A Workshop for Educators Preetinder Narang

Workshop Schedule 1.Introduction and purpose 2.Background information: - What is Asperger Syndrome? - Emotional Development in Asperger’s - Teaching Strategies 3.Break 4.Social Skills Training - Lessons - Activities 5.Questions and Answers 6. Workshop Feedback

The Objective To promote general awareness of Asperger syndrome and its characteristics among educators in the public school system. In particular, we aim to explore the area of emotional development in this population, and to provide educators with effective teaching strategies to support students with Asperger’s.

What are Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD)? All of the disorders are referred to as syndromes because the diagnosis is based on a group of behaviors which combine to result in a disrupted pattern of development. Types of PDD: – Autistic Disorders – Asperger’s Disorder – Rett’s Syndrome – Childhood Disintegrative Disorder – Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD- NOS). – Autism Training Sourcebook, 1997.

Asperger Syndrome According to the American Psychiatric Association criteria for diagnosing Asperger Syndrome is the manifestation of difficulties in at least two of the following areas: a) using multiple nonverbal behaviors b) developing peer relationships appropriate to developmental level c) seeking to share enjoyment with others spontaneously d) Demonstrating social or emotional reciprocity (Barnhill et al., p.112).

Asperger Syndrome and Autism No delays until the age of 3 in the following areas: Spoken and receptive language Cognitive development Self-help skills Adaptive Behavior Curiosity about the environment Social abnormalities and repetitive behaviors are the same as autistic disorders Ehlers et al., 1999

Asperger’s and Interpersonal Relationships Individuals with Asperger syndrome experience significant interpersonal problems associated with thought disorders, inaccurate perceptions of needs, interests and the feelings of others. Myles et al.,

Theory of Mind (TOM) “ Individuals with ASC have an inherent disability in terms of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes or understanding the psychological perspective of others. That is they have trouble imputing meaning, emotion, and intent to others” (Lavaca, p. 174)

Video “Documentary about Asperger’s syndrome” (2005) - Documentary about David Jordan, a man diagnosed with Asperger’s in 2002.

Social-Emotional Development and Emotional Regulation (Laurent et al., 2004) Emotional regulation is the “individual’s ability to experience, recognize, express, and regulate all emotions effectively and fluidly during social transactions with respect to environmental constraints” (p. 287) Individuals who are able to regulate their emotions are better able to: maintain social engagement attend to important aspects of the social environment solve problems communicate more effectively

General Challenges in Emotional Regulation Challenges individuals with Asperger’s face in relation to regulating emotions: Trouble sharing and interpreting emotional state as well as considering others’ perspectives Unusual sensory sensitivities and difficulty determining irrelevant environmental information

Achievements in Emotional Regulation Laurent et al., 2004 Self Regulation Regulating internal emotions to adjust level of emotional arousal to match the physical and social environment. A child with a lack of development of these skills seems more stressed, withdrawn, and has difficulties adapting to new situations. Mutual Regulation Regulating emotions in the context of social interaction by responding to assistance offered by social partner and securing that assistance. A child with a lack of development of these skills seems more inconsistent in reengaging in activities and asking for assistance.

Achievements in Emotional Regulation (cont’d) Self Regulation Educators can help students develop these skills by supporting them in: 1. Tolerating a range of social and sensory experiences 2. Using early developing behavior strategies to regulate arousal 3. Using language strategies to plan and complete activities 4. Using metacognitive strategies to plan and complete activities Mutual Regulation Educators can help students develop these skills by supporting them in: 1. Expressing emotional states in socially appropriate ways 2. Responding to assistance offered by others 3. Communicating for assistance in conventional manner

Effective Strategies in Coping with Social-Emotional Deficits: Providing positive praise while learning Planning gradual transitions; preparing the person for change Teaching techniques for coping with difficult situations Using modeling Using desensitization for new experiences (e.g. “First do__, then do__”) Planning for adequate exploration and familiarity of environments Speaking clearly, slowly, and pausing often Teaching and modeling relaxation strategies and diversions to reduce anxiety Autism Training Sourcebook, 1997

Multi-component Intervention: The Junior Detective Training Program (Beaumont & Sofronoff, 2008) - Participants: 49 students with autism, years of age - Purpose: Evaluate a program to enhance emotional understanding of children with autism. - Program consisted of four components: 1. Junior Detective Computer Program 2. Small group therapy sessions 3. Parent sessions 4. Teacher handouts - Follow up: 6 weeks and then 5 months - Results: Participants’ gains were clinically meaningful and maintained at 6-week and 5-month follow-up

