Module 6: Academic Strategies for Students with ASD

1. Module 6: Academic Strategies for Students with ASD Lesson 2: Math Strategies

2. Lesson Overview Components of Math Instruction Students with ASD and the Components of Math Instruction Strategies for Teaching Math to Students with ASD

3. Components of Math Instruction • Math instruction generally consists of the following: • Number concepts (ex. More, less, greater than, less, than, estimation, even and odd numbers) • Computation (ex. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, percents) • Mathematical concepts (ex. Geometry, measurement, time, money, algebra) • Problem solving (ex. word problems)

4. Students with ASD and the Components of Math Instruction • Students with ASD may or may not have significant impairments in math. • Some students may be at or above grade level when it comes to computation, but the other components listed on the previous page may pose a problem. • Communication impairments and social impairments can have a negative impact on a student’s ability to attend during math instruction and to understand the language being presented.

5. Math Strategies

6. Teaching Basic Math Facts • For students with ASD who do not easily learn basic math facts (+, -, x, ÷) it will be necessary to provide explicit instruction to enable them to learn the concepts and to memorize the facts once they learn the concepts. • It is important to use manipulativesand/or pictoral representations to teach students with ASD the basic math facts concepts • Once the students learn the concepts, they should then learn to memorize the facts. This can be done by: • Drill and practice • Using the behavioral momentum strategy combined with repetition to teach new facts (ex. Easy-easy-difficulty, easy-easy-difficult: 2+2= ____, 4+4=___, 6+7=_____, 1+1=_______, 3+3=_______, 7+6=___________) • Timed probes to build fluency using graphs to chart progress (ex. Precision teaching) • Peer tutoring (also an opportunity to work on socialization skills) • Computer software

7. Teaching Abstract Concepts Concrete Semi-concrete Abstract Students with ASD may have difficulty grasping some mathematical concepts that are more abstract Thus, it is important to teach along a continuum from concrete to abstract

8. Teaching Abstract Concepts • Concrete: Using manipulatives, hands-on activities • Semi-concrete: Using pictorial representations • Abstract: Demonstrate understanding of the concept using paper and pencil calculations or mental mathematical reasoning

9. Example: Teaching the Concept of Perimeter • Concrete: To teach students the concept of perimeter provide opportunities for them to physically show the perimeter of objects by tracing around the edges with their fingers. Then have students measure each edge and calculate the perimeter by adding. • Semi-concrete: Have students calculate perimeter of shapes drawn on paper by measuring each side and adding them up. • Abstract: Ask the students questions such as, “What would be the perimeter of a room that is 10 feet by 15 feet.”

10. Solving Word Problems • For students with significant communication impairments, you may need to develop words problems that contain language the student can understand and gradually increase the difficulty of the language being presented. • Simple: There are six dogs at the park. Two of the dogs are little. The rest are big. How many of the dogs are big? • More difficult: The students went on a field trip to the zoo. They visited six species of birds, five species of bears, and three species of primates. How many species did they visit that had wings? • It also may be helpful to embed the student’s special interests within the word problems to increase motivation and attention. • Ex. David had 3 toy trains. He gave one train to his little brother Brian. How many does he have left to play with? • When teaching students to solve the problems you can: • Have them re-tell what they read in their own words and/or draw pictures • Have them tell what they need to find out • Have them explain what they need to do to find out the answer • Have them solve • For students who have a great deal of difficulty, provide scaffolding (prompting/fading procedures) to assist the students in the problem solving process.

11. Explaining Why an Answer Makes Sense • Students with ASD may have difficulty explaining why there answer makes sense. • Because this is often a requirement in classrooms and on standardized tests, they will require explicit instruction to learn how to explain why their answer makes sense. • This can be done throughteacher/peer think-alouds and then gradually including the student in the explanation process • Ex. “This makes sense because I started out with ten cookies, I gave most away, and now I only have two.”)

12. Engaging in Group InstructionHere are some strategies to use during math instruction to increase active engagement: • Ask the student with ASD many questions throughout the group instructions (be sure they are questions the student can answer) • Do not provide worksheets or math problems the student will work on independently until the students are ready to start the (otherwise the student may think he/she is supposed to work on those problems and then does not listen and engage in instruction) • Have the student with ASD assist the teacher during instruction (ex. Point to things on the board, get learning materials/props, write on the board) • Make lots of eye contact with the student during instruction and use close proximity and positive body language to keep the student engaged • Use choral responding (ex. Verbally, individual dry-erase boards, holding up cards with answers on them) • Use manipulatives and other hands-on learning materials during math instruction • Utilize visual supports as much as possible (ex. pictures, models, graphic organizers, written words) • Embed opportunities for movement into instruction (ex. Have students use gestures to demonstrate concepts such as opening arms wide to indicate greater than and opening the thumb and pointer fingers a little bit to indicate less than, have students act out mathematical concepts such as walking around a desk to indicate perimeter) • Embed the student’s special interests into the lessons (ex. When teaching a lesson on estimation, have the students estimate how many people can fill a railroad car if the student loves trains)

13. Summary • While this lesson focused on mathematics, many of the strategies discussed can be used during content area instruction as well such as: • Teaching along the continuum from concrete to abstract • The strategies discussed to increase active engagement during group instruction

14. Module 6 Lesson 2 Activity Select a math concept that you are going to teach to a student with ASD and the other classmates Provide specific instructions for how you will first teach the concept in a concrete way, then a semi-concrete way, then in the abstract.