Including Students with Autism in Regular Physical Education



Teaching Strategies for Including Students with Autism in General Physical Education

Patricia Yeaton, North Hampton School, North Hampton, NH

pyeaton@

The following gives you an idea of what you need to think of when you are going to include students with autism in a general Physical Education class.

Visual Scripts/Cards: For visual scripts/cards I will either photograph students performing a skill or find the skills on line or in textbooks that I have. I will select the image that I need and photocopy it making a visual sheet for the students of what we are going to do in PE class that day. I then go to the classroom, at a predetermined time with the teacher (or I meet the students in the gym lobby at the beginning of class and we preview before we go in the gym) and preview with the whole class what we are going to do during that particular PE class. I will go over important cues that they will need to know and answer any questions that they may have regarding class that day. I will then use these same visuals in the gym for station cards and they are very helpful for me as I begin teaching the class as a visual for myself.

Previewing in the classroom: Previewing the lesson for the day with particular classes has been very helpful for both the students and myself. I will work with the classroom teacher to find a time that is good for the two of us and I go into the classroom at that time. I will go over important cues that they will need to know and answer any questions that they may have regarding class that day. I will then use these same visuals in the gym for station cards and they are very helpful for me as I begin teaching the class as a visual for myself.

Another form of previewing takes place with the OT. I will give the OT the visual script for the lesson and she will review the cues and the skills with a particular student when she sees them during the week. She will have them practice the skills so that they are familiar with them. I will give the OT copies of the visual scripts for a whole unit so that she can work with the student each time that she sees them and preview new skills with them before they come to PE class.

Social Stories: There are times when a social story is necessary for a student to participate in PE class. Some of the topics that I have used are: lining up, rules in class, what to do when others don’t follow the rules, getting a drink of water, working with a partner, working on a team in cooperative learning, etc. Through the writing/reading of a social story you can address any issue that is presented by the student that affects their participation in PE class. I will work with the case manager to write a social story for that particular student. We will write the social story and then meet with the child to read the social story together. Then, before each PE class the classroom teacher/aide will have the student read the social story before they come to class

Social Story Examples

1. No Passing During Jogging

Usually when we go to PE class Mrs. Eaton has us line up on the black line. Then, we jog around the gym. Mrs. Eaton likes it when we don’t pass each other. Sometimes kids pass me when we are jogging and I don’t like that. When I get mad, I need to remember that Mrs. Eaton will deal with the kids who are not following the rules.

2. Taking a 1,2,3 Drink

Usually when we are done jogging for 2 minutes we get a drink of water at the fountain in the gym. Mrs. Eaton likes it when we take quick (1,2,3) drinks. Sometimes kids take longer than a 1,2,3 count for drinks. When I get upset that they are taking longer drinks I need to remember that Mrs. Eaton will speak to the kids who are taking long drinks.

3. Working Together

Sometimes in class we have to work in groups. When we work together, we each have a job to do. We have to decide together on the jobs we can do. We have to be positive team members. We have to make positive comments. We have to look at the person who is talking and try not to interrupt.

I will try to look at my friends when they talk. I will try to listen to their ideas. I will try to make positive comments, like “OK, you can use this marker when I am done”. I will try not to say negative comments, like “No, it’s mine, you can’t use it”. I will try to be sure everyone has a job to do in my group. It is fun to work together!

Following the lead of the particular student: I had a student who wanted to walk around the black line of the basketball court whenever he entered the gym with his class. Instead of fighting that, I had the entire students jog at that time and then we got drinks and performed stretches. This was opposite to what I had done in the past, but it worked and included the student and made the transition to the gym much easier. I also would chase him around the gym with movement cards and ask him to do a particular movement (i.e. jump, skip, hop, etc.). He was very visual and would look at the card; perform the skill and then move away from me. My intern would teach the rest of the class (it was a movement unit) and I would go around the gym after this student to get him to perform the skills. I would also have sad faces everywhere in the gym that I didn’t want him to go (i.e. the bleachers, my office, the equipment room, any chairs that were around or the door out of the gym).

Practice recess skills and games during PE class. At times classroom teachers would let me know about problems that students were having playing games with others. So, we would practice the skills for the games in class and then go outside and simulate the games that they played at recess with me stopping the game when problems arose to help them out with either the rules, or what happens when you get “out” in the game, etc.

