Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents …milestones.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/D-02-2014.pdf · characteristics of autism to consider . ... learners • unique learning

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WORKSHOP ABSTRACT:

Interests and social norms change rapidly when students enter middle school. Hormones, technology, and popular culture take the wheel as elementary interests go to the backseat. This becomes a particularly challenging time for students with autism that often have narrowed interest and difficulty with change. Developing age-appropriate skills and exposing children with autism to age-appropriate interests will encourage more socialization and help to increase future independence. Parents and practitioners of children with autism need to make a clear effort in encouraging and designing age-appropriate activities and materials.

SESSION OBJECTIVES:

1. Participants will be able to identify the need for considering age appropriateness for adolescents with autism.

2. Participants will be able to identify age-appropriate activities for adolescents with autism.

3. Participants will be able to identify age-appropriate material for adolescents with autism.

4. Participants will be able to identify the benefits of age-appropriate activities and materials for adolescents with autism.

WORKSHOP D-2

Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism

JennifeR GOnDa, MSed, BCBaYoungstown Summit academy High School for autism

nataSHa WalSKi, BedYoungstown Summit academy High School for autism

TRACKS: Clinical & School Psychologist; Educator & School Administrator; Parent & Family Member; Speech-Language Pathologist

250 milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected]

Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA

is currently a doctoral candidate at Kent State University. She received her graduate degree in special education: autism and related disabilities at Youngstown State University and BCBA coursework at Penn State University. Her undergraduate degree was completed at New York University in educational policy. She works in a math and science classroom at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism. She is the director of Supported and Facilitated Environments, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to have similar experiences as their peers. One of the programs she created through this was Mahoning Valley Circle of Friends. Her interests include functional communication training for older students, social skills for teenagers, and positive behavior supports in the classroom.

Natasha Walski, BEd

is a general education teacher working with students with autism for six years in a school setting. She holds her teacher license in math and science for grade 4-9 with a reading endorsement completed at Youngstown State University. She currently works in a math and science classroom at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism. She cofounded Supported and Facilitated Environments, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to have the same experiences as their typically developing peers. One of the programs she created through this was Mahoning Valley Circle of Friends. Her research interests include incorporating the Common Core standards for all students, and creative hands-on learning experiences.



Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA and Natasha Walski, BEd


Natasha Walski, BEd and

Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA

12th ANNUAL 2014

Speaker Disclosure Information

Natasha Walski is a Math/Science Teacher at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism and is speaking at the conference on a voluntary basis. She has no relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Speaker Disclosure Information

Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA is an intervention specialist at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism and is speaking at the conference on a voluntary basis. She has no relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Session Objectives • The participants will be able to identify the need for

considering age appropriateness for adolescents with autism.

• The participants will be able to identify age-appropriate activities for adolescents with autism.

• The participants will be able to identify age-appropriate material for adolescents with autism.

• The participants will be able to identify the benefits of age-appropriate activities and materials for adolescents with autism.

Age appropriateness is defined as: a student’s chronological age, rather

than developmental age. (Wehmeyer, 2000)

• Special interests or inappropriate attachment to objects • Limited interests • Resistance to change and to try new things • Insistence on sameness • Lack of social interactions • Inappropriate peer interactions • Sustained odd play

(OCALI, 2013)

CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM TO CONSIDER




FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION

“FAPE is an individualized educational program that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefit, and prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living.”

(Wrightslaw, 2014)

AGE APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM • Looking at the Common Core and the Ohio Department of Education’s

Extended Content Standards to find and create activities beneficial for our learners

• Unique Learning • Real World Math • Social Thinking • Edmark Functional Reading Program • Real World Manipulatives

• Cash register • Money • Receipts • Balancing a checkbook

TOKEN ECONOMY High School students can still thrive on a Token Economy. Students earn

checks for expected behaviors and earn 5 minutes of “reward time” at the end of each period. Students are only allowed to work for the same thing 2 times per day so that they can try new things. Students are able to pick things that are familiar (Yu-gi-oh) but try new things as well (poker).

Students earn Knight Bucks for exceeding expectations and have to

earn a certain number each month to be invited age-appropriate incentives (skating, bowling, etc). Students take turns graphing Knight Bucks as one of the student jobs.

INCENTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Tailgating Party Hockey game YMCA

Open Mic Knight Skating Bowling

SHAPING SPECIAL INTERESTS

• Comic Book Debate Club • Collect them instead of play with them • Draw favorite characters • Talk about the worst villain, greatest

hero, etc

Action Figures

• Girl Club • Make-up • Hair stuff • Jewelry • Perfume • Gossip

My Little Ponies

• Video Game Club • Find age-appropriate computer games

(Temple Run) • Try new games on different technology

Computer Games

DATING • Teaching difference between “flirting” and

being mean • Teaching difference between “flirting” and

touching Flirting

• What do we talk about? • Social media rules • How to ask for a phone number Communication

• Teach appropriateness of touching • Appropriate/inappropriate touch PDA

• Is it okay to have friends of opposite sex? • Is it okay to laugh at other people’s jokes? • Expected/Unexpected for relationships Jealousy




PRE-PROM

Practice Dancing

Social Skills Practice

How to get ready for a special event

“Fun is a choice!”

