Many special education teachers are encountering students with Asperger’s (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) for the first time – and have expressed some anxiety about this. So in this post, we will discuss a few ideas and techniques that will help facilitate an effective learning environment for these “special needs” students.
The first step would be to get acquainted with some of the associated traits. AS or HFA students may exhibit many of the characteristics listed below. These are usually not isolated ones; rather, they appear in varying degrees and amounts in most children on the autism spectrum:
spontaneous in expression
often can’t control emotions
find it difficult, if not impossible, to stay on task for extended periods of time if not interested in the subject matter
low tolerance level
high frustration level
poor concept of time
weak or poor self-esteem
coordination problems with both large and small muscle groups
difficulty in following complicated directions
difficulty remembering directions for extended periods of time
inflexibility of thought
poor auditory memory (both short-term and long-term)
poor handwriting skills
difficulty in working with others in small or large group settings
easily confused
easily distracted
difficulty attending to relevant stimuli
expressive language difficulties
language comprehension difficulties
organizational difficulties
preference for familiar routines and consistency
resistance to change
sensory processing difficulties
social relations difficulties
Special education teachers use varied strategies to help promote learning. While each student with AS and HFA is different, there are standard methods that can be employed. Some of the most common of these are individualized instruction, problem-solving assignments, and working in small groups. If, for example, an AS or HFA child needs special accommodations or modifications to take a test, educators can provide the appropriate assistance (e.g., extending the time needed to take the test, or reading the questions aloud).
The terms accommodations and modifications do not mean the same thing. Sometimes teachers get confused about what it means to have an “accommodation” and what it means to have a “modification.”
An accommodation is “a change that helps the child overcome - or work around - the deficit.” Allowing a child who has trouble writing to give her answers orally is an example of an accommodation. This child is still expected to know the same material and answer the same questions as fully as the other kids, but she doesn’t have to write her answers to show that she knows the information.
A modification means “a change in what is being taught to - or expected from - the child.” Making an assignment easier so the child is not doing the same level of work as the other kids is an example of a modification.
In a nutshell, special education involves adapting the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction. Accommodations and modifications are most often made in the following areas:
Instruction (e.g., using a student/peer tutor, reducing the reading level, reducing the difficulty of assignments, etc.)
Materials (e.g., giving copies of your lecture notes, providing audiotaped lectures or books, etc.)
Scheduling (e.g., breaking up testing over several days, giving the child extra time to complete assignments or tests, etc.)
Setting (e.g., having the student work one-on-one with you, working in a small group, etc.)
Student response (e.g., using a word processor for written work, allowing answers to be given orally or dictated)
Below is a list of helpful tips related to special education, as well as suggestions for accommodations and modifications for the AS and HFA student:
1. Color code items. For example, put some red tape on a math text book along with red tape on the math note book. Color-coding items helps the AS or HFA youngster with organization.
2. Consult other educators and administrators when you have difficulty, or don’t know how to work on a certain skill or goal. You don’t constantly have to reinvent the wheel when you teach children with IEPs. Teaching children with special needs can be overwhelming, but with help from other staff members and a positive attitude, it can be one of the most rewarding jobs in education.
3. Create a weekly progress note to send home. These progress notes can be very simple with a blank for an accomplishment the child made, a goal to continue working on, and any special comment or news about the child. The mother and father will also appreciate quick phone calls when their children achieve a goal that they have been struggling with.
4. Develop lesson plans based on your youngsters’ IEPs. If you have a resource room, then you may have individual lesson plans for each of your “special needs” children. For example, if you have 8 children on your case load, then you may have 8 different math plans or 8 different reading lessons. This can be complicated and hard to organize. Make sure to use your paraprofessionals to help you teach your children and follow their IEPs.
5. Get rid of clutter! If your classroom is cluttered, this can be very distracting for AS and HFA children.
6. Give ongoing feedback.
7. Give repetition and clarification regularly.
8. If you are a regular classroom teacher with an AS or HFA child in your class, then your lesson plan for that child may look more like a modification of a lesson or assignment (e.g., if one of the IEP goals is for the child to stay in his seat for 5 minutes without getting up, then you will work on this goal when you assign a math worksheet or during writing workshop). It helps to make notes in your plan book when you are working on a certain IEP goal.
9. Keep instructions and directions “chunked.” Offer one step at a time, and don't overload the child with too many pieces of information at once.
