Supporting Children & Youth with Autism Spectrum

Disorder

May 2009

Kootenay Boundary Regional Consortium

Children in Care/Children with Special Needs

Teri Ferworn

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Main Deficits in Autism

• Social Behavior– Reciprocity

• Communication– Verbal– Non verbal

• Restricted Range of Behaviors

Statistics in Saskatchewan

REMEMBER!!!

Autism Spectrum Disorder is

diagnosed by the observation of

behaviors.

Addressing the Challengesof Autism Spectrum Disorder

Challenges for children/youth with ASD:– Academic– Behavior– Sensory– Communication– Social / Play

Challenges for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ACADEMICSProblems with: – Making connections– Seeing the “Big Picture”– Understanding abstract concepts – Organizing themselves and their

environment

Academic/Behavior Strategies• Provide a predictable and safe environment• Offer consistent daily routine• Expose student to new activity beforehand• Avoid surprises• Prepare for changes; teach flexibility• Provide picture or written schedules• Teach calendar skills and choice boards

Academic/Behavior Strategies• Have firm expectations • Break assignments down into small units• Provide frequent teacher feedback • Give redirection as needed• Use timed work sessions• Visually show beginning and end• Provide environmental supports such as

room dividers and individual carrels• Use curriculum that addresses individual

student needs

Academic/Behavior StrategiesBenjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of

prevention is worth a pound of cure”The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, defines this

as:

A little precaution before a crisis occurs is preferable to a lot of fixing up afterward

Academic/Behavior Strategies

Make language visible!

Challenges for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

May be:• Hyper/Hyposensitive

– Sounds– Visuals– Taste/Smells– Touch

Sensory

Sensory Strategies for students who are:

Sensitive to sounds• Muffle sound of PA system • Put tennis balls on bottom of chair legs• Keep noise levels down in classroom

Sensitive to visual distractions• Check for flickering fluorescent lights• Limit number of visuals displayed in the classroom

Sensory Strategies for students who are:

Sensitive to smells• Mask smells with lip balm• Do not wear strong perfumes

Sensitive to touch• May prefer to wear clothing inside out• Don’t get into student’s personal space

Challenges for Children/Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Communication Difficulties:

– Impaired reciprocal social interaction– Initiating and sustaining conversation– Poor auditory comprehension– Difficulty expressing needs/wants– Echolalia– Preservative speech– Incessant (repetitive) questioning– Limited receptive and expressive repertoires

Communication Strategies

For Classroom Staff:• Give students time to respond• Avoid excessive use of questions• Use as few words as possible• Respond naturally• Always have communication tools available

Communication Strategies

• Attempt to get student’s attention before speaking

• Adjust complexity– How you talk– What you talk about

• Do not demand constant eye contact

• Support verbal language with visuals

• Limit adult conversations

SIT

Communication Strategies

• If necessary, use gestures to supplement speech.

• Use clear, concise language to help structure a student’s world.

Communication Strategies

Use Communicative Temptations to encourage students to communicate:

• Interesting/favorite toys and materials

• Objects in clear containers

placed out of reach

• Give small portions of food

so student has to request more

Communication Strategies

• Fill in the blanks– familiar songs and

stories

• Provide choices– Couple a preferred item

with a nonpreferred item

Snack

pretzels

apple

raisins

All Students Have a Need to Say

• What they want

• What they are having trouble doing

• When they need timeout

• When they are giving up

• When they are happy and successful

Adapted from Ann Heler

Social/Play Issues

Challenges for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Difficulties:• Relating to others• Prefers being alone• Joint attention• Interpreting nonverbal

social cues

Issues:• Ritualistic – repeating a

particular behavior• Use toys in

uncharacteristic ways• Limited play themes • Solitary or parallel play

Social Play

Social Strategies

• Protect the student from bullying and teasing• Emphasize skills the student is good at• Teach how to react to social cues • Give scripted responses to use in social

situations• Model and role play two-way interactions• Use social stories

Social Stories

• Describe social situations in terms of relevant social cues

• Often define appropriate responses

• Teach routines, academics, and address a variety of behaviors

A Sample Social Story

Sometimes a person says “I changed my mind.” DescriptiveThis means they had one idea, but now they have a new idea. PerspectiveI will work on staying calm when someone changes their mind. DirectiveWhen someone says, “I changed my mind,”I can think of someone writing something down, scratching it out, and writing something new. Control

Play Strategies• Teach play skills

• Teach interaction with others

• Limit time spent alone

• Structure play time (Plan, plan, plan for recess, free play, lunch, Phys.Ed.)

Challenges Summary

Challenges for students with ASD:– Academic– Behavior– Sensory– Communication– Social / Play

Positive Behavior Supports• Structure is a key component of a classroom for

students who have Autism Spectrum Disorder.

