New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline - Ministry of Health

Part 3: Education for learners with ASD
taught. Difficulties in social motivation impact
enormously on the ability of children with ASD
to learn in areas where they have no interest
and, as a consequence, no prior knowledge.
In this context, Steven Shore notes that:
It is important for teachers to know about their
students’ interests and build on these existing
strengths. Using these topics as the centrepiece
of students’ academic work helps to keep them
focused, engaged and motivated and can also serve
as bridges to new topics and skills 246 (p. 298).
There is evidence that students who are
offered preferred activities and objects engage
in more self-initiation of questions, use
more communication, engage in more social
interactions and have enhanced engagement
with the task 218 (Recommendation 3.2.4.3).
212 247
• using well-planned cooperative learning
(Recommendation 3.2.4.4).
4. Provide structure in the classroom programme
Children and young people with ASD
often require much more structure in their
11 218
environments than others in order to learn
246
. ‘Structure’ is not consistently defined, but
a programme might be considered structured
when the curriculum (activities, schedule and
environment) is clear and comprehensible
or predictable to both the children or young
people and any observers. One suggested
test is to observe the student for 10 minutes.
If the observer cannot identify the task which
the student has been set without further
explanation, then further ‘structure’ is required
in the form of visual or other supports
(Recommendation 3.2.4.5).
3. Systematic instruction and adequate supports
It is difficult to make recommendations or
generalisations about specific practices,
and students with significant cognitive and
communication difficulties will require greater
adaptations, more intensity and greater support.
However, student performance, appropriate use
of materials, direction following and on-task
behaviour can all be improved by maximising
material that is within the student’s interest,
and by:
• incorporating choices
• reinforcing attempts
Examples of structure include:
• consistent programming
• facilitating transitions, flexibility and change
• schedules of activities
• providing visual supports
• writing instructions on whiteboards
• minimising verbal prompts
• planning and providing choice-making
opportunities
• defining specific areas of the classroom and
school setting
Part 3
• pre-task sequencing (giving the child or
young person a series of short, easy requests
to reinforce expectation and motivation,
followed by a more difficult task)
• using the least intrusive prompts first
• using minimal physical prompting
• adequate modelling
• providing natural consequences
• use of peer-tutoring (which can increase
instructional time and provide pacing,
feedback, error correction, high mastery
levels and content coverage)
• allowing some access to repetitive behaviour
• providing behavioural support
• environmental adaptation to plan for sensory
needs
• breaking tasks into clear, manageable pieces
• using work baskets to show visually how
much work is required and when work is
completed
• minimising ambiguity
• planning so that students can finish tasks
before moving on
New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline 117