Preferred/non-preferred: “If you do this, then you can do …” If I have a skill that I would like the student to do and they don’t particularly want to do it. I will say “If you do this skill, then I will let you shoot baskets for 2 minutes.” I know what the student really likes to do, so if they will do what I want them to do, and then they can do what they would like to do. Make sure you use a timer and give them a heads up for a transition as the time winds down.

Transitions: Giving students a heads up that it is almost time to switch at a station or that an activity is almost over is an important part of including students. Knowing that one activity will end and what will happen next is a big part of successfully including students. Telling them there is 1 minute left in the game and then 30 seconds, 15, 10, 5 and then it’s over works well. During class in cooperative learning I give the whole class a heads up such as we have 20 minutes left in class, 10 minutes left, etc. At the end of class I will talk about what will happen next class. Some students only need to know when we are switching units and what will happen next.

Modeling for students: It is important to model for your class that you expect that all students will be included in the PE class and the activities. I discuss with students how can we modify an activity for a particular student or when we are doing a cooperative learning lesson how can we adapt the lesson so that the student/team member will be successful. If you continually model for students they will be able to start modifying situations themselves so that the student in their group is successful.

Cooperative learning: Small groups working together work on social interactions for all students. Students must work together to be successful in PE class. They each have jobs that they must perform and help each other to finish the task sheet for the day. If problems do happen we sit with that particular team and process with them as they have signed a contract to work together, be nice to one another and try to work out issues.

Picking small groups: I am very conscious of who is on a team with a particular student. Students who are patient and can work with the student are ones that I will place on a team with them. Teams change each unit in 3 and 4 and in 1 and 2 I change them 2 or 3 times a year. This makes organization much easier and students are able to transition to stations easily.

Verbal Cues: Many times verbal cues that you use for skills and directions are way to long. Bringing them down to 1 or 2 words for the student makes their understanding much better. For example: the overhand throw the usual cues are: Side to target, arm way back, step with opposite foot and follow through. I just use T (make a t with your body), L (arm with ball bent and next to ear) and X (throw and follow through across your body). So, very simple and visual T L X.

Equipment: Using your equipment in different ways helps to organize your class. Having students come in and all stand on a hot spot is one example. Another is having a bean bag in each hand as they do stretches, as you do one side drop that bean bag and it means you are done, do the other side and drop the bean bag to signal that you are done. Then, pick them up for the next stretch. At the end everyone puts their beanbags in the box and they are put away.

Environment: Make sure that equipment room doors are shut, non-essential equipment is put away and any other distractions are minimized. If you are doing stations, where do the students begin and end in the gym. Do you want them near the gym entrance/exit at the end?

Good for one is good for all: If one of my students needs modifications for stretching, we all use them. If one needs to stand on a hot spot to know where they should stand, we all do. I want you to look in my gym and not be able to tell who needs the modifications and who doesn’t. We all use the visual cues and the transition cues.

Examples of visual schedules, visual cards and visual lesson plans can be found on the next few pages.

The first page is an example of a visual lesson plan/task sheet for third grade. The second page is an example of a first grade soccer lesson.

Recorders Name_____________________Team Color___________________

Grade 3 Ball Handling Skills

Lesson 7

Dribbling with the Hands

___1. Dribble and Jog: Dribble in your team

area changing directions, pathways and speeds. Switch the hand that you dribble with Use many different ways of moving (skip, gallop, sidestep and walking backwards)

___2. Line Dribble: Find a line on the floor

and dribble and follow your floor lines in any

direction. If you meet someone, pass each

other right shoulder to right shoulder and dribble

with your left hand.

___3. Hoop Relay: Have your equipment

manager place 4 hoops on the floor 2 feet apart.

The team lines up in front of the first hoop

and the first player zig-zag dribbles around

the hoops. At the last hoop dribble inside the

hoop 5 times and dribble straight back passing

the ball to the next person in line. Do this

until everyone on the team has had 2 turns.

___4. Dribble tag: Everyone is dribbling and

trying to protect their ball. Try to flick the ball

from one of the other players. Remember to

watch where you are going and stay in your team

area! If you tap their ball, you get a point. Play

until someone on your team gets 5 points.

This is a visual schedule for a first grade Soccer lesson on dribbling with the feet.

[pic] 1. Stretches

[pic] 2. Dribbling (INSIDE OF FOOT)

[pic] 3. Dribbling (OUTSIDE OF FOOT)

[pic] 4. Dribbling (LACES)

Visual Cards for grade 1 lesson: (you can use the same idea for stretches and have photos of all of your stretches on individual index cards)

[pic]

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