Case Study
--Autism Spectrum Disorder--
Student Profile
Name: Lily
Age: 12
Academic Strengths: Lily enjoys reading and does well in Language Arts and in some aspects
of History. She has developed a strong interest in several specific areas of History, especially
early American history, and often checks out and reads books about the subject matter in her
free time. Her teacher has expressed concern that her interest in history could be indicative of
a preoccupation or fixation related to her having ASD but it has been determined that it is not
detrimental to her academic success at this time. In the past she has excelled at projects related
to history when she has a lot of creative freedom with the assignment. She has also shown an
interest and strong ability in art and enjoys drawing and water color painting. Last semester
she began taking art as an elective and has excelled in the class. She has shown a preference
for academic activities that involve reading, drawing or painting, or creating things with her
hands.
Social Strengths: Until recently, Lily has preferred to spend most of her time alone, and was
often perceived by her peers as being extremely shy and quiet, or withdrawn. She has been
making considerable progress, however, with meeting her social goals of interacting with her
peers and participating in group activities. With prompting she is now able to join a group of
her peers at a table during lunchtime and will even occasionally speak up during collaborative
activities in the classroom.
Behavior Strengths: Though tentative and extremely quiet, Lily is friendly and respectful to
her teachers and peers. She is currently working on limiting her engagement in selfstimulatory behaviors when she feels overwhelmed.
An example of one of Lily’s paintings from her
art class last semester.
Student Profile - Continued
Academic Needs:
Lily is currently performing below grade level in Science and Math and also struggles in History/Social Studies, even though she
has shown a strong interest in it, because she has a hard time completing assignments on time and per the teachers instructions.
Currently she is struggling the most, however, in math.
Social Needs:
Lily has made significant improvement recently in the area of social skills, responding to most prompts and questions asked of
her, but continues to struggle to make friends. She participates only occasionally in group projects or discussions and avoids
most social interactions unless she is prompted to participate by a teacher or other adult. She currently lacks the ability to
engage in spontaneous conversation, a skill that is crucial to her being able to interact with her peers.
Behavior Needs:
Lily has few behavior issues that would be considered to be excessively disruptive but often struggles to follow instructions in
relation to completing specific tasks or assignments, and engages in self stimulatory behaviors when she feels overwhelmed,
primarily rocking back and forth or twirling an object such as her pen. Sometimes, when she feels overwhelmed by what is being
asked of her, or does not understand how to do an assignment, she will “shut down” and will sit for an entire class period,
twirling her pen or another similar object, without completing any of her work. She has also demonstrated a need for a sense of
sameness and a tendency for inflexibility. She struggles the most when new types of activities are introduced or if expectations
are changed suddenly.
Language/Communication Goals
• Goal I
• Lily will overcome deficits in using
communication for social purposes and
will learn how to change communication
to match context or the needs of the
listener. Specifically, she will learn how to
engage in spontaneous conversation with
her peers and/or teachers or other adults.
She will learn how to determine what
types of conversations are appropriate for
different situations and/or different
listeners and be able to use them
accordingly.
• Goal II
• Lily will learn how to understand meaning
when it is not explicitly stated and will
learn nonliteral or ambiguous meanings of
language such as sarcasm.
Social/Behavioral Goals
• Goal I
• Lily will learn to ask for help when
she feels overwhelmed or does not
understand how to do an assignment
rather than “shutting down” or
engaging in self-stimulatory behaviors.
• Goal II
• Lily will learn coping strategies to
help her deal with changes that
normally cause her anxiety, such as
when new types of activities are
introduced or if expectations are
changed suddenly.
• The Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA) for the
Direct Behavioral
Observation
behavior goals outlined previously should include
direct behavioral observation. Direct behavioral
observation involves measuring the frequency,
duration, and intensity, etc. of student actions,
usually with non-interactive methods in the
student’s natural classroom environment. It
should also include an analysis of the data from
the observations, which will be used to determine
the function of each behavior. Once the function
of a behavior is identified, a replacement behavior
can be identified and a plan can be implemented
to reduce the undesirable behavior. A
replacement behavior is an appropriate behavior
that replaces the inappropriate behavior. In order
for a replacement behavior to work it must be
efficient, effective, and meet the same function as
the target behavior.
Intervention I - Language/Communication
Goal: Lily will learn how to engage in spontaneous conversation with her peers and/or teachers or other adults. She will learn how to determine
what types of conversations are appropriate for different situations and/or different listeners and be able to use them accordingly.
