Classroom Strategies for Educating Students with Autism Susan Hepburn, Ph.D. University of Colorado/JFK Partners SESA, Alaska March 2008

Overview of Today’s Presentation Basic facts about autism (very brief) Tips for engaging a student with autism Educational strategies

Basic Facts About Autism

The Autism Spectrum Similarities = Difficulties in 3 areas: Social functioning Communication/language Restricted activities and interests

Definition of Autism Significant impairment in 3 areas of functioning: Social Communication Restricted activities and interests Evident within first 3 years of life Not a degenerative neurological condition

Qualitative Social Impairment Failure to use or understand nonverbal behaviors (e.g., eye contact, gestures) Lack of peer relationships appropriate for developmental level Lack of sharing enjoyment/interest Lack of reciprocity

Qualitative Communication Impairment Delay in spoken language accompanied by a lack of compensation in nonverbal communication For talkers: problems initiating and/or sustaining conversations Unusual linguistic features (e.g., echolalia, neologisms, odd prosody) Lack of imaginative or symbolic play

Restricted Activities and Interests Preoccupation that is unusual in either intensity or focus Strict adherence to routines Repetitive motor movements Preoccupation with parts of objects

Strengths Associated with Autism Nonverbal problem-solving (e.g., puzzles) Persistence and focus within preferred activities Ability to learn within routines Rule-governed

Strengths Associated with PDDNOS Same as autism In some studies, found to show more communicative intention and to share interest with others more frequently More likely to be verbal than children with autism

Strengths Associated with Asperger Syndrome Usually good verbal skills Rule-governed and routine-oriented Can excel at special interest Can use cognitive strengths to learn emotional and social skills

Tips for Engaging a Student with Autism

“Engagement” is… Active participation in activities Appropriate focus of attention Positive affect and enjoyment Sense of social connection

….you may just have to be willing to interact in a new way It is possible to engage in rewarding social interaction with any child with autism. ….you may just have to be willing to interact in a new way

Specific Strategies for Encouraging Engagement Find out about the child’s favorite activities and interests and indulge him – talk to the child’s parents about how he likes to spend his time Be silly and absurd and have fun Follow her lead and imitate what she does, at least sometimes Appreciate his uniqueness – let your affect be heightened and easy to read

Be ready to be physical and engage in nonverbal play – even with verbal kids Allow for some repetition, be patient, and let the child do some things over and over… Watch the child’s nonverbal responses to your behavior and modify yours accordingly

Look for behaviors that are communicative and try to respect those communications Narrate your actions Minimize surprises, give advanced warnings of what you will do next Emphasize predictability and build routines (especially for transitions)

Find out about a child’s sensory preferences and issues and try to incorporate them into your interaction style Whenever possible, add visual cues to your communications Remember that many children with autism have splintered skills – i.e., their abilities may not be evenly developed – keep your expectations realistic

Do not overuse language – particularly if a child is upset Avoid sarcasm, idioms, metaphors – most people with autism tend to think very concretely Remember that children with autism can be very socially sensitive – dignity, respect, and appreciation are powerful for building solid relationships

Prioritize 1:1 time with each child – group activities are okay some of the time, but look for chances for 1:1 activities too Keep on the lookout for hints that the child is getting overwhelmed and provide a quiet break before he becomes upset Keep in good communication with families – ask them questions, share specifics about the positive and challenging parts of your day

Educational Strategies Structured teaching Direct instruction Incidental teaching

Each methodological approach has strengths and limitations

Structured Teaching Is an instructional approach developed specifically for students with autism.

Structured teaching employs methods designed to: Clarify expectations Establish predictability Promoting skill acquisition Fostering independent functioning

Features of Structured Teaching Involves individualized assessment of skills and interests Emphasizes physical organization, visual clarity, and positive routines Focuses on prevention of problem behaviors

Structured Teaching Sequence Teacher assesses child’s interests and skills Teacher modifies physical environment Teacher provides visual cues Child participates in independent and group learning activities Child is reinforced for effort, participation, and achievement

Strengths of Structured Teaching Instructional strategies are specialized for autism Visual structure provides predictability, reduces frustration, and promotes independence Individualized programming emphasizes developmentally-appropriate and functional goals

Direct Instruction or Discrete Trial Training Is a technique that involves breaking down behavioral sequences into separate components and teaching one component at a time in a highly structured manner

Features of Direct Instruction Activities are adult-directed Involves one-to-one teaching Is based upon operant teaching principles Emphasizes repetition

Direct Instruction Sequence Adult presents stimulus Adult provides prompts Child responds Adults provides consequence

Strengths of Direct Instruction Repetition and practice facilitate skill acquisition One-on-one teaching helps child to attend to instruction Controlled environment allows for easy data collection

Incidental Teaching Is a method of instruction that is employed in naturalistic settings with the goal of strengthening functional social and communication skills

Features of Incidental Teaching Activities are child-directed Occurs in the natural social environment Employs natural reinforcers Emphasizes generalization

Incidental Teaching Sequence Teacher provides stimulating play activities Child initiates teaching interaction Teacher prompts child to expand the interaction Child expands interaction Teacher provides natural reinforcement for appropriate responses

Provide Positive Experiences with Peers Encourage other children to join child with autism in his/her favorite activities Give preferred objects to other children so child with autism has to communicate with them Hang back, shadow, and prompt peers (not child with autism) to facilitate social interactions Encourage nonverbal, physical, stimmy and repetitive games as icebreakers Practice sharing (e.g., on computer)

Social Facilitation Strategies to encourage and expand social engagement within the natural setting Cultivating “teachable moments” Prompting naturally Shadowing the child Preparing and training the peers Teachable moments are naturally occuring events, activities or situations where you can expand or prompt to practice a skill. Use a variety of prompts including visual, gestural, physical, avoid too many verbal prompts as the child can become easily prompt dependent and when we think about the type of skill we are facilitating it is eventually an independent skill

Peer-Mediated Interventions: Steps (Odom & Strain, 1984) Adult chooses peers with good social skills and “social intuition” Peers are taught to deliver prompts, praise, and reinforcement for social initiations Peers are trained to be persistent in initiations Adult monitors and prompts peers, but does not intervene with target child

Characteristics of Effective Peers High social status Able to follow adult directions Willingness to participate -- Sasso & Rude, 1987

Peer-Mediated Intervention: A Few Caveats Effectiveness may be related to severity of social impairment (Odom et al., 1985) Helpful to train multiple peers (Fox, et al., 1984) Sometimes requires a lot of teacher time May be most helpful when added to teacher-mediated interventions (Odom & Strain, 1986) Peer-mediated intervention increased social responding Teacher-mediated intervention increased social initiation, length of interactions

Strengths of Incidental Teaching Teaching in a natural setting promotes generalization Activities are child-directed Peers are involved as intervention agents

An integrative approach toward educating students with autism may be the most effective strategy

Components of an Integrative Approach Individualized assessment Visual structure Combination of child- and adult-directed activities

Components, (cont.) Use of one-on-one instruction for teaching new skills Use of incidental teaching to promote generalization On-going assessment

Concluding Comments