10. Keep lessons concrete. Use visual and concrete materials as much as possible.
12. Let the AS or HFA youngster deliver oral responses instead of written where appropriate to demonstrate understanding of concept.
13. Make parent communication a weekly goal for positive and constructive messages. Moms and dads of AS and HFA children often are tired of hearing negative things about their kids. It’s important to communicate with them about all aspects of their youngster’s progress and behavior.
14. Make sure there are visual clues around the room to help.
15. Make use of Graphic Organizers.
16. Observe AS and HFA children carefully, and keep detailed notes. Your note system may look different than other educators' systems, but you have to find one that works for you. You may use note cards, labeled with each child's name, or you may use one note card for each subject and record notes about all children on the same card during math or reading class. Some educators prefer to use sticky labels. They write one note per label about a youngster. When class is over, they transfer their labels to the student folders and have detailed notes with the date of each observance. It’s extremely important to keep notes about children with AS and HFA so you can update their IEPs with correct information.
17. Pay close attention to lighting. Sometimes preferential lighting can make the world of difference.
18. Read your youngsters’ IEPs carefully and take note of the goals that they should work on throughout the quarter. Many children with AS and HFA have several different goals they are working on in multiple areas, so you will probably have to check IEPs often or have a certain system for referring to what each child is working on.
19. Think critically about seating arrangements. Seat the youngster away from distractions whenever possible.
20. Try “ability grouping” (i.e., have a few peers that can support the AS or HFA child experiencing difficulties).
21. Use assistive technology when available.
In addition, consider offering the following:
a “chill-out” area (i.e., a quiet location to enable the child to calm down and relax)
a buddy, and let the buddy know what his or her role is (i.e., supportive)
a study carrel or alternate place to work for specific tasks
a tracking sheet of expected assignments for the week or day
auditory supports to keep the child from having too much text to read
close proximity to the teacher
extra time for the processing of information
headphones to remove extraneous noises
organization tips (let moms and dads know about the organization tips they can use to support their children at home)
photocopied notes to avoid having the children copying from the board or chart paper
reminders on the desk (e.g., charts, number lines, vocabulary lists, etc.)
scribing - or a peer for scribing - when necessary
speech-to-text software applications
time extensions as necessary
time management tips and skills (e.g., have sticky notes on the child's desk to remind the child of how much time he or she has to complete tasks)
Be selective when determining the accommodations that will best help the “special needs” child. If the accommodations don't work after a specified period of time, try something else. Remember, the IEP is a working document, and its success will depend on how closely the contents are implemented, monitored and revised to meet the child's needs.
Rarely are there specific lesson plans for special education. Educators can take existing lesson plans and provide accommodations and modifications to enable the AS or HFA child to have optimum success. Below is a list of reflective questions to ask yourself as a special education teacher. This may seem like a lot of questions to ask yourself to ensure that all children have maximized learning opportunities, but once you get into the habit of this type of reflection as you plan each lesson, you will soon be an expert at ensuring that the inclusional classroom operates effectively:
Are the instructional materials selected with all of the children in mind?
Are the instructional materials you select conducive to meeting the needs of the AS or HFA youngster?
Can they see, hear or touch the instructional materials to maximize learning?
Do the children have an element in choice for the learning activities?
Do the children understand the vocabulary necessary for the specific concept you are going to teach?
Do they have a longer time line?
Do you have alternate means of assessment for children with AS and HFA (e.g., word processors, oral or taped feedback)?
Do you need to teach the child specific learning skills for the lesson (e.g., how to stay on task, how to keep organized, how to get help when stuck, etc.)?
Does the child have a peer that will help?
Does the youngster have reduced quantities of work?
Does what the children do extend or lead them to new learning?
Does your lesson focus completely on the content?
Have you addressed the multiple learning styles?
Have you built in time for a break or change in activity?
Have you maximized assistive technology where appropriate?
Have you provided checklists, graphic organizers, or/and outlines?
How will you ensure that these children are understanding the lesson material?
How will you introduce the new vocabulary to these children?
How will your overview engage them?
If you are using overheads, are there extra copies for children who need to have it repeated?
Is there a need to focus first on the vocabulary prior to starting the lesson?
What are your visuals, and are they appropriate for all?
What other hands-on instructional materials can you use to ensure that these children will understand learning concepts?
What strategies are in place to help re-focus the youngster, continue to build self-esteem, and prevent him or her from being overwhelmed?
What type of review will be necessary?
