Parent's Letter to Teachers: Assisting My Aspergers Child in the Academic Setting

Are you getting complaints from school regarding your Aspergers (high functioning autistic) child's behavior? Do the teachers seem to have a hard time finding ways to cope with him or her? If so, then copy and paste the following letter, then send it in an email to your child's teacher(s):

Dear Teacher,

I am the parent of _____ (child’s name). As you know, he has Aspergers. Here are some things that will help you to help him in the classroom environment:

1. Please allow him to "move about" periodically …sitting still for long periods of time can be very difficult (even a 2 minute 'walk around' with a friend or aide can help a lot).

2. Allowing our youngster to write down questions or thoughts and providing a response in writing may be very helpful at times.

3. Although his vocabulary and use of language may seem high, Aspergers kids may not know the meaning of what they are saying even though the words sound correct.

4. At times, it looks as if my youngster is not listening to you when he really is. Don't assume that because he is not looking at you that he is not hearing you.

5. At times, it may take more than few seconds for my youngster to respond to questions. He needs to stop what he's thinking, put that somewhere, formulate an answer and then respond. Please wait patiently for the answer and encourage others to do the same. Otherwise, he will have to start over again.

6. At times, our youngster may experience "meltdowns" when nothing may help behavior. At times like this, please allow a "safe and quiet spot" where our youngster will be allowed to "cool off." Try to take note of what occurred before the meltdown (was it an unexpected change in routine, for example), and it's best to talk "after" the situation has calmed down.

7. At times, some of my youngster's behaviors may be aggravating and annoying to you and to members of his class. Please know that this is normal and expected. Try not to let the difficult days color the fact that YOU are a wonderful teacher with a challenging situation and that nothing works all of the time (and some things don't even work most of the time). You will also be treated to a new and very unique view of the world that will entertain and fascinate you at times.

8. Breaking directions down into simple steps is quite helpful.

9. Directions are more easily understood if they are repeated clearly, simply and in a variety of ways.

10. Please foster a classroom atmosphere that supports the acceptance of differences and diversity.

11. Generally speaking, an adult speaking in a calm voice will reap many benefits.

12. Giving one or two warnings before a change of activity or schedule may be helpful.

13. Hand signals may be helpful, especially to reinforce certain messages, such as "wait your turn", "stop talking" (out of turn), or "speak more slowly or softly".

14. He may get over-stimulated by loud noises, lights, strong tastes or textures, because of the heightened sensitivity to these things.

15. One of the biggest challenges for Aspergers kids is that they may want to make friends very badly, yet have no clue as to how to go about it.

16. Identifying 1 or 2 empathetic students who can serve as "buddies" will help the youngster feel as though the world is a friendlier place.

17. If necessary, allow our child to copy the notes of other students. Many Aspergers kids are also dysgraphic, and they are unable to listen to you talk, read the board, and take notes all at the same time.

18. It is important to remember that just because the youngster learns something in one situation, this doesn't automatically mean that they remember or are able to generalize the learning to new situations.

19. It may be helpful to develop schedules (picture or written) for him.

20. Let him know, if possible, when there will be a substitute teacher or a field trip occurring during regular school hours.

21. Please note his strengths often - and visually. This will give our youngster the courage to keep on plugging.

22. Our youngster has difficulty understanding a string of directions or too many words at one time.

23. Our youngster lacks the ability of remember a lot of information or how to retrieve that information for its use.

24. Our youngster may act in a very clumsy way.

25. Our child may react very strongly to certain tastes, textures, smells and sounds.

26. Our youngster may have a great deal of difficulty with transitions. Having a picture or word schedule may be helpful.

27. Our youngster may have vocal outbursts or shriek. Be prepared for them, especially when having a difficult time. Also, please let the other kids know that this is a way of dealing with stress or fear.

28. Our youngster may need help with problem-solving situations. Please be willing to take the time to help with this.

29. Our youngster may repeat the same thing over and over again, and you may find this increases as stress increases.

30. Our youngster reacts well to positive and patient styles of teaching.

31. Please feel free to share with us whatever you would like. We have heard it before. It will not shock us or make us think poorly of you.

32. Please let our youngster know of any anticipated changes as soon as you know them, especially with picture or word schedules.

