1. Please left click selector button to move to next slide. By Kerrie Harrison

2. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Experience Difficulty Reading Social Cues, Therefore :  They need to be taught in small, achievable steps how to share and take turns.  They can become so fixated on winning or being first, that they need to work through these issues.  They find change difficult to cope with.  They experience difficulties seeking out and including friends.  Due to their high visual strength and their limited verbal language abilities, children with ASD have difficulty listening to other children and building on their conversations, limiting their friendships.  Due to their ability to be righteous and factual, they may express their thoughts with little consideration to how it may affect others.

3. The basic Fundamentals of Cooperation that all children need to learn:-  To maintain eye contact (friendly)  To smile  To stand with shoulders pulled back  To use a friendly tone of voice  To keep own personal space Adapted from McGrath & Nobel (1993, p. 44)

4. Children with ASD  Often will not maintain eye contact  Some may smile and laugh, but they are very literal in their use of language. They experience difficulty understanding jokes or what it is that they are laughing at  Children with ASD find it difficult to understand that other people have a perspective  A lot of children on the Spectrum may experience gross motor difficulties and are unable to maintain tall postures  They are not able to cue into body language of other people so may not respond accordingly  Some ASD children may be monotone whilst others may screech and yet others may make constant noises or sounds to soothe their anxiety  Some children on the spectrum experience difficulties with proprioception and judging space, eg “personal space”. Therefore, this needs to be made very explicit to them, eg. using hoops & mats.

5. ASD Children need to learn in small succinct steps the following skills in Seeking Out and Joining in with Other Children  To look for children by themselves or in small groups.  To watch what the other children are doing.  To stand nearby and wait for a break in what they are doing (teach what “break” means)  To say “hello” or…  To join in the conversation that is occurring or to make a positive comment about the game.  That if the other children talk back kindly, to start doing what they are doing and join in their conversation or game. Adapted from McGrath and Francey (1991, p. 49)

6. All Children  Benefit from learning social skills  Need to learn that all people are different and that they see things very differently  Need to understand that not all people make eye contact  Need to be taught to look for the positive in all people  Benefit from listening carefully to what everybody has to offer  Need to try to include all people some of the time

7. All Children Need to be Taught Basic Group Skills  How to seek out other children  How to initiate play and conversation  How to Share, take turns and interpret cues  How to include others  How to be positive and look for positive  How to express an opinion while validating other opinions  How to listen and ask good questions Adapted from McGrath & Nobel (1993, p. 44)

8. When Teaching Strategies in Turn-taking and Sharing to Students with ASD:-  Use functional games  Make the most of small groups to help teach skills explicitly  Introduce rules and expectations slowly  Provide a behaviour scripts, visual demonstrations or schedules outlining steps associated with games, rules and conventions.  Ensure games are at the cognitive level of the child.  Teach Child how to be a good winner and a good loser.  Teach broader class to understand that we all respond to situations in different ways.  Provide support for the ASD child so that they feel safe in the environment, eg. peer support, etc.

9. Expressing an Opinion While Validating Others  Provide regular social skills training and social stories to help the child internalise practises in being assertive and validating others.  Word association games may be a good place from which to start.  Then introduce simple sentence phrases and ask the child to build on this.  Reinforce basic cooperative skills.  Enforce the need to listen carefully to what is being said and to think about it before answering.  Provide visual supports to help them stay on track and to consolidate steps, eg. social stories, schedules, etc.

10. Listening and Asking Good Questions. Teach children the following skills:-  To show the other person that “you” are listening carefully by acknowledging through nodding.  If “you” don’t understand something, ask them to repeat it.  To clarify statements by rephrasing them.  Teach child to build on discourse, eg. “Yes, I agree and…”, “I wonder how…”  (Teach “who, what, where, when, how, why?” questions progressing to more complex questioning techniques

11. Teach ASD Children Positive Tracking  Look for the good things in everything. Say things quietly to self. Say them out loud.  Look for good things in other people. Tell them.  If something bad happens, try to find a good part of it. Adapted from McGrath and Francey (1991, p. 43)

12. Remember The Following For The ASD Child:-  Ensure that directions are succinct and to the point. Especially younger children are not able to read and comprehend compound sentence structures  They cannot read body language and emotions, (social cues). The ASD child needs to be taught explicitly how to do this.  Provide visual and social supports to assist them  Ensure the environment is safe and without distractions  Don’t force learning experiences, introduce them slowly

13. Teach Children How to Calm Down  Clap hands quietly four times  Wave arms around like a windmill  Sit on floor and stretch out legs. Wiggle  Stretch each foot ten times  Stop. Take a breath. Hold it. Let it go. Repeat 5 times  Slowly stand up  Turn around twice slowly  Whisper 3 times “Now I’m calmer” Adapted from McGrath & Nobel (1993, p. 44)

14. References  McGrath & Francey, H & S (1991) Friendly Kids, Friendly Classroom, Addision Wesley Longman Australia Pty. Ltd.  McGrath & Nobel, H & T. (1993) Different Kids Same Classroom, Addison Wesley Longman Australia Pty. Ltd.