What will ensure that these children are engaged?
What will you use to demonstrate or simulate the learning concept?
Here is a summary of techniques to help you with the “inclusional classroom,” which will assist in meeting the needs of your special education children:
AS and HFA children have agendas which I regularly have them - and myself - refer to.
Clarifications and reminders are given regularly as needed.
Extra assistance is provided when needed through a peer or myself.
Home/school communication is in place for those children requiring it.
I allow additional “wait time” for my AS and HFA children.
I have a special carrel or private location for test-taking and or seat-work for those requiring “freedom of distractions.”
I have eliminated as much clutter and can and keep distractions to a minimum.
I have procedures that are well understood by the children to keep noise levels at an acceptable level.
I never begin instructions until I have all my students’ undivided attention.
I never present instructions orally alone. I always provide graphic organizers, written or graphical instructions too.
I provide my AS and HFA children with regular, ongoing feedback – and always promote their self-esteem.
My AS and HFA children are aware of my cueing and prompting system, which helps them stay on task.
My AS and HFA children are within close proximity to me or my assistant.
My classroom expectations are clearly understood – as are my consequences for inappropriate behaviors.
Praise for “catching them doing it right” occurs regularly.
Use of behavior contracts to target specific behaviors is in place.
Work is organized into workable “chunks.”
Although there is a range of interventions designed for children on the autism spectrum, there is no one intervention or approach proven effective for EVERY student. To gain the most from any intervention or teaching technique requires a careful review of the parent's vision for their son or daughter, the child’s ability to communicate, how he or she prefers to communicate, and the child’s cognitive ability, learning style, adaptive behavior and independent daily living skills.
More resources for parents of children and teens with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's:
“Why do children on the high functioning side of autism seem to experience more than their fair share of anxiety? And, are there any drugs that can be used to help with this problem?”
Young people with High Functioning Autism (HFA) are particularly vulnerable to anxiety. This vulnerability may be an intrinsic feature of HFA due to a breakdown in circuitry related to extinguishing fear responses, specific neurotransmitter system defects, and/or their inability to make social judgments throughout development.
Other reasons for anxiety in HFA children/teens include the following:
Limitations in generalizing from one situation to another often contributes to repeating the same social gaffes.
Limitations in their ability to grasp social cues - and their highly rigid style - act in concert to create repeated social errors.
Many experience the discomfort that comes from somatic responses that are disconnected from events and experience.
The lack of empathy severely limits skills for autonomous social problem-solving.
The social challenges of AS and HFA make it difficult for kids with the disorder to develop coping strategies for soothing themselves and containing difficult emotions.
There is sufficient grasp of situations to recognize that others “get it” when they do not.
They are frequently victimized and teased by their peers and can’t mount effective socially adaptive responses.
Several medications have been tried for treatment of anxiety in this population. There is no reason to suspect that kids with HFA are less likely to respond to the medications used for anxiety in “typical” kids. Thus, SSRIs, buspirone, and alpha-adrenergic agonist medications (e.g., clonidine or guanfacine) have been tried.
The best evidence to date supports use of SSRIs. However, it is also true that young people on the autism spectrum may be more vulnerable to the associated side-effects. Disinhibition is particularly prominent, and can be seen with any of the SSRIs.
As one mother states: "Working with a psychiatrist, one trained especially with children, is vital in helping our Aspergers/HFA kids with their anxiety, to managed use of medications. Fine tuning is critical to the process.
We also had enroll our child into a day program as weekly counseling wasn't keeping up with his anxiety and depression. Daily and intensive individual and group therapy are the focus of this program. 5 months in and we've seen dramatic improvement. We're about to start the transition back to his normal school (they tutor at the day program).
Most important is to pay attention to the child's anxiety levels. We almost waited too long to take a big step toward doing something different."
Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
More articles for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning.
Because the ASD child tends to internalize how others treat him,
rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression.
As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and
depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually.
Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown
temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from
ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's or HFA child
is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and your child are
totally exhausted. But... don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the
least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into
the next - the meltdown can return in full force.
Although Aspergers [high-functioning autism] is at the milder end of the
autism spectrum, the challenges parents face when disciplining a
teenager on the spectrum are more difficult than they would be with an
average teen. Complicated by defiant behavior, the teen is at risk for
even greater difficulties on multiple levels – unless the parents’
disciplinary techniques are tailored to their child's special needs.