33. Please post schedules and homework assignments on the board and make a copy for him. Also, please make sure that these assignments get put into his backpack, because he can't always be counted on to get everything home without some help.

34. Please try to give as much advance notice as possible if there is going to be a change or disruption in the schedule.

35. Sarcasm and some forums of humor are often not understood by my youngster. Even explanations of what is meant may not clarify, because the perspectives of Aspergers youngster can be unique and, at times, immovable.

36. He may actually hear and understand you better if not forced to look directly at your eyes.

37. Some Aspergers kids learn best with visual aides, such as picture schedules, written directions or drawings (other kids may do better with verbal instruction).

38. Speaking slower and in smaller phrases can help.

39. Students with Aspergers may be at greater risk for becoming "victims" of bullying behavior by other students. This is caused by a couple of factors: (1) there is a great likelihood that the response or "rise" that the "bully" gets from the Asperger youngster reinforces this kind of behavior, and (2) Asperger students want to be included and/or liked so badly that they are reluctant to "tell" on the bully, fearing rejection from the perpetrator or other students.

40. This disorder is characterized by a sort of "swiss cheese" type of development (i.e., some things are learned age-appropriately, while other things may lag behind or be absent).

41. Aspergers kids may have skills years ahead of normal development (e.g., a youngster may understand complex mathematics principles, yet not be able to remember to bring their homework home).

42. Unlike most of us, sometimes forcing eye contact BREAKS his concentration.

43. Unstructured times (e.g., lunch, break and PE) may prove to be the most difficult for him. Please try to help provide some guidance and extra adults help during these more difficult times.

44. Using picture cues or directions are very helpful in a multitude of situations since he is a visual learner.

45. When dividing up assignments, please ASSIGN teams rather than have the other kids "choose members", because this increases the chances that our youngster will be left out or teased.

46. When it reaches a point that things in the classroom are going well, it means that we've gotten it RIGHT. It doesn't mean that our youngster is "cured", "never had a problem" or that "it's time to remove support". Please increase demands gradually.

47. When someone tries to help by finishing his sentences or interrupting, he often has to go back and start over to get the train of thought back.

48. When you see anger or other outbursts, our youngster is not being deliberately difficult. Instead, this is in a "fight/fright/flight" reaction. Think of this as an “electrical circuit overload.”

49. Prevention methods can sometimes head-off impending meltdowns if you see the warning signs coming.

50. If there is a lot of chaos and noise, please try to help our child find a quiet spot to which he can go for some "relief".

Thanks in advance,

Mrs. _______ (parent’s name).

==> My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns at Home & School

How Aspergers Students Learn: Strategies for Teachers

Do you, the teacher, have a clear understanding of what your Aspergers (high functioning autistic) student’s needs will be prior to the start of school (perhaps as dictated by the IEP), and does your student know what to do and say if he gets “stuck”?

If you know your Aspergers student to be a strong visual thinker and learner, ensure that any verbally communicated curriculum is reinforced with visuals. Some Aspergers kids cannot process visual and auditory input simultaneously without distraction – they are “mono-channel” so to speak (i.e., they can’t absorb what they are seeing and hearing at the same time and can attend to only one or the other). As many kids with Aspergers are so visual, this means there is potential for them to be distracted by everything in the room, so that they absorb only bits and pieces of the instruction.

In one instance, a young "Aspie’s" school team members were frustrated because they thought they were supporting her fully by assigning her a classroom aide. However, the aide was verbally reiterating the teacher's direction in such a way that their words overlapped. The Aspie student was receiving almost exclusively verbal instruction, out of sync, and in stereo! Now, consider her predicament in desiring to pay attention to the teacher, but knowing she must also attend to the aide. Layer on top of that the constant hustle and bustle of a typical elementary school classroom setting, and it was a recipe for disaster.

Many kids with Aspergers generally possess a number of strengths which teachers may build on. For example, these students:

• best understand logical, concrete topics of discussion
• desire to conform to rules and boundaries
• retain information best when it is visual, sequential, and linear
• have a strong knowledge base for individual topics of passionate interest
• have a willingness to please and to keep trying

Your Aspergers student may well benefit from a classroom aide in order to support his comprehension. It will be best, though, if all the kids in classroom understand that the aide is accessible to them if they have questions or need guidance to reinforce the teacher's instruction. In this way, the aide's role is discreet (i.e., doesn’t look like the Aspie is receiving special treatment).