Intervention: Social Scripting will be used to teach Lily how to engage in spontaneous conversations. Research has demonstrated that many children
with autism who receive science based intervention learn to talk. According to Patricia Krantz and Lynne McClanahan, in their article Social Interaction
Skills for Children with Autism: A Script-Fading Procedure for Beginning Readers, however, “many youngsters who have acquired complex verbal repertoires
nevertheless fail to engage in language that is not evoked by verbal cues Although they dependably respond to adults’ questions or prompts, they do
not spontaneously initiate or continue interactions that do not produce preferred items or activities”. Their research on Social Scripting and ScriptFading demonstrated that “the script-fading procedure enabled children with autism to converse with adults, to benefit from adults’ language models,
and to engage in language practice that contributes to fluency”. They also found that even after the initial teaching, the unscripted interactions not
only continued but also generalized to different activities that had not been the topic of teaching.
Procedure and Opportunities for Learning: A learning opportunity will be created by first providing Lily with a Social Script that deals with a
typical conversations that her peers (middle school aged students) would be likely to engage in during free time in the classroom or at lunch. First Lily
will be taught to repeat a script in that would be appropriate for that specific social situation. As she learns to use the scripts, it will begin to be faded,
one word at a time, from end to beginning until she is able to recite the whole script without help. Over time, different topics of typical conversations
likely to be encountered will be covered, and Lily will be given the chance to act out various conversations with her teacher and later with her
classroom peers on a one to one basis. As her skills progress she will be encouraged to join a group of her peers during lunch and engage in
spontaneous conversations on her own. She will be asked to self-monitor the experience and report back to the teacher on how successful she felt she
was and/or any difficulties she encountered.
ABC Diagram of Teaching Strategy
• Antecedent – Lily will be taught a social script. She will then be given the
appropriate prompt for whatever level she is currently working at on the script (as
she learns to use the script, it will begin to be faded, one word at a time, from end to
beginning).
• Behavior – Lily will respond appropriately to the prompt that she is given by reciting
whatever part of the social script that she has memorized thus far.
• Consequence – Each time Lily responds correctly she will be given verbal praise.
Upon completing each full social script she will be allowed to choose one art supply
as a reward for her hard work.
ABC Diagram – Strategy Implications
Before Intervention:
After Intervention:
• Antecedent – Lily sits down with a group of her
• Antecedent – Lily sits down with a group of her
• Behavior – Lily speaks at an inappropriate time,
• Behavior – Lily gauges the topic of the
peers at lunch who are engaging in a conversation.
talking about something that is off topic and
about a subject matter that is only of interest to
herself.
• Consequence – Lily’s peers have a hard time
relating to the subject that Lily is speaking about
and consequently are not able to respond
appropriately to her. The conversation is stalled
and Lily is possibly ostracized.
peers at lunch who are engaging in a conversation.
conversation, waits to speak at the appropriate
time and using cues from one of the social scripts
that she has learned, responds to one of her peers
in an appropriate fashion.
• Consequence – Lily’s peers respond to her input
into the conversation in a positive manner, making
Lily feel validated and socially accepted.
Intervention II – Social/Behavioral
Goal: Lily will learn to ask for help when she feels overwhelmed or does not understand how to do an assignment rather than
“shutting down” or engaging in self-stimulating behaviors.
Intervention: Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) techniques will be used to teach Lily to ask for help and to refrain from undesirable (selfstimulating) behaviors. According to the recommendations of the organization Autism Speaks, her day will be structured to provide many
opportunities (both planned and naturally occurring) to acquire and practice skills in both structured and unstructured situations. She will receive
positive reinforcement for demonstrating the appropriate behaviors of completing her work and asking for help when needed and will receive no
reinforcement for the inappropriate (self-stimulating) behaviors that prevent her learning. (Autism Speaks). Research has shown that “ABA
principles and techniques can foster basic skills such as looking, listening and imitating, as well as complex skills such as reading, conversing and
understanding another person’s perspective” and it has been “endorsed by a number of state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Surgeon
General and the New York State Department of Health” (Autism Speaks).
Procedure and Opportunities for Learning: Lily will receive positive reinforcement for demonstrating the appropriate behaviors of completing
her work and asking for help when needed. She will be given multiple learning opportunities throughout her day to complete an assignment
independently, such as during her Language Arts period where students are asked to complete a journal about an assigned topic, or in her math
period where students are given a series of problems out of their math books that they are asked to complete. Each class period where Lily
completes her assigned work, asks for help if needed and does not engage in a self-stimulating behavior, she will be given a checkmark by that
respective teacher on a form that has been supplied to her. If she does not finish her work due to “shutting down” or engaging in a selfstimulating behavior then she will not receive a checkmark for that class period. At the end of each week she will be allowed to turn in the form to
her resource teacher in exchange for various levels of prizes that depend on the number of check marks she has earned. Since Lily has a strong
interest in art, the prizes will be a variety of art materials that she will be allowed to choose from.