Most of our students showed little to no interest in attending prom. In order to prepare and excite students for prom, we hosted a practice prom that students were required to attend. Now all of the students are looking forward to prom.

HOLIDAYS

Halloween • Pass out candy • Take little cousins, siblings, or neighbors trick or treating • Halloween Challenge Games

Christmas • Christmas Karaoke • White Elephant Gift Exchange • Candy Cane Grams

Easter • Easter Egg Truth or Dare • Easter Candy Grams

BIRTHDAYS

Birthday ribbon or pin to wear from school

Parents bringing in snacks

Having a birthday wall

Instead of…

Gifts or party from friends

Friends singing “Happy Birthday” at lunch

Decorating lockers on Birthday

Consider…

SENSORY ROOM

• Often times sensory rooms are geared toward younger students. Often times there are water and sand tables, swings, tents.

• Consider our Sensory Room: Treadmill, exercise bike, exercise balls, and weighted blankets.

Activity Age-Appropriate Not Age-Appropriate

Prize Box Make-up, perfume, head phones

Action figures, toys, My Little Pony

Card Games Playing Poker, Black Jack, Rummy

Playing Yu-gi-oh, Pokemon

Outdoor Activities

Organized outside games: kickball, basketball, football

Playing on the playground, tag, hide and go seek

Assemblies Real world applications, motivational speakers, career day, anti-bullying

Animals, clowns, children’s book authors (Grandpa’s Popsicle, puppets, mascots (Captain McFinn)

Field Trips Hockey game, bowling, skating

petting zoo, Bounce Around, farm

MORE EXAMPLES AGE-APPROPRIATE SKILLS

Functional living skills Cooking Cleaning Creating budgets and paying bills

Occupational skills Mock interviews Resume building Practicing filling out applications

(online and paper/pencil) Career interest

inventories/career aptitude tests

Cleaning Building furniture

Cooking Job Searching




AGE-APPROPRIATE SKILLS

Social skills Social Thinking Curriculum by

Michelle Garcia Winner Big Problem/Little Problem Ability/Chance/Luck Coping Skills Consequences vs. Corrections “I” statements and “You” statements

AGE-APPROPRIATE SKILLS Leisure skills

Giving options Trying new things Time limits on familiar options

Relationship skills and the introduction of puberty Expected and unexpected relationship sort Big Problem/Little Problem in relationships

Quick Strategies You Can Implement Being open and honest with students

“It is unexpected for a 17-year-old to play on a playground with little kids. What would the other parents think?”

“Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy are not real!” Limiting time and giving age-appropriate options

Students can still play Yu-gi-oh, but have to try new card games as well Allowing students to still have special interests, but tweaking how they use them

Drawing (tracing) pictures of cartoon characters instead of coloring pictures Creating special interest clubs (make them chose different clubs each time)

Talking to students as adults Reminding students how old they are and that how they are acting is

inappropriate for their age Using age appropriate language and pitch of voice

Students with Autism can be in any of these environments, as the environments get more

restrictive it is harder to notice age inappropriateness.

Inclusive Classroom

Resource Room

Special School

Residential Facility

BARRIERS TO AGE APPROPRIATENESS

How do parents struggle in facilitating age-appropriate interest?

How do students struggle with this concept?

How do teachers struggle to find meaningful

activities?

AGE-APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES FOR VARIED LEVELS OF LEARNERS: REAL LIFE EXAMPLES

Inap

prop

riate

Sesame Street videos on website

Appr

opria

te

Bruno Mars videos on Youtube.com

Inap

prop

riate

Touch Money or giant money math manipulative Ap

prop

riate

Real money as a math manipulative

Inap

prop

riate

“I got a boo boo!” Ap

prop

riate

“I hurt myself!”

Inap

prop

riate

Male using high pitched, squeaky voice Ap

prop

riate

Use Voice meter




BENEFITS Teaching age appropriateness is beneficial and increases:

Independence Opportunities Peer interactions Self esteem Self confidence Social skills Self advocacy

REFERENCES Learn about Autism > Characteristics. (2013, January 1). Ohio Center for

Autism and Low Incidence. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.ocali.org/project/learn_about_autism/page/autism_characteristics

Wehmeyer, M. L. (2002). Teaching students with mental

retardation. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Wrightslaw - Topics - Learn About Free Appropriate Public Education

(FAPE). (2014, January 1). Wrightslaw - Topics - Learn About Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/fape.index.htm

CONTACT US Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA [email protected] Natasha Walski [email protected]


Documents

Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents …milestones.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/D-02-2014.pdf · characteristics of autism to consider . ... learners • unique learning