It will also be important that you embrace the concept of “building on the Aspergers student’s passions.” It is unrealistic to expect a teacher to center educational curriculum around one student's passions; however, wherever possible, it will help engage him if you can artfully introduce elements of the passion(s) into the lessons. Strategies for “linking passions to learning opportunities” is best applied by your student's classroom aide – or directly by you if no aide is assigned or available.

All Aspergers kids are eventually confronted with educational concepts that are vague and indiscernible for them. “Connecting lessons to passions” is intended to occur outside of the classroom setting and, ideally, before and after the confusing assignment. Your job is to “coach” your student on the sidelines before sending him out into the game (i.e., deconstruct the concept with which he is struggling by using his passion both before and after he's expected to learn and retain it). For example, you might suggest that the names given to parts of plants also relate to the hanging vines in a Mario Bros. computer game. Instead of asking that your student recite the textbook plant parts, request that he link the same information to the Mario Bros. plants. He will retain this information, and with a gentle reminder, he will “call up” the knowledge when it's required (e.g., at test time).

Some Aspergers kids take this to extremes and don't realize they are sidetracking a teacher's instruction with lengthy explanations of their special interest (which can prompt teachers to stereotype the interest). Kids who do this need clear, concise, and written rules provided to them about when and where it's okay to expound upon their passions.

Your student likely has a strong “associative link” when learning (i.e., he learns on the spot and in the moment while “doing” whatever it is, and will forever retain and “link” that experience with the moment). Many kids with Aspergers think and learn this way. It will be important, then, to understand your student's struggles if you wish to place emphasis on “pull out” programs or classes in which your student works one-on-one with an adult with the expectation that he process, retain, and apply what was just learned to the classroom situation. The two rarely mesh with success because of the strong associative link.

Your student will be poised for success if he can learn by doing in the moment and through incorporation of as many visuals as possible to reinforce it. In so doing, a visual “imprint” is recorded in his memory that, with gentle prompting, he can call-up and replay. You may then incrementally build on such experiences by relating them to something novel. For example, you might suggest to your student, “Remember when we made homemade apple sauce?” (Give him process time to replay the event in his mind.) Then continue, “The way a factory processes peanut butter is similar because ________.”

You may be surprised at the quality of detail with which your Aspergers student is able to relay information. He may very well become excited about taking a fun learning experience and applying it to something new and different.

==> Teaching Students with Aspergers and HFA

Aspergers Students: Causes of School-Related Anxiety

It's common for Aspergers (high functioning autistic) children of all ages to experience school anxiety and school-related stress. This is often most apparent at the end of summer when school is about to start again, but it can occur year-round. Social, academic and scheduling factors play a major role, as do hidden environmental stressors.

CLICK HERE for the full article...

What to Do When You Have Been Diagnosed: Tips for Adults with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism

==> Living With Aspergers: Help for Couples

Avoiding Negative Reinforcement in the Classroom: Tips for Teachers with Aspergers Students

Negative reinforcement requires the student to work for the removal of an in-place, unpleasant consequence. The student's goal is to get rid of something that is unpleasant rather than to earn something that is desirable. In a negative reinforcement model, instead of working to earn a positive consequence, the student works to distance himself from an aversive consequence.

Negative reinforcement is often used in the classroom to manage problem behaviors in Aspergers (high-functioning autistic) children. Educators inadvertently pay attention to a student who may not be complying and withdraw their attention contingent on the student's compliance. Surprisingly, this strengthens rather than weakens the noncompliant behavior. The next time a similar situation occurs, the student again will not comply until confronted with the aversive consequence (i.e. the teacher's attention). Negative reinforcement is often seductive and coercive for educators. It works in the short run, but in the long run, is likely to strengthen rather than weaken the undesirable behavior.

Behaviors that in-and-of themselves may not be negative become negative reinforcers when paired with certain events. For example, a teacher approaching a student who is not working quickly becomes a negative reinforcer, even though the action itself, the teacher walking up to the student, does not have a negative connotation. Researchers found that negative reinforcement was rated by educators as the most frequently used classroom intervention. Kids with Aspergers often experience negative reinforcement because of their temperament, which makes it difficult for them to complete tasks – their consequent learning history reinforces them for beginning, but rarely for finishing.

