Students
with ASD level 1, or High Functioning Autism (HFA) may fall anywhere in the
continuum between
. These children
want to communicate with their peers - but may lack the ability to do so. They do not understand what people are feeling or thinking
and have difficulty empathizing with them.
When asked to imagine themselves in a
particular situation, they experience great difficulty and may not be able to role-play. There is a lack of understanding of body language and social
conventions, and they have great difficulty in making and sustaining
friendships.
Because of this, HFA children miss
out on many aspects of teenage culture. For example, they may have no
knowledge of pop music, football, fashion etc. Therefore, when such
topics are used to stimulate interest in examination questions, they can
be at a disadvantage.
These children have little
appreciation of personal space and often get too close to people. This,
combined with inappropriate body language, can be misinterpreted by
others as threatening behavior.
They find
it difficult to work in pairs, to be part of a team, or to participate
normally in classroom discussions -- and need direct teaching. Because of
their desire for friendship, HFA children can be very vulnerable
and easily persuaded to do things without being aware of the
consequences.
Disruptive behavior (e.g., self-directed
injury, tantrums and aggression) is thought to be the result of
communication difficulties, but the teacher in the classroom may be
concerned for the safety of other students and restrict the use of
certain equipment in practical lessons and participation in outside
activities. Hence, the student with HFA may have had a narrower
educational experience than his or her peers.
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The Complete Guide to Teaching Students with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism
Communication Difficulties—
Most
of the social difficulties described are the result of communication
problems. Syntax and grammar are rarely a problem, but there is often a
non-productive, pedantic, literal use and understanding of language. Speech may be flat and
robot-like, and possibly
accompanied by distracting gestures (e.g., body swaying or grimacing).
HFA children try to understand what the words mean rather than what the
speaker means - and may be confused by idioms and metaphors.
A question such as
"Can you tell me the names of _____" is likely to be answered with a 'yes' or 'no'.
These children tend to find the written word easier to understand than the
spoken. Some may be able to read mechanically beyond the level of their
understanding (hyperlexia). Their writing shows a rigidity of thought,
and they often produce learned patterns of phrasing in
answers to examination questions.
Orally, HFA children can be very boring, because they spell out
everything in great detail and because of their preoccupation with a
particular interest or topic. They can't build on what
others say, have poor topic maintenance, and are unlikely to make
appropriate eye contact.
Clumsiness—
It
is not uncommon for these kids to have had delayed milestones in their
motor development - and for clumsiness to persist into adulthood. Both
fine and gross motor skills are involved, thus their performance in sports will be affected.
The
arrangement of written work is often poor with deeply marked crossing-out. Handwriting varies from being very small and almost illegible to
being large with poorly formed letters which overlap the lines.
Stress and the Environment—
Kids
on the autism spectrum are perceived to be intolerant of individuals as well as
the environment. They become very anxious in unstructured
settings and where people are moving at random. Many may
not be able to tolerate people close to them. Noise, whether it is sudden or it comes from
general background activity, can cause acute stress, fear and even panic
- and at the very least the student will be distracted and unable to
concentrate. Factors causing stress are very individual, although all
find alterations to routines very disturbing and have difficulty in
making choices.
Some respond to stress by antisocial
behavior. Repeated swearing is not uncommon, and others may have to remove
themselves physically from the situation. A quiet environment, free
from distractions and where rules are followed rigidly can do much to
help these "special needs" students to concentrate.
Carrying an object can give them
a sense of security. The nature of this can seem quite bizarre to
others (e.g. a AAA battery). But without it, HFA children may be unable to settle or concentrate. Some derive comfort from
repeating a set ritual of some kind - and it can be long and complex.
It
goes without saying that the ritual, however time-consuming, will have
to be carried out in an examination situation, and the comfort object
allowed to be present if the student is to be able to cope with the
stress of taking the examination.
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The Complete Guide to Teaching Students with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism
Intellectual Functioning—
Verbal
ability tends to be stronger than non-verbal, and this results in uneven
attainment across the breadth of the curriculum. This is reflected in
examination results and also within subject papers. The student may be
able to do exceptionally well recalling facts or applying well practiced
methods - but may score poorly or not at all when asked to imagine a
situation or to comment on the nuances of a fictional text.
Some
show areas of exceptional ability. But these are usually confined to one
subject and may be in a limited area of that subject. But, the young
person displays an insight and a knowledge way beyond others in their
age group. Often this is linked to their main interest or obsession.
Obsessional Interests—
Obsessional
interests tend to dominate the thinking and much of the life of many
students on the spectrum. Sometimes these change abruptly - but many
persist for years and perhaps for life. These young people become very
knowledgeable about their interest and go to extreme lengths to pursue
it. In an examination, whether written or oral, the student will tend to
see everything in terms of this interest and bring it in to all answers.
It will tend to take over, and the student will wander off the point of
the question and not know when to stop.
Special Arrangements for Examinations—
1. The examination room: There may be a request for the student to be supervised separately because:
