Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Planning Support for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Chapter Eight
Resource for the Identification and
Teaching of Students with Specific
Learning Disability (1999) Department
of Education, Government of New
Brunswick.
These factors are adapted from Sewell,
K. (1998) Breakthroughs: How to
Reach Students with Autism, A Handson
How-to Manual for Teachers and
Parents.
How to help the student with ASD at the pre-referral stage:
ASD is primarily an impairment in social and communication
development. The strategies relevant for a student with ASD are
similar to those relevant for a student with a language impairment.
Strategies may include:
• Reduce the length or size of a task.
• Praise appropriate behaviors with the prospect that the
appropriate behaviors will replace the less desirable behaviors.
• Avoid reinforcement of ‘insistence on sameness’, expose the
student to new situations and activities, even if only for short
periods of time.
• Allow the student time to attempt completion of tasks
independently. (When necessary, provide only the minimal
amount of intervention and reduce prompting over time. If
you’re not sure if a student can do something, give him the
benefit of the doubt and let him try it).
• Wait five to ten seconds, after giving an instruction, before
giving a prompt, unless the student does something clearly
off task. Then, if necessary, giving a greater prompt such
as a verbal or gestural prompt, remembering that too many
or too frequent prompts will lead to ‘learned helplessness’.
• Search for activities and objects which can be used to motivate
and reward the student when appropriate behaviors occur;
varying the rewards will reduce the likelihood of boredom.
• Exploit the student’s interests so that a wide range of basic
concepts and cognitive skills can be taught.
• Teach the student about what is socially appropriate.
• Prepare the student for changes in activities and routines.
• Avoid abstract ideas when possible; using visual cues as an
aid when abstract ideas are necessary.
• Consider these factors when setting up a classroom:
< use a separate small area for working with students
< when placing furniture, set up patterns so students don’t
disturb each other
< ensure the teacher can see every area of the room
< use tennis balls on chair legs to have the same effect as
carpeting
< use filtered light, through mini-blinds, curtains, or shades,
which has a positive effect on students (i.e., warmth, calm,
and coziness)
Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders 85