ABC Diagram of Teaching Strategy
• Antecedent – Lily will be asked to complete an assignment independently.
• Behavior – If Lily becomes frustrated she will ask for help from the teacher
rather than “shutting down” or engaging in a self-stimulating behavior.
• Consequence – Lily will receive a check mark from the teacher at the end of
the class period if she successfully completed her assignment, asked for help
if needed, and refrained from “shutting down” or engaging in a selfstimulating behavior. Then, at the end of the week, she will be given the
opportunity to exchange the checkmarks for prizes.
ABC Diagram – Strategy Implications
Before Intervention:
After Intervention:
• Antecedent – Lily becomes frustrated by an
• Antecedent – Lily becomes frustrated by an
assignment that she doe not understand how
to do.
• Behavior – Lily “shuts down” or engages in
a self-stimulating behavior.
• Consequence – Lily fails to complete her
assignment causing her grades to suffer.
assignment that she does not understand
how to do.
• Behavior – Lily asks the teacher for help with
the assignment in lieu of “shutting down” or
engaging in self-stimulating behaviors.
• Consequence – Lily is able to successfully
complete the assignment and her grades rise.
Parent and General Education Teacher Support
Teacher Support: I would support Lily’s general education teachers in programming her for success by creating comprehensive guidelines for the
interventions discussed earlier, for her teachers to follow. I would also encourage her teachers to promote normalization for Lily in the classroom.
Normalization “occurs when the activities, materials, and settings in which a person engages are the same as those in which persons without
disabilities of the same age, gender, and culture are engaged” and is crucial because it “helps those with significant disabilities “fit in” with those
without disabilities” (pp). I would also encourage the teacher to help Lily develop the skills to become more “self-determined” which include
making choices, making decisions about her actions, setting goals for herself, recognizing her own abilities including her strengths and needs, and
advocating for herself. Opportunities to practice these skills should be made available to Lily as often as possible in each of her classes.
Parent Support: I would include Lily’s parents in programming her for success by encouraging them to help her practice the skills that she is
working on at school, at home as well. For example, for her Language/Communication goal of learning to engage in spontaneous conversation,
her parents could practice her social scripts with her and present her with opportunities outside of school to talk to various people such as
neighbors or family friends, etc. To help her work on her Social/Behavioral goal of asking for help when frustrated instead of engaging in selfstimulating behaviors, her parents could use a similar reward system at home to the one being used at school which I could provide for them. I
believe that communication between home and school is vital, and one of the most valuable ways that student success can be supported. I would
encourage Lily’s parents to come to me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions that they might have and would work alongside them as a
team to help Lily succeed in learning the necessary skills for her to do well and improve.
Transition to 8th Grade
To help Lily transition to the next grade successfully I would first identify all of the members of her
support team and collaborate in order to identify the areas where she is likely to need extra support.
Research has shown that “the establishment of a unified, collaborative approach to a student’s support
can be the difference between being effective or ineffective and, in our experience, the commitment is
well worth it” (pp). One strategy for laying a “foundation for positive behavior support” is through
Person Centered Planning (Kincaid/Dunlap). Person Centered Planning, which is usually used for
transitioning from secondary education to post-secondary life, involves creating a framework by which
a person is helped to “identify their dream for the future, including all the ideas, values, people and
things that are important to them”. I believe this same person-centered approach can be used to help
Lily prepare for the next grade level by giving her choices and ultimately control over her own life and
education. As part of the planning, her primary school activities should be identified and her IEP
goals and yearly progress should be re-evaluated in order to determine what worked for her and what
did not work the previous year. It is essential that her IEP goals for the following year are appropriate
and will continue the progress that she has made over the past year. Because individuals with ASD
often have a difficult time transitioning and adjusting to new schedules, I would also spend time
working with Lily to acquaint her with her new schedule (through use of a visual schedule) and
teaching her (through social stories etc.) what changes to expect. It is vital to do everything possible
to alleviate the anxieties that she may feel towards transitioning to the next school year so that her
anxieties don’t trigger unwanted behaviors (such as those addressed previously), or impede her
learning.
Works Cited
Autism Speaks. (www.autismspeaks.org)
Kincaid, Don, and Dunlap, Glen. Laying the Foundation for Positive Behavior Support through Person-Centered Planning. Volume 2, Issue 1. (class resource)
Krantz, Patricia J., and McClanahan, Lynne. Social Interaction Skills for Children with Autism: A Script-Fading Procedure for Beginning Readers. Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis, 31, 191-202. 1998. Princeton Child Development Institute. Retrieved April 2015. Web.