1. Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder in order to Make the Classroom a Successful Learning Environment Amy Fishkin (amfishkin@ccsd.ws)amfishkin@ccsd.ws Ellen Moskowitz (elmoskowitz@ccsd.ws)elmoskowitz@ccsd.ws

2. ASD Definition Proposed DSM-5 Definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder: 1.Clinically significant, persistent deficits in social communication and interactions, as manifest by all of the following: a)Marked deficits in non-verbal and verbal communication used for social interaction b)Lack of social reciprocity c)Failure to develop and maintain peer relationships appropriate to developmental level 2.Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least TWO of the following: a)Stereotyped motor or verbal behaviors, or unusual sensory behaviors b)Excessive adherence to routines and ritualized patterns of behavior c)Restricted, fixated interests 3.Symptoms must be present in early childhood (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities)

3. Sensory challenges dominate the world of people with ASD Sound Hearing might be like a bad mobile phone connection. It is not possible to drown out background noise Loud noises hurt my already sensitive ears and the possibilities of them make me anxious. Scripting or repetitive speech can help me hear things that are comfortable and makes me less anxious.

4. Vision Eye contact can be painful and/or not possible. Words on the page shift or shake making it hard to read and understand. It hurts to read. Bright lights are painful. Swaying materials or walls covered create anxiety Understanding where an object is in space (people, balls, lines on a page) are really challenging. Flapping hands and/or rapid body movements in front of my eyes help to focus on something that doesn’t hurt.

5. Touch Clothing can be irritating (seams, tags, rough fabric). For some students, touch is really painful and uncomfortable For others tactile input (pressure), brushing, etc. are helpful to focus and calm students. Physical activity is at times a necessity

6. The Autistic Brain Most ASD thinkers process the world in pictures ▫Nouns are easy to understand (match to a picture!) ▫Abstract concepts are more challenging to understand (Need to connect abstract concept to image) ▫Sees things in a “rolodex of images” or Google images (Need to put pictures into categories to build concept) ▫Visual schedules or breaking down tasks are helpful ▫Autistic thinking in “bottom up” thinking – give many examples to develop conceptual understanding

7. The Autistic Brain Autistic thinkers usually attend to the details not the big picture (gestalt) ▫Non-autistic thinks tend to over-abstract and miss the details ▫Autistic brain had a faster response time to the small letters Behrmann et al., Neuropsychologia 2005

8. The Autistic Brain Drawing by autistic child of a kitchen scene

9. The Autistic Brain (cont.) Great need for sameness ▫Anything new or unfamiliar ▫Unknown expectations ▫Change in routine ▫Fixations on a topic or activity.  “Use the fixation as a motivation to broaden the child out.” ▫Easily distracted by visual stimuli therefore takes longer to shift attention.

10. Challenges Students with Autism Face Strongest emotion is FEAR Anxiety of sensory-overload and/or unknown Need for sense of control ▫Give choices and a sense of control over their world because so much feels out of control Difficulty tuning out background noise or visual distractions ▫Sounds and visual stimulation all coming in at the same level Difficulty with transitions ▫Need to finish something before moving on (like scratching an itch) Attention-shifting makes it difficult for students to maintain focus and shift attention back to task at hand Difficulty reading social cues and intentions of others Difficulty managing emotions

11. Changing Perceptions Ellen Notbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew, mother of two children with autism and ADD, wrote… I asked parents to jot down brief descriptions of some of their child’s most challenging behaviors and then to rephrase them in the positive: Is the child stand-offish, or able to entertain herself and work well independently? Is she reckless or adventuresome and willing to try new experiences? Is she obsessively neat or does she have outstanding organizational skills? Does she pester you with endless questions or does she have a curiosity about her world as well as tenacity and persistence? Why do we try to fix the kid who “perseverates” but admire the one who “perseveres?” Both are forms of the same word meaning “refuses to stop.” Here’s the one I hate the most: Does your child “suffer from autism,” or does he “live with autism?” Choose “life” over “suffering”

12. Understanding what it feels like to Live on the Spectrum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= PAtC6jPW28U

13. Discussion What does the excerpt from Ellen Notbohm’s column about changing perceptions make us think? How does the sensory experience of a child with ASD impact the learning environment? What new insights have we gained about autism that will help us with our work in the classroom? How can we adapt our classroom environments to further support these students?