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (Bauminger, 2002) Participants: 15 students with autism 8-17 years of age Process: Teachers prepared and worked with the child on an intervention curriculum for 3 hours per week for 7 months in class. - Participants were each assigned a typically developing peer that they met with to practice the newly taught skill. - Parents were informed about the program and encouraged to support their child at home. Teachers sent weekly memos to parents regarding the skill being taught for the parents to support the student in the home setting. Results: Students showed improvements in the three areas of 1. Social problem solving 2. Emotion understanding 3. Social interaction

Emotional Thermometer (Gately, 2008) Emotional thermometers that consist of different colors and varied vocabulary help children understand the various intensities of emotions. Shades of colors can be used to: 1. Help children “see” the intensity of the feeling in a more concrete way. 2. Explain how feelings can be different in different situations 3. Explain how feelings affect people’s choices

Students’ Learning Traits These involve three areas: 1. Learning Style 2. Behavioral Patterns 3. Strategies Myles & Simpson, 1995

1.Learning Style “ The mindset from which a student approaches learning tasks” (Myles et al., p.50). Points for teachers to consider: 1. Whether student is part-to-whole or gestalt learner. 2. Best learning environment, pace and rate for teaching the student 3. Understand individual work habits 4. Does generalization occur?

2.Behavioral Patterns Behaviors that occur in relation to tasks. Points for teachers to consider: 1. When do on-task/ off-task behaviors occur? 2. How are the behaviors manifested? 3. Does the student need help to move from off-task to on- task activities? 4. If yes, what type of help?

3.Strategies “Techniques that students use to manipulate, store, or retrieve information” (Myles et al., p.52). Points for teachers to consider: 1. Number of directions a student can follow 2. Do directions have to be stated or can be imbedded in text? 3. Does the student respond to specific interrogatives? 4. Does student use margins, spacing between words, sentences correctly? 5. How does the student place his/her work on a page? 6. Whether or not student can use logic to solve problems? 7. When a strategy does not work, what does the student do?

Social Skills Training For Children and Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome and Social-Communication Problems by Dr. Jed E. Baker A user-friendly "how to” manual for teaching social skills!

Why this curriculum? Specifically targets Asperger’s syndrome, not the entire spectrum Well-endorsed by the academic community Comprehensive coverage of everything from assessment and strategies for social skills training to behavior managment and peer acceptance through sensitivity training. Contains seventy lesson plans and activities, making it ready-to-use for parents and teachers.

Self-Regulation 1. Recognizing Feelings 2. Feelings Thermometer 3. Keeping Calm 4. Problem Solving 5. Talking to Others When Upset 6. Dealing with Family Problems 7. Understanding Anger 8. Dealing with Making a Mistake 9. Trying When Work is Hard 10. Trying Something New

1.“Recognizing Feelings” (Building Awareness of Feelings) Create a Journal Page 1. What happened? (draw or write) 2. What I felt this when this happened (draw or write) 3. What I thought when this happened (thoughts about me, thoughts about others) 4. How I tried to deal with this feeling (talking to a friend, asking for help)

Suggested Activities 1.Cut out pictures of basic emotions from magazines (happy, sad, angry, afraid) – explain and discuss facial cues, body language 2. Watch clips of video/tv without sound and guess the emotion portrayed 3. Use mirror/video to help child watch themselves enacting different emotions 4. Use a Feelings Thermometer to learn different words to describe the intensity of emotions 5. Take turns enacting different feelings (while counting to 10) – partner will try to guess the emotion portrayed 6. Activity charades – act out different emotions while performing actions to activities (e.g. eating, writing, watching TV) 7. Play “hot and cold” without words 8. Play a board game and give extra points if students can identify your feelings/intentions during the game 9. Journal of what makes them happy/sad/angry etc.

Activity!!! Cutting pictures of basic emotions from a magazine!

2.“Feelings Thermometer” ANXIETY 1.Label each main group of feelings (happy/sad/angry/scared) 2.Write the feelings that belong in the group in order from the least amount of feeling to the most amount of feeling

Activity!!! Make an ANGRY thermometer!

