educating the student with asd beckie rotondo, m.ed. itinerant autistic support teacher
TRANSCRIPT
Educating the Student with ASD
Beckie Rotondo, M.Ed.Itinerant Autistic Support
Teacher
Gaskins Overview
formal resolution between the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and a group of families and advocacy organizations who had filed a class-action lawsuit against PDE on behalf of a group of children with disabilities in 1994.
Gaskins…
Goal is to ensure that the IEP team first considers the regular classroom with supplementary aids and services before considering a more restrictive environment
Increase opportunities for students with disabilities to receive the supports and services needed to be educated with nondisabled peers in regular classrooms in their home schools
Supplemental Aids and Services Collaborative
• Adults working together to support students Instructional
• development and delivery of instruction that addresses diverse learning needs
Physical• adaptations and modifications to the physical
environment Social-Behavioral
• supports and services to increase appropriate behavior and reduce disruptive or interfering behavior
DSM-IV General Deficit Areas of ASD
Communication Social skills Restricted interests Sensory integration Behavior
Additional Core Deficits Difficulty identifying important global concepts and
elements of tasks Difficulty with processing auditory information-
understanding, retaining and retrieving Difficulty generalizing skills-skills must be taught in
context Difficulty with sequencing information or steps in a task Difficulty with transitioning Difficulty with time concepts and time management Uneven academic, social, or emotional development
(high functioning in some areas, low in others
What specifically is ASD???
Classic Autism• usually non-verbal, unengaged, and unable to perform
well on standard diagnostic tests.
• Affects communication, social skills, and verbal/nonverbal play
• Sometimes paired with Mental Retardation High Functioning Autism
• use meaningful language, read, write, do math, show affection, complete daily tasks but can't hold eye contact, maintain a conversation, engage in play, pick up on social cues
PDD-NOS• “catch all”
• all function levels whose symptoms don't fully correlate with classic autism
Asperger Syndrome• Affects the same triad of impairments as autism
• Usually average to above average intelligence
• Diagnosed around or after age 3
Autism vs. Asperger Syndrome
the child is very intelligent he or she is endowed with special
abilities in certain areas of interest the child first shows symptoms in the
third year or later the child develops highly grammatical
speech very early
Why do educators need to know about ASD? represent the fastest growing diagnosis
within the disability category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD)-US Dept. of Education
Affects children of all socioeconomic strata, cultures, and race
Increased identification will raise the number of children found in every school
Estimated cost of $90 billion per year according to the ASA
How does ASD affect learning and behavior?
Affects the neurodevelopment, resulting in distinct learning and behavioral styles
Underlying biological/genetic cause that produces organic and/or physical changes during brain development-resulting in atypical cognitive and social development
Affects individuals uniquely Affects the ability to integrate sensory
information and regulate emotions
Interventions and Strategies for Students with ASD
No single intervention or strategy has proven to be successful for all students with ASD
To maximize the effect of the intervention, consider the student’s following:• Communication proficiency
• Preferred mode of communication
• Cognitive ability
• Learning style
Interventions and Strategies for Students with ASD
Students with ASD require direct instruction in all areas due to the difficulty with generalization
Interventions/strategies must be connected to and generalized across settings, partners, materials, etc.
Strategies to Facilitate Successful Inclusion
Consistent classroom routines Provide visual schedules, rules, choice boards
and instructions (either pictures or words) Social stories (see an AS teacher for details) Be aware of situations causing anxiety and
stress-the AS teacher should give specific examples and provide strategies to ease frustration or anxiety
Strategies… Plan for transition or changes in schedule-
transition cue, schedule changes written in different color, discuss changes with student prior to event happening if possible
Be cognizant of specially-designed instruction as per IEP-preferential seating, peer buddy, writing accommodations, etc. (Goals at a Glance or Meet ____)
Highlight directions or tasks, number steps, provide an example
Simplify directions
More strategies
Make sure purpose of activity is clearly explained…students with ASD have difficulty making inferences
Use subjects or items of interest to increase motivation and participation
Scripts for group work Color coding subject areas…folders and
notebooks for organization Clearly identify where items should go
Communication Concerns
Difficulty with answering “wh” questions Difficulty with understanding figurative
language, persuasive techniques, idioms, words with multiple meanings
Difficulty finding most important details or information-stories and text
Strategies for Improving Communication Skills
Preteach new concepts and content vocabulary prior to group instruction
Model procedures, expectations, thinking strategies, or directions
Post visual reminders for components of essential concepts or questions (posting subject goals, objectives, content vocabulary)
Communication Strategies
Pair verbal instructions with visual cues Identify verbally and visually when
transitions occur Use auditory signals to alert students of
important information, repeat information Provide handouts for information being
taught orally (key words, open notes)
Communication Strategies
Be careful of comments or information you say around students with ASD, they may copy it or repeat it out of context
