personal space. Everyone will be happy if I stay out of their personal space. Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

43. Comprehension Process of attaching meaning to an acoustic signal speech sound word discrimination word knowledge short./long term memory attention span environmental interference Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

44. Symptoms that there might be a comprehension problem • Unresponsive • Inappropriate responses Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

45. Visually cued instruction and comprehension (1) Adult points to symbol (2) Student places hand over adult’s hand (3) Adult verbalizes (4) Student listens Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

46. Visually cued instruction and comprehension Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

47. Visually cued instruction and comprehension Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

48. Initiation Initiation of communication is: • Purposeful • Spontaneous • Unprompted!!!! Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

49. Visually cued instructionand initiation of communication(Symbol Exchange) • Interactive communication method • Requires an exchange of a symbol between the student and a communication partner • Individuals learn to communicate in order to obtain highly motivating objects or events Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist

50. Symbol Exchange and Prompting • No verbal prompting……ever! • Use physical prompting from a most to least hierarchy to ensure successful communication Shawnee Mission School District Autism Specialist