A number of simple, effective ways exist to deal with this problem. If you, the teacher, are using negative reinforcement, pay attention to the student until the assignment is completed. Although this too is negative reinforcement, it teaches the student that the only way to get rid of the aversive consequence (i.e., your attention) is not just to start – but to complete the task at hand. As an example, you may move the student's desk next to your desk until that particular piece of work is completed.

A second alternative involves the use of differential attention or ignoring. The term differential attention applies when “ignoring” is used as the negative consequence for exhibiting the undesirable behavior and “attention” is used as a positive consequence for exhibiting the competing desirable behavior. This is an active process in which the teacher ignores the student engaged in an ‘off-task’ activity, but pays attention immediately when the student begins working. Many educators avoid interaction with the student when she is ‘on-task’ for fear of interrupting the student's train of thought. It is important, however, to reinforce the student when working so that a pattern of working to earn positive reinforcement rather than working to avoid negative reinforcement is developed.

Secondary school educators at times complain that if they ignore the Aspergers student during an hour-long class, they never have the opportunity to pay positive attention as the student may never exhibit positive behavior. Waiting, however, even if one has to wait until the next day, is more effective in the long run than paying attention to ‘off-task’ behavior.

Educators need to make a distinction between ‘off-task’ behavior that ‘disrupts’ and ‘off-task’ behavior that ‘does not disrupt’. Differential attention works effectively for the latter. However, when a student is ‘off-task’ and disturbing his neighbor, you may find that being a negative reinforcer holds an advantage in stemming the tide of an ‘off-task’ behavior that involves other children as well. Differential attention alone has been demonstrated to be ineffective in maintaining high rates of ‘on-task’ behavior and work productivity for children with Aspergers. In part, it is suggested that many factors other than teacher attention maintain and influence student behavior.

Differential attention is a powerful intervention when used appropriately. Once the strategy of ignoring inappropriate behavior is employed, it must be continued despite escalation. If not, the teacher runs the risk of intermittently reinforcing the negative behavior, thereby strengthening its occurrence. For example, if you decide to use differential attention for a student's out-of-seat behavior, but become sufficiently frustrated after the student is out of his seat for 10 minutes and respond by directing attention to the student, the behavior will be reinforced rather than extinguished. The 10 minutes of ignoring will quickly be lost in the one incident of negative attention. If the teacher shouts, "You need to down!" …the student has received the desired attention by persisting in a negative behavior.

Researchers evaluated rules, praise, and ignoring for inappropriate behavior in two Aspergers kids in a typical second-grade classroom and in one Aspergers student in a kindergarten class. The results indicated that in the absence of praise, rules and ignoring were ineffective. Inappropriate behavior decreased only after praise was added. Others have demonstrated the importance of praise in a general education classroom. Specifically, whenever teacher approval was withdrawn, disruptive behaviors increased.

Kids with Aspergers perform as well as typical kids with a continuous schedule of reinforcement, but perform significantly worse with a partial schedule of reinforcement (e.g. reinforcement is provided only sometimes), which is typically found in most classrooms. Praise is important for the development of other attributes in kids (e.g., self-esteem, school attitude, motivation toward academics, etc). In addition, the opposite is also true: A large amount of punishment can negatively affect emotional development and self-esteem.

P.S. Parents are encouraged to copy, paste and print the information above and share it with their Aspergers child's teacher(s).

==> Teaching Students with Aspergers and HFA

COMMENTS:

•    Anonymous said... Our special Ed teacher really helped son interact in group discussions. The kids were use to ignoring my son but taught them to see his thoughts as valid while teaching him how properly give and take. Now he can join without being shutout.
•    Anonymous said... I would have loved to show this to my son's 3rd grade teacher! That lady was a piece of work!
•    Anonymous said... I have a child with that is an aspie. He is now 18 and an amazing young man. I never used negative reinforcement. They are so emotional and so fragile. I totally disagree with negative reinforcement. It is unnecessary. They want acceptment. They don't think like "normal" people. When they act out they need a hug and to be explained to that what they did was wrong. They need people and parents that understand where they are and to be ready for uncommon circumstances. They are special and need to be treated as such.

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