• Positive Behavior Supports includes:– Organizing the physical environment– Developing schedules– Developing work systems– Using visual materials – Providing clear and explicit expectations– Creating an independent learner

Positive Behavior Supports1. Physical organization of the classroom

• consistent, visually clear boundaries for activities• transition area (check schedule)

2. Schedules (help anticipate and predict events)• reduces problems with time and organization• minimize strain on attention and memory• compensate for language impairment• foster independence• increase motivation to complete work before play

Positive Behavior Supports

3. Individual Work Stations

• informs student about what to do while in independent work time

• informs student of amount of work to be done• helps student see when almost finished

4. Learning Task Organization

• individualized ‘jigs’ or templates to demonstrate how task is to be completed

Positive Behavior Supports

Reasons for using structure• Helps the person with autism

– understand– be calm– learn

• Structure is a form of behavior management• A means to increase independence through

visual structure

All Students Need to Know

• What is expected of them

• What is the routine

• What is socially relevant so they can respond appropriately

Make

Language

Visible

“Visual Strategy”

▪ Refers to a variety of visual input (receptive) and output (expressive) systems that can help a child manage behavior and improve social and communication skills.

Visual Strategies

• Visual supports help students gain information through their sense of sight.

• ALL students can benefit from the use of visual cues!

Why is visual communication so important?

Individuals with autism and other disabilities have difficulty attending and understanding auditory input.

We all use visuals to enhance communication!

• body language • natural environmental cues • traditional cues for organization and

information sharing

EXAMPLES: facial expressions, directions on packages, shopping lists

Visual Strategies

Some examples of Visual Strategies are:

• Schedules

• Transitions

• Calendars

• Task Organizers

• Management Tools

Visual Strategies

Schedules

In a typical school or home:

• Most information is given verbally.

• It is frequently assumed that children already know routines and information which may result in no information being given at all.

Visual Strategies

Schedules

Give information such as:

• regular tasks that need to be done

• new activities that may be occurring

• changes in regular activities

• what happens next

• when it’s time to move to another activity

Visual Strategies

Schedules

To create a schedule:

• Map out the main activities in a child’s day

• Select a representation system

• Label each activity with the exact name

• Select a format

Visual Strategies

SchedulesTo use a schedule, you may:

• Color code the schedule for easier recognition

• Give the student a means to check it

• Allow the child to manipulate it (e.g., take item off, cross off, turn over, point to item)

• Have child carry schedule item to activity location

Visual Strategies

Transition Helpers

Prepare child for change in activity

For example:– tell how many more (turns, puzzle pieces,

songs, etc.) before the end– visually illustrate how long by using a clock

or timer– warn them as transition time approaches

Visual Strategies

Transition Helpers

Change may be difficult for some children and could result in:

• protesting

• refusal

• disruptive behavior

Visual Strategies

Transition Helpers

Strategies for successful transitions:

- have child carry something with them to next activity

- let the child know when they can go back to a favored activity

- tell the child what will be happening when an undesired activity is finished

Visual Strategies

Calendars

• Help student organize their day and understand sequence and time concepts

• Useful as a tool to discuss events that are meaningful to the child

Visual Strategies Calendars

Strategies for calendar use:• Teach students to use the calendar

to get information• Develop a calendar for home use• Have the child use a personal

calendar

Visual Strategies Task Organizers

• Give detailed information about the task at hand--the child doesn’t need to recall lengthy sequences

• Step-by-step prompts to enable students to successfully accomplish a task

• Provide a systematic and consistent way for staff to teach the steps to complete a task

Visual Strategies Task Organizers

Help children who may:

• forget the order of the steps

• eliminate steps of a given task

• forget what comes next

Visual Strategies Management Tools

• Designed for the teacher to communicate more effectively to the students

• Support communication that the teacher uses to direct student movement and basic instruction

Visual Strategies Management Tools

• Allow children to function more independently

• Are constantly available throughout the activity

• Are visual representations of instructions or rules

My Turn

Visual Strategies Effective Implementation Tips

• Students need to be taught to use the tools

• Introduce the tool systematically• Gain the students’ attention before

using the tool• Place the tool in a place convenient

for the student to accessHodgdon, 2001

Visual Strategies Effective Implementation Tips

• Give students time to learn what the tools mean and how to use them

• Modify tools as needed• Strive for the most concrete symbols• Use tools consistently

Hodgdon, 2001

SHOW ME AND I REMEMBER…

Tell me

and I forget!

Bring what to school?

“Good teachers helped me to achieve success. Children with autism need to have a

structured day, and teachers who know how to be firm but

gentle.”

Temple Grandin, Ph.D.

Resources– Hodgdon, Linda A. M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Visual

Strategies for Improving Communication, Volume 1: Practical Supports for School and Home, Quirk Roberts Publishing, Troy, MI, 1999.

– Janzen, Janice E., M.S., Understanding the Nature of Autism: A Practical Guide. Therapy Skill Builders, The Psychological Corporation, San Antonio, TX, 1996.

Resources (con’t)– Mayer-Johnson Co., Boardmaker (software),

Solana, CA, 1999.– Quill, Kathleen Ann, Ed.D., Teaching Children

with Autism: Strategies to Enhance Communication and Socialization, Delmar Publishers, New York, NY, 1995

– Garcia-Winner, Michelle, SLP, Thinking About You Thinking About Me, San Jose, CA 2007

Questions

behaviorsupport.kfp

@telus.net

Powerpoint available at:

  www.slideshare.net/billreid