3.“Keeping Calm” 1. Stop and count to Take 3 deeps breaths 3. Tell someone how you feel 4. Do something fun to feel better (Play a game, draw, play a sport)

Suggested Activities 1. First teach how to keep calm when already upset Then teach how to avoid getting upset in the first place by common triggers using other skills taught in the manual, such as: dealing with losing, dealing with making a mistake, accepting “NO” for an answer, dealing with teasing, and accepting criticism. 2. Role-play the 4 steps to keeping calm 3. Bait the skill – have students demonstrate calming down by deliberately frustrating them and then prompting/waiting for them to calm down. 4. Distract students when they are too angry to listen. (i.e. Redirect to another activity/environment) 5. Reward students for appropriate “keeping calm” behavior

Activity!!! Baiting the skill

4.“Problem Solving” 1. Stay relaxed. Say “I can solve this problem if I stay calm” 2. Decide what the problem is (upset with friend, frustrated because preferred activity is denied) 3. Brainstorm possible solutions. 4. Think of the consequences of trying different solutions. 5. Choose the best solution for the problem.

Suggested Activities 1. Teach Two Major Steps: - Increase child’s motivation to keep calm - Teach that witholding frustration can get you some of what you want a) Work with journal entries to review times when anger got in the way of solving a problem, and convince child they can solve problem without too much frustration b) If no journal entries, review and role-play scenarios showing how anger delays problem solving 2. Role-play problem-solving: use real past experiences, or situations like above, and teach concrete steps to solve a specific problem. 3. Bait the skill (e.g. steal/cheat during a game, coach child through its solution) 4. Redirect emerging frustration into problem-solving (“we can solve the problem if we stay calm”) 5. Provide rewards for appropriate problem-solving (verbal praise, use an agreed-upon number of tokens/pennies/points each time the student stays calm when solving a frustrating problem )

Activity!!! Role-playing scenarios to show how anger delays problem-solving

5.“Talking to Others When Upset” “It is better to talk about your feelings than to act angry and upset. You will not get in trouble for talking about your feelings, but you might get in trouble for acting angry or upset” 1. Find someone who makes you feel good 2. “Can I talk to you for a moment” 3. If yes, tell that person how you feel. If no, talk to that person later

Suggested Activities 1. Role-play the steps for Talking versus Acting out 2. Bait the skill 3. Correct acting-out behaviour 4. Provide rewards for appropriate “talking to others when upset”

Activity!!! Role-play the steps for “talking” vs. “acting” out!

6.“Dealing with Family Problems” 1. Family Problems include: -parents fighting/criticizing/yelling; siblings provoking, picking on you, taking things; less attention because of divorce, illness, death, etc. 2. Good ways to confront family problems: - Asserting yourself, talking to another adult, ignoring teasing, and using your sense of humour Bad ways to confront family problems: - Fighting and taking it out on others 3. Good ways to escape/take a break from the problem - Calling a friend to hang out - Watching tv or listening to music away from others - Take a walk (let people know you are leaving) - Play a game to distract your thoughts Bad ways to escape/take a break from the problem - Running away (causes more problems) - Trying or threatening to hurt yourself (also causes problems)

Suggested Activities 1. Child first: - identifies problems they might be dealing with - develops a plan to deal with them Then: - Role-play situations and plans created. 2. Redirect inappropriate behaviour in positive ways 3. Provide rewards for appropriate behaviour (verbal praise, after agreed-upon number of tokens (e.g. 5 tokens) give a special reward (snack, stickers, activities, special game, etc.)

Activity!!! Identify, plan and role-play dealing with family problems!

7.“Understanding Anger” 1.What makes us so angry? - Trigger: Something that happens - Thoughts: How we understand what happened - Feelings: Angry, happy, sad, scared. 2.Develop a plan to deal with triggers to your anger a) Make a list of triggers b)Change your thoughts - think of positive ways to understand the situation c) Distract yourself from trigger situations d) Assert your feelings by telling the person how you feel in a positive way through I-messages: “I feel___when you_____because____. What I want you to do is ______.”

Suggested Activities 1. Use a game show format to review the material. For example, one format could be “Who wants to be a Millionaire?”. Students take turns answering questions for pretend cash. 2. Prompt using skills when child becomes angry (changing thoughts, distracting and asserting themselves). 3. Bait the skill. Tell child you are going to make them a little angry, then prompt them to use a strategy from the skill – do NOT make them very angry! 4. Provide rewards (verbal praise, token reward system)

Activity!!! Review material using game show format!