Try to avoid assessments that rely heavily on essay or short answer questions (fill in the blank or multiple choice are better)
More Communication Strategies
Provide communication supports to help with student independence in initiating conversations (choice cards for asking for help)
Encourage conversations, pull more language, don’t except one word answers
If you know about an event a student participated in ask the student about it, try to engage student in a conversation about it
Sensory Integration Issues
Sensory integration refers to the manner in which the brain processes, organizes and interprets information coming from the sensory system
Students with ASD have a variety of sensory impairments
Difficulty with gross and fine motor movements, locating their bodies in space, and regulating the level of sensory input
Sensory Difficulties Students with ASD may have difficulty with sensory
processing in the following areas: -Sensitivity/insensitivity to sensory
information -Attention and focus
-Regulation of activity level-Transitions to between activities-Control of impulses, behaviors, and/or fear in dangerous situations-Oral Motor (objects in mouth, etc)-Recognition of personal space
Sensory Accommodations to Promote Focus
Locate student desk in an area that will allow the students to adjust to changes
Clearly defined areas within the classroom (work, leisure, break, prohibited areas)
Seat cushions Provide opportunities for movement (songs,
exercises during transitions) Suggest a sensory break (walk, deliver note or
books to other teacher)
Sensory Accommodations: Writing
Allow student to type assignments (Alpha Smart)
Use graph paper to organize math problems and lined paper for writing tasks
Pencil grips Mechanical pencils (students who press too
hard) Markers (students who press too lightly)
More Writing Accommodations
Use slant board Remind students to hold paper with non
dominant hand Shortened writing assignments, multiple
choice options, fill in the blank, provide answers orally
Peer note taker
Accommodations for Sensory Sensitivities Menu or choice card for sensory breaks/stress
release activities (leave noise environment, etc)
Have “obsessive”/stress release items in a designated place. Provide clears instructions of when, where and how items can be used
Approach student from front if possible Have student use headphones in loud/over
stimulating situations Students with sensory difficulties should not be
denied breaks, recess or P.E class
Socialization/Social Skills
Students with ASD may exhibit deficits in some or all of the following:
Engaging in reciprocal interactions Maintaining eye contact Attention to gestures or facial expressions Conforming to rules of social behavior Engaging in conversations on nonpreferred
topics
Social Skill Deficits:
Transitioning between conversation topics Feeling empathy Engaging others appropriately in social
situations Initiating, terminating, and repairing
conversations Understanding importance of small talk and
other social speech
Strategies to Improve Social Skills Provide explicit instruction and reminders of
conversation etiquette Teach students to recognize facial
features/emotions in others Practice newly learned skills in various settings Practice a menu of relaxation strategies and/or
establish code words to use when they are upset
Card system for high stress time Stress thermometer
Strategies to Improve Social Skills, cont.
Social stories Practice transitions Teach acceptance of student differences Increase student engagement with visual
cues
Behavioral Issues
Students with ASD may exhibit immature or developmentally inappropriate behaviors
Outbursts may result from frustration, anxiety, communication frustration, social interactions
Strategies for Minimizing Inappropriate Behaviors
Ritualistic and Compulsive• Intervene early before behavior turns into a
habit
• Teach when the behavior may occur
• Teach replacement behavior
Strategies for Minimizing Inappropriate Behaviors
Impulsivity• Manage the environment to minimize
impulsive behaviors
• Social stories
• Rehearse appropriate behaviors
Strategies for Minimizing Inappropriate Behaviors
Stereotypic • Develop a sensory diet
• Develop a menu of appropriate sensory interventions to aid with sensory regulation• Squeezing a koosh ball, swinging, asking for a
break, computer time, weighted belt
Strategies for Minimizing Inappropriate Behaviors Aggression
• Remove or minimize environmental stressors that trigger behaviors
• Clearly define all components of a task• Provide clear directions• Be aware of any possible aggressive behaviors via
individual behavior plans as designed by the classroom teacher-follow plans as directed
• If a behavior is escalating to a form of physical aggression, notify the teacher immediately
• Do not intervene or try to deal with behavior if child is in physical danger or others are in danger
Strategies for Minimizing Inappropriate Behaviors
Inappropriate social interactions• Rehearse appropriate social interactions
• Reward appropriate behaviors
• Use social stories
Restricted Interests
These subjects dominate their concentration and contribute to their inability to transition and their inflexibility
Stereotypical behaviors may include• Repeated hand and body movements
• Atypical response pattern to stimuli
• Difficulties with attention
• Obsession with certain objects or parts of objects
• Watching environmental stimuli such as lights, sounds, etc.
Strategies for Accommodating Restrictive Interests
Allow breaks to pursue their own interests-strict time limit
Introduce new activities related to interest
References (2005).http://www.pde.state.pa.us/special_edu/lib/special_edu/
Settlement_Agreement-FINAL_%28no_draft%29.pdf. Retrieved October 21, 2007, from Pennsylvania Department of Education Web site: http://www.pde.state.pa.us/
View the entire Settlement Agreement at: www.pde.state.pa.us/special_edu/lib/special_edu/Settlement_Agreement.pdf.
National Education Association, (2006).The Puzzle of Autism. 1, 1-33.