Autism Spectrum Disorders What you need to know…. Breaks – take as needed Ask questions as you have them ASD is such a huge spectrum – I’m attempting to cover strategies that help all levels of kids, therefore they won’t all be pertinent to you, but you will understand why they are being used with some of the lower functioning kids. Katie Hoffman

“Children do well if they can… if they can’t, we adults need to figure out what’s getting in the way, so we can help.” -Dr. Ross Greene “The Explosive Child” Versus “Children do well when they want to.”

Special Education Criteria Educational category vs. medical diagnosis

Statistics ISD 622 1:63 students identified as ASD Roseville 1:62 students identified as ASD Mahtomedi 1:86 students identified as ASD Bloomington 1:56 students identified as ASD

Social Understanding Showing interest in others Understanding others have a different perspective Peer relationships Interact well with adults because we accommodate for their difficulties. Struggle with hidden social curriculum Social Cognition - Examples of Hidden Social Curriculum - think of how much hidden curriculum exists at the middle school/HS school!!! Don’t assume our kids know these rules – ask them? Use cards to explain situations and what ASD kids see vs. what we see.

ASD: The Invisible Disability You can teach a child with ASD the theory of relativity once and he’d get it. But you’d have to tell him the rules for lining up for recess 500 times. The Big Bang Theory - CBS

Communication Pragmatic Language Extraneous information Not giving enough information Remaining on-topic Avoids eye contact Voice - unusual voice or pedantic manner of speaking Reading non-verbal cues/ understanding other’s childrens expressions and feelings Body basics/facial attending Turn taking OCD interests/issues (high interest areas) One-sided conversations Curious incident – p. 14 – non-verbal cues

Rule Bound Thinking/Flexibility Rule followers or expect others to follow rules. May be their own rules. Like structure and routines. Resistance to change, over reaction to minor changes in routine or environment ANXIETY DRIVES BEHAVIOR!!!! Good memory for certain things Narrow interests/special interests Sensory needs May have problems with anger due to high cognition – enough insight to realize something is wrong, but not enough to realize what it is. Curious Incident – pg. 28

Asperger’s Syndrome Impairment of frontal lobe (executive) functioning Awareness of differences between the A.S. person and others can cause anxiety. Depression more common in A.S. kids A.S. students can be highly competitive. Inability to get jokes or teasing Inappropriate attachment to objects High verbal skills and strong interests in subjects unusual for the child’s age Restricted range of interests Problems with Sensory Integration

Anxiety Drives Behavior Typical Behavior Strategies won’t work (charts, behavior modification, choices, etc…). Strategies that work with ASD kids can work with all children. Strategies that work with all children may not work with ASD kids. Need to find a balance between accommodating their anxiety and gently challenging them to move forward. It’s a very fine line. Behavior = Communication What skill do they not know? How can you scaffold the learning of this skill?

Top Ten Situations that Trigger Insistence on Sameness 1. Annoying behavior 2. Activity interrupted 3. Losing a game 4. Object breaks 5. Event cancelled 6. Event delayed 7. Materials run out 8. Item misplaced 9. Sequence changed 10. Momentary separation

Strategies in the Classroom Verbal directions During times of anxiety give short/concise directions (1-3 words), Pair them with a visual as much as possible. Some of your lower functioning kids will need shorten directions for all directions. Students with ASD need spoken language to be deliberate and delivered at a consistent pace. It is difficult for students to read-between-the-lines or to understand abstract concepts such as sarcasm.

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) Visual Strategies Post-it’s Schedules Should be out and visible at all times. Some kids need only the next three events in front of them Some kids need the daily list available to them but not reviewed (usually these kids are high functioning enough to be mainstreamed or in grade 3-5) Some kids need to move an icon to the done column, cross off each section of the day, etc… Even if a child can read you should add visual cues, kids can process these quicker. Give advance notice of changes.

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) Cartooning Example Always consider: What the behavior/social error looks like? What the ASD student is thinking when they do it? What are others thinking when they do it? (It’s okay to be a little blunt (but respectful) here – they need it!) What they can do instead or to fix the social error?

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) Social Stories Repetitive situations Big changes Good Manners/Bad Manners 3-part relaxation strategies

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) 5-point Scale 5 is the biggest that it can be and 1 is the smallest. Have a voice volume chart posted: 5 (red) = screaming, 4 (orange) = loud voice, 3 (yellow) = normal voice, 2 (blue) = whisper, 1 (green) = no talking Have a anxiety scale posted: 5 = meltdown, 4=upset, 3= worried, 2=uneasy, 1= calm

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) Sensory Tools/sensory breaks Consult with the Occupational Therapist Some kids need 5 minute breaks after every academic task, some less frequent than that. These help keep kids calm so they can complete tasks. It is important to find the right balance for each child. Lots and lots of options…..

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) First/Then (verbally or visually) Use high interest areas to practice various skills (topic for writing, communication) BE extremely careful with reward based programs – I wouldn’t encourage these as the children don’t understand the connection to their behavior at lunch and not getting a pop at the end of the day.

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) Carrier Phrases “Do you have a ________” Give two choices of what they could answer Gain their attention and give plenty of wait time. Write out your directions Visual representation of expectations (picture of organized desk) Check list of things they need for a class

Strategies in the Classroom (con’t) Conversation starters Operate on “ASD” Time (“twice as much time/half the work done”). Students with ASD typically need more time to understand directions, gather materials, complete assignments, and orient themselves to transition. You should be able to pack in a backpack the strategies a child needs to be successful. Activity ideas : --- who are your kids with ASD that you’ll be working with next year? What are their needs? What might you view differently with them now that you have this information?

MELTDOWNS Don’t ever paint yourself into a corner that you can’t get out of with the child. Attempt to identify what the cause of the meltdown is. Best to avoid meltdowns, what triggers them, how can you accommodate those triggers while your teaching the skill of calming down.