Regional Autism Advisory Council of Southwest Ohio (RAAC-SWO) RAAC Training Committee 2011

1. The Basics of Autism Spectrum DisordersTraining Series Regional Autism Advisory Council of Southwest Ohio (RAAC-SWO) RAAC Training Committee 2011

2. Training Series Modules Module One: Autism Defined, Autism Prevalence and Primary Characteristics Module Two: Physical Characteristics of Autism Module Three: Cognition and Learning in Autism Module Four: Getting the Student Ready to Learn Module Five: Structuring the Classroom Environment Module Six: Using Reinforcement in the Classroom

3. Training Series Modules Module Seven: Autism and Sensory Differences Module Eight: Sensory in the Classroom Module Nine: Communication and Autism Module Ten: Communication in the Classroom Module Eleven: Behavior Challenges and Autism Module Twelve: Understanding Behavior in Students with Autism

4. Training Series Modules Module Thirteen: Social Skills in the School Environment Module Fourteen: Functional Behavior Assessment Module Fifteen: Working Together as a Team Module Sixteen: Autism and Leisure Skills to Teach Module Seventeen: Special Issues of Adolescence Module Eighteen: Safety and Autism Module Nineteen: Special Issues: High School, Transition, and Job Readiness

5. Training Series Modules Module Twenty: Asperger Syndrome: Managing and Organizing the Environment Module Twenty-One: Asperger Syndrome: Addressing Social Skills

6. Social Skills and Asperger Syndrome • Social skills deficits is the one characteristic that we will see in all students that have a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. • This is an area that has to be addressed at every level and every age. • Social skills must be specifically taught, these students are just not going to get it through observations and repeated experiences.

7. Big Idea When talking about social skills and students with Asperger Syndrome, it is more about the WHAT to teach then the how to teach.

8. The Hidden Curriculumthe “WHAT” to teach • The Hidden Curriculum was developed by Brenda Smith Myles (2004). • The Hidden Curriculum is a set of rules or guidelines that are often not directly taught but are assumed to be known. • The Hidden Curriculum contains items that have an effect on social interactions, school performance, and safety. • There are things that most students “just pick up” or learn through observation.

9. The Hidden Curriculum • The Hidden Curriculum differs across gender. • Girls and boys interact with each other in vary different manners. • The Hidden Curriculum differs across age. • The Hidden Curriculum for a 9-year-old is different from that for a 16-year-old or a 25-year old. • The Hidden Curriculum differs depending on who you are with. • Students use different language based on whether they are with their peers or with the adults in their lives.

10. Big Idea Never assume that a student knows even the most basic social skills. These must be taught, sometimes over and over again and in multiple locations.