Your older teenager or young “adult child” isn’t sure what to do, and
he is asking you for money every few days. How do you cut the purse
strings and teach him to be independent? Parents of teens with ASD face
many problems that other parents do not. Time is running out for
teaching their adolescent how to become an independent adult. As one
mother put it, "There's so little time, yet so much left to do." Click here to read the full article…
Two traits often found in kids with High-Functioning Autism are
“mind-blindness” (i.e., the inability to predict the beliefs and
intentions of others) and “alexithymia” (i.e., the inability to
identify and interpret emotional signals in others). These two traits
reduce the youngster’s ability to empathize with peers. As a result, he
or she may be perceived by adults and other children as selfish,
insensitive and uncaring. Click here to read the full article...
Become an expert in helping your child cope with his or her
“out-of-control” emotions, inability to make and keep friends, stress,
anger, thinking errors, and resistance to change.
A child with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) can have
difficulty in school because, since he fits in so well, many adults
may miss the fact that he has a diagnosis. When these children display
symptoms of their disorder, they may be seen as defiant or disruptive.
“Task-frustration” occurs when a child attempts to complete a particular task (e.g., tying shoe laces, riding a bicycle, doing a math assignment, playing a board game, etc.), but fumbles along unsuccessfully.
As a result, he or she has a tantrum – or a meltdown! If you are a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, you have no doubt witnessed your child being overly-frustrated on numerous occasions over seemingly trivial incidents. Well, help has arrived! Read on…
“Backward chaining” can have different definitions for different fields, but when teaching life skills to young people with High-Functioning Autism (HFA), it refers to breaking down the steps of a task and teaching them in reverse order. This gives the youngster an experience of accomplishment and completion with every attempt.
Instead of the youngster starting at the beginning and getting lost somewhere through the process (with the parent having to complete the task), the parent does all but the last step and lets the youngster complete the work. Then the parent backs-off, doing less and less while the youngster does more and more, always finishing with the youngster performing the final step.
Backward chaining allows the HFA youngster to experience instant success. As more steps are added, he completes the newly taught step immediately, followed by the steps he has already mastered. This will minimize frustration and anxiety – and provide the youngster with a sense of achievement. This feeling of success will often increase his confidence and keep him motivated to learn and complete the entire sequence of steps. ==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism
Systematic use of backward chaining is extremely helpful because it:
Helps the child to successfully complete a task early in the progression
Facilitates transfer of procedural information to long-term memory
Keeps instructional input to a minimum, thus reducing demands on the child’s short-term or working memory
Keeps the child involved and challenged
----------
How to Use Backward Chaining—
First, be sure to define the target behavior. To teach your child to perform the links in a chain, you need to know exactly what those links are. Sometimes the links are very obvious (e.g., teaching the alphabet). Other times, links are not so obvious. Thus, perform the target behavior yourself and take note of all the steps involved.
Second, be sure that the steps in the chain are reinforced in sequence (i.e., reinforce them as they happen). For example, once your youngster has mastered step 5 of a particular task, and you begin to teach step 4, you will be reinforcing steps 4 and 5. You will either be reinforcing at the end of the chain, or at the end of as much of the chain as your youngster has learned. What your child learns in a chain is not just the number of steps – she also learns to perform those steps in the correct order.
Third, keep track of the results. Should the task or a particular step be taught and reinforced a few more times? Is it time to move on to the next step in the task? Has a particular step been mastered? These are decisions that must be made during the chaining process, and they can be made correctly only if you cautiously monitor the results you are getting.
Low-Frustration Tolerance in Children with HFA
Examples of Backward Chaining—
Example #1: To teach your HFA youngster how to change the sheets and pillow cases on her bed, you can break down the steps as follows:
Remove the pillow cases
Remove the pillows
Remove the blanket(s)
Remove the top sheet
Remove the fitted sheet
Put on a clean fitted sheet
Put on a clean top sheet
Replace the blanket(s)
Put on clean pillow cases
Replace the pillows
To start, you could do steps 1 through 8, and then let your youngster put the clean pillow cases on the pillows, and put the pillows on the bed. When that can be done consistently, you could do steps 1 through 7, and then let your youngster pull up the blanket(s), put cases on the pillows, and put the pillows on the bed. When she becomes comfortable with each step, the step before it is introduced, always with the goal of having her finish the task successfully.
