Understanding Typical Characteristics of Students …



Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)Understanding Typical Characteristics of Students with ASD1. ASD syndrome is characterized by a qualitative impairment in social interaction. Individuals with ASD may be keen to relate to others, but do not have the skills, and may approach others in peculiar ways (Klin & Volkmar, 1997). They frequently lack understanding of social customs and may appear socially awkward, have difficulty with empathy and misinterpret social cues. Individuals with ASD are poor incidental social learners and need explicit instruction in social skills.2. Although children with ASD usually speak fluently by five years of age, they often have problems with pragmatics (the use of language in social contexts), semantics (not being able to recognize multiple meanings) and prosody (the pitch, stress, and rhythm of speech) (Attwood, 1998).Students with ASD may have an advanced vocabulary and frequently talk incessantly about a favorite subject. The topic may be somewhat narrowly defined and the individual may have difficulty switching to another topic.They may have difficulties with the rules of conversation. Students with ASD may interrupt or talk over the speech of others, may make irrelevant comments and have difficulty initiating and terminating conversations.Speech may be characterized by a lack of variation in pitch, stress and rhythm and as the student reaches adolescence, speech may become pedantic (overly formal).Social communication problems can include standing too close, staring, abnormal body posture and failure to understand gestures and facial expressions.3. The student with ASD is of average to above average intelligence and may appear quite capable. Many are relatively proficient in knowledge of facts, and may have extensive factual information about a subject that they are absorbed with. However, they demonstrate relative weaknesses in comprehension and abstract thought, as well as in social cognition. Consequently, they do experience some academic problems, particularly with reading comprehension, problem solving, organizational skills, concept development, and making inferences and judgments. In addition, they often have difficulty with cognitive flexibility. That is their thinking tends to be rigid. They often have difficulty adapting to change or failure and do not readily learn from their mistakes (Attwood, 1998).4. It is estimated that 50%‐90% of people with ASD have problems with motor coordination (Attwood, 1998). The affected areas may include locomotion, ball skills, balance, manual dexterity, handwriting, rapid movements, lax joints, rhythm and imitation of movements.5. Individuals with ASD share common characteristics with autism in terms of responses to sensory stimuli. They may be hypersensitive to some stimuli and may engage in unusual behaviors to obtain a specific sensory stimulation.6. Individuals with ASD may also be inattentive and easily distracted and many receive a diagnosis of ADHD at one point in their lives (Myles & Simpson, 1998).7. Anxiety is also a characteristic associated with ASD. It may be difficult for the student to understand and adapt to the social demands of school. Appropriate instruction and support can help to alleviate some of the stress.Behavior Strategies for FacultyThe following identifies the specific learning difficulty a student with ASD may face and suggests a number of possible classroom strategies:Difficulties with languagetendency to make irrelevant commentstendency to interrupttendency to talk on one topic and to talk over the speech of othersdifficulty understanding complex language, following directions, and understandingintent of words with multiple meaningsWhat you can do:encourage student to seek assistance when confusedexplain metaphors and words with double meaningsencourage the student to ask for an instruction to be repeated, simplified or written down if he does not understandpause between instructions and check for understandinglimit oral questions to a number the student can manageInsistence on samenesswhenever possible prepare the student for potential changeImpairment in social interactiondifficulty understanding the rules of social interactionmay be na?veinterprets literally what is saiddifficulty reading the emotions of otherslacks tactproblems with social distancedifficulty understanding "unwritten rules" and when they do learn them, may apply them rigidlyWhat you can do:provide clear expectations and rules for behavioreducate peers about how to respond to the student’s disability in social interactionmay need assistance from you with group projects. Explicitly identify their role within the group.Restricted range of interestslimit preservative discussions and questionsset firm expectations for the classroom, but also provide opportunities for the student to pursue his own interestsincorporate and expand on interest in activities and assignmentsPoor concentrationoften off taskdistractiblemay be disorganizeddifficulty sustaining attentionWhat you can do:frequent, clear feedbackbreak down assignmentsseating at the frontuse nonverbal cues to get attentionAcademic difficultiesusually average to above average intelligencegood recall of factual informationareas of difficulty include poor problem solving, comprehension problems and difficultywith abstract conceptsoften strong in word recognition and may learn to read very early, but difficulty with comprehensionmay do well at mathematical computations, but have difficulty with problem solvingdon’t assume that the student has understood simply because he/she can re‐state the informationbe as concrete as possible in presenting new concepts and abstract materialuse graphic organizers such as semantic mapsshow examples of what is requiredavoid verbal overloadcapitalize on strengths, e.g., memorySensory Sensitivitiesmost common sensitivities involve sound and touch, but may also include taste, light intensity, colors and smellstypes of noises that may be perceived as extremely intense are: sudden, unexpected noises such as a telephone ringing, fire alarm, high‐pitched continuous noiseWhat you can do:be aware that normal levels of auditory and visual input can be perceived by the student as too much or too littleallow the use of coping mechanisms within the classroom such as taking breaks, use of a hood or hat or sunglassesminimize background noiseuse of ear plugs if very extremeGeneral StrategiesGet to know your student’s particular needs in advanceBe prepared to meet the student before the course starts to discuss needsProvide clear, detailed information (oral and written) about structure of course, practical arrangements, assessment requirements and deadlinesBe consistent in approach and keep variations to a minimumIf a change (e.g. in timetable, room, lecturer) is inevitable give clear, specific information as far ahead as possibleGive explicit instructions and make intentions explicitly clearBe patient, encouraging and supportiveGuide gently and respectfully back on task if necessary.If praising, say exactly what is right or appreciated and why.Respond immediately to bullying/harassment by others.Help them to understand the needs of others ‐ tell them confidentially in clear, simple terms if what they say upsets someone; in group work make clear exactly what is required of them; mediate to resolve disputes in calm, logical way.Set concrete, realistic goals to assist motivation e.g. "If you want to become an engineer you must complete all parts of the course, even the essays."Present material in a structured way. If broken into small steps, show how these steps come together as a wholeUse clear, unambiguous language (spoken and written)Avoid or explain metaphors, irony etc. and interpret what others sayProvide subject word lists, glossaries of terms and acronyms ................
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