8. “Dealing with Making a Mistake” 1. Say “It’s okay to make a mistake. Mistakes help us learn” 2. Think about how you can learn from mistakes (e.g. Try harder, ask for help, apologize if needed) 3. Pick the best course of action

Suggested Activities 1. Reinforce the idea that you value mistakes more than you value being perfect. a) Have student purposely make a mistake that week and practice dealing with the mistake b) Be enthusiastic when the child makes a mistake “Look, you made a mistake! Now you can learn – what do you say to yourself to deal with this mistake?” 2. Role the steps for dealing with a mistake. 3. Bait the skill (e.g. Give a difficult task and tell child you are more interested in how they deal with mistakes than getting the right answers). 4. Provide rewards (verbal praise, token-reward system for dealing with a mistake or not getting upset).

Activity!!! Role-play the steps for “Dealing with a mistake”

9.“Trying When Work is Hard” 1. Try to do some of it. 2. Ask for help if you don’t know how to do it. 3. Ask for one short break. 4. Try again.

Suggested Activities 1.a) If the work is too hard: break task into simple steps, reduce amount of work, increase rewards b) For “learned helplessness”: build child’s confidence by starting with a very easy task and giving *lots* of praise and encouragement. 2. Role-play the steps for “Trying when working is hard” 3. Bait the skill using a moderately difficult task. 4. Provide rewards for appropriate trying (verbal praise, token-reward system for trying, asking for help, or asking for a break.

Activity!!! “Learned helplessness” – Building a child’s confidence

10.“Trying Something New” 1. Tell someone you are afraid to try something new 2. Say “It’s okay to be afraid the first time. After I try it I will feel better”. 3. Calm yourself with a favourite activity 4. Observe other’s try it 5. Try it!

Suggested Activities 1. Role-play: Gradually expose child to new material with the least frightening changes first (e.g. practice a familiar game and change rules slightly; practice new school-work) 2. Bait the skill (suggest new foods, games, activities; prompt student through skill steps) 3. Provide rewards for following the steps for “Trying something new” (i.e. verbal praise, token-reward system – reward successive attempts to try while gradually requiring more done before rewarded)

Activity!!! Provide rewards for appropriate trying using the token-reward system

Workshop Feedback Form 1.How useful was the information presented to you? 2.How confident do you feel in implementing some or all of the teaching strategies in your own practice? 3.In your opinion, was enough time spent discussing background information? Yes/No (please circle) 4. In your opinion, was enough time spent discussing training and activities? Yes/No (please circle) 5.What elements would you have wanted more information about or training in? 6.Would you attend the workshop again? Would you recommend it to a friend? Please elaborate. 7.Additional comments or questions.

References Autism training sourcebook (Indiana Resource Center for Autism, 1997). Retrieved August 1, 2008 from Baker, J.E. (2003) Social skills training for children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome and social-communication problems. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company Barnhill, G. P., Cook, K., T., Tebbenkamp, K., & Myles, B., S. (2002). The effectiveness of social skills intervention targeting nonverbal communication for adolescents with Asperger syndrome and related pervasive developmental delays. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17(2), Beaumont, R., & Sofronoff, K. (2008). A multi-component social skill intervention for children with Asperger syndrome: The Junior Detective Training Program. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 49(7), Bauminger, N. (2002). The facilitation of social-emotional understanding and social interaction in high-functioning children with autism: Intervention outcomes. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32(4),

References Ehlers, S., Gillberg, C., & Wing, L. (1999). A screening questionnaire for Asperger syndrome and other high-functioning autism spectrum disorders in school age children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29(2), Gately, S. E. (2008). Facilitating reading comprehension for students on the autism spectrum. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 40(3), Lacava, P. G., Golan, O., Cohen, S. B., & Myles, B. S. (2007). Using assistive technology to teach emotion recognition to students with Asperger syndrome. Remedial and Special Education, 28(3), Laurent, A. C., & Rubin, E. (2004). Challenges in emotional regulation in Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism. Top Lang disorders, 24(4), Myles, B. S., Simpson, R. L. (1995). Reflections on “An analysis of characteristics of students diagnosed with higher-functioning autistic disorder”. Exceptionality, 5(1),

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