Example #2: To teach your HFA youngster how to tie his shoe laces, you can break down the steps as follows:
Take a lace in each hand, crossing the laces into an "X"
Insert one lace through the bottom of the "X" and pull both laces tight
Make a small loop with one of the laces
Hold the loop with the thumb and index finger of one hand
Take the other lace and swoop it around the loop
Move the thumb and index fingers enough so that the swooped lace can be seen through the little hole
Identify the swooped lace and grab hold it
Pull the swooped lace and the loop at the same time in opposite directions, pulling slowly but firmly to tighten the laces into a bow
In this example, you will perform steps 1 through 7, allowing your child to tighten the laces into a bow at the end of the task. Once your child can perform this last step, have him work on both steps 7 and 8 …then steps 6, 7 and 8 …and so on.
Example #3: Educators can also make use of backward chaining. For example, in teaching a complex word (e.g., “hypothesis”), the educator could model the last part of the word (“sis), then the middle (“the”), and finally the first part of the word (“hypo”), pausing to allow the child to repeat the word parts.
Using the backward chaining technique is ideal for promoting skills development in HFA children, because starting out with the easier steps that occur at the end of a task will encourage them to persist and learn the harder “first steps” later. So, the next time you are struggling to teach your youngster a basic self-help skill, consider backward chaining. It may be just what your child needs to build confidence and lead him or her to success.
Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
More articles for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning.
Because the ASD child tends to internalize how others treat him,
rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression.
As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and
depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually.
Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown
temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from
ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's or HFA child
is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and your child are
totally exhausted. But... don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the
least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into
the next - the meltdown can return in full force.
Although Aspergers [high-functioning autism] is at the milder end of the
autism spectrum, the challenges parents face when disciplining a
teenager on the spectrum are more difficult than they would be with an
average teen. Complicated by defiant behavior, the teen is at risk for
even greater difficulties on multiple levels – unless the parents’
disciplinary techniques are tailored to their child's special needs.
Your older teenager or young “adult child” isn’t sure what to do, and
he is asking you for money every few days. How do you cut the purse
strings and teach him to be independent? Parents of teens with ASD face
many problems that other parents do not. Time is running out for
teaching their adolescent how to become an independent adult. As one
mother put it, "There's so little time, yet so much left to do." Click here to read the full article…
Two traits often found in kids with High-Functioning Autism are
“mind-blindness” (i.e., the inability to predict the beliefs and
intentions of others) and “alexithymia” (i.e., the inability to
identify and interpret emotional signals in others). These two traits
reduce the youngster’s ability to empathize with peers. As a result, he
or she may be perceived by adults and other children as selfish,
insensitive and uncaring. Click here to read the full article...
Become an expert in helping your child cope with his or her
“out-of-control” emotions, inability to make and keep friends, stress,
anger, thinking errors, and resistance to change.
A child with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) can have
difficulty in school because, since he fits in so well, many adults
may miss the fact that he has a diagnosis. When these children display
symptoms of their disorder, they may be seen as defiant or disruptive.
Philosophers have long known that your thoughts can be your own worst enemy. As Shakespeare once said, "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Children and teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism are especially vulnerable to such “thinking errors” due to a phenomenon called “mind-blindness."
In this video, we will look at some examples of popular thinking errors used by kids on the autism spectrum, and how parents can help these children view their situation more accurately.
Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
Mark, I must tell you - just based on the first and only video of yours that we watched, we have had an amazing breakthrough. The combination of information and clear delivery just turned a light on. What struck us in particular was that because of his Aspergers, we need to 'teach him how the world works' - and in our case, to do this appropriate to his 8 or 9 year old emotional maturity level. In the background we also see how his OCD combines with those factors to create extreme stress for him and everyone else.We believe the paranoia just resulted from the years of his escalating stress, etc.
Back to the breakthrough: with great effort to pay attention, we were able to apply our new understanding to interacting with him last night and it was amazing! In a matter of hours he was a completely different kid - like he was years ago in terms of the way he talked, engaged, and he even got excited about being engaged in his passion for music. Our new behavior really, probably for the first time, made him feel understood and more safe (I expect that was subconscious).
This is a kid who walked in one day at about 10 years old and informed us he had learned Pi - he could recite 383 digits off the top of his head. By 12-13 yrs he had become an incredible musician, playing in bands w kids 17 & 18. He did the same thing with cooking and was working in a professional kitchen at 13.... all of his own doing. Then of course everything fell apart. It's a combination of amazing gifts and childlike innocence & naivety - not understanding how the world works as you said.
