children & youth with asd may 2009
DESCRIPTION
From the Conference for Children in Care and Children and Youth with Special Needs, May 2009TRANSCRIPT
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