Characteristics of Autism
-Characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors (all on varying scales).
-Can include intellectual disabilities, difficulties in motor coordination and attention, physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances.
-Some excel in visual skills, music, math, and art.
-Autism can manifest itself in children as young as sixteen months old. Signs at this age are: no big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions (by six months), no back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles, or other facial expressions (by nine months), no babbling (by 12 months), no words (by 16 months), no two-word meaningful phrases (by 24 months), and any loss of speech or babbling or social skills at any age.
-It is common but not universal for those with autism to have trouble regulating emotions (prone to outbursts in inappropriate situations, aggression/violence).
-Repetitive behaviors can take the form of intense preoccupations , or obsessions. Extreme interests are marked by the content or depth of their knowledge on a particular subject.
-Seizure disorders (like epilepsy) occur in 39% of autism cases.
-Many people with autism have sensory processing problems; they may process ordinary stimuli as unpleasant or confusing or painful.
-Some of those with autism are hypersensitive or hyposensitive to sounds or touch.
-Some of those with autism have pica, a tendency to eat things that are not food (like dirt, chalk, clay, paint chips, etc.)
Misconceptions about Autism
-Autism is not an emotional or mental health disorder. It is actually a biological illness that affects the brain’s growth and development.
-Autism is not the result of cold and unemotional parents. It was believed in the 1940s that autism occurred as a result of parents, especially mothers, who did not show to their children.
-Not all those with autism have exceptional and/or hidden talents. This is a myth perpetuated by media such as “The Rain Man.”
-Repetitive or ritualistic behaviors should not be stopped unless they are directly interfering in daily life. These actions can serve a purpose: they may be calming, they may help the child feel good, and they may be a way for the child to communicate.
-Not all children with autism are unable to build social relationships. Those on the severe end of the spectrum may struggle a great deal in social situations, but since the spectrum is so wide there are those who do not struggle as much.
-Autistic people are not often dangers to society. Recent news reports of people with Asperger’s committing violent acts have led to fear. There are many individuals who exhibit violent behaviors but those behaviors are often triggered by frustrations, physical and/or sensory overload. It’s very rare for autistic people to act out of malice.
-Autism is not mental retardation. Some autistic people may be quite brilliant- there are theories that Albert Einstein was autistic.
Accommodations for Students with Autism
Teachers can accommodate students with autism in their classroom by...
-Clearly establishing and ordering routines.
-Giving warnings and preparing students when changes are about to occur.
-Planning and practicing communication strategies and social routines with students.
-Supplying students with earplugs or noise-canceling headsets in loud arenas, along with using different types of lighting in classrooms (versus fluorescent lights) or allowing students with light sensitivities to wear sunglasses.
-Marking out quiet areas where students can go if they need a time-out to “cool off.”
-Using visual schedules and graphic organizers
-Using visual or written instructions as opposed to auditory instructions
-Allowing students to use the computer for writing rather than hand-writing
-Having someone assist the students in taking notes
Resources for Additional Information
1) http://www.nationalautismresources.com/
This site is an online store that sells educational materials for autistic learners. The site also supplies manipulatives.
2) http://www.autism-society.org/
This site focuses on autism awareness, and it contains some research articles as well as general information about causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. The Autism Society Page also has a couple of resource links under its, “I am a professional,” section.
3) http://aota.org/Educate.aspx
The AOTA site is predominantly a go-to resource for research articles about autism as it relates to education, and it has some model curriculum resources as well.
4) http://www.polyxo.com/socialstories/
Polyxo is a site for educators that provides resources in a number of areas, though it tends to centralize around teaching social/behavioral norms. There are some resources for visual aids, assessment development, and curriculum development as well.
5) http://teacch.com/educational-approaches/structured-teaching-teacch-staff
The article on this page focuses on how a teacher should instruct autistic students, as well as how the structure of the room and class day affects autistic learners.
6) Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen Notbohm
ISBN-13: 978-1-932565-36-2
This book was written for teachers as a guide for working with students for autism. The book focuses mainly on the topics of ensuring a learning community that will benefit a student with autism, how autism causes these student to think in a process that differs from their peers, and teaching themes to implement in your own instruction.
Curricular Modifications
According to Teacch.com, two things to make sure are a part of your curriculum modifications are making sure that your materials are handed out only for the tasks immediately to be done to avoid confusion about what to do, and you should supply brief written instructions/an itinerary of what is to be done during the period to help the student process tasks to be done and in what order.
The book, “Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew” by Ellen Notbohm, has a few suggestions about what to think about when designing modifications of your curriculum for autistic learners:
-Emphasize visual and tactile input, because auditory styles of learning are not often seen with cases of autism.
-Give the student(s) task that focus on one learning style at a time to minimize processing changes that could cause confusion.
-Autistic students learn narrow bits of information before understanding broader concepts, so supplying these learners with some more specific information within the content, like a data sheet or extra information in your verbal instruction, would be beneficial for their understanding.
-Autistic learners will take what you say literally, so make sure that all modeling and explanations are devoid of idioms and exaggerations.
References
Access Stem. (2011). What Are Typical Challenges and Accommodations for Students with Asperger’s Disorder and High-Functioning Autism? http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/articles?247
American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. (2012). AOTA: American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., Living Life to Its Fullest, Educators-Researchers. Retrieved from http://aota.org/Educate.aspx
Autism Resource Foundation. (2012). Misconceptions about Autism. Retrieved from http://www.autismresourcefoundation.org/info/info.misconceptions.html
Autism Society. (N/A). Autism Society: Improving the Lives of All Affected by Autism. Retrieved from http://www.autism-society.org/
Autism Speaks. (2012). Symptoms. Retrieved from http://www.autismresourcefoundation.org/info/info.misconceptions.html
Notbohm, Ellen. (2006). Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons, Inc.
Salahi, Lara. (2008). 10 Myths About Autism. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ColdandFluNews/story?id=6089162&page=1
Solid Cactus for National Autism Resources. (2012). National Autism Resources. Retrieved from http://www.nationalautismresources.com/
TEACCH Staff. (2012). Structured Teaching by TEACCH Staff. Retrieved from http://teacch.com/educational-approaches/structured-teaching-teacch-staff
Wallin, Jason M. (2004). Polyxo.com: teaching children with autism. http://www.polyxo.com/
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