Strategies That Work!
Teaching Students with Autism
in Adapted PE Settings
Diane Talarico-Cavanaugh, M.Ed.
Autism Specialist PREP
Independent TEACCH Trainer
July 16, 2013
APE Mini Symposium at the HPAI
James Madison University
The Culture of Autism
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Social Relatedness
Communication
Sensory Processing
Difficulty with Change
Cognitive Learning Style
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Mesibov, Schoppler & Shea
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Strengths of People on the Autism
Spectrum
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Processing visual information
Attention to details or selected areas of
interest
Sensory perception
Simple memory
Rule learning
Routine oriented
Challenges
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Auditory processing (especially language)
Understanding how details fit together, the Big
Picture
Combining ideas/making inferences
Organizing ideas, materials, activities
Attention (distractible/shifting attention)
Communication (especially social and non-verbal)
Concepts of time
Attachment to routines and interests
Strong sensory preferences and dislikes
Executive Function
The ability to:
 Plan
 Anticipate
 Organize
 Predict
 Inhibit
Executive function is the way we monitor and
control our thoughts, actions, emotions and
behaviors.
Which students have Executive
Dysfunction
For many students, the executive functioning system
of their brain is not working properly.
Executive Dysfunctions are intimately connected with
Asperger's Disorder, Autism, ADHD, some Learning
Disabilities and have also been found in adults with
OCD.
Executive Dysfunctions also effect middle schoolers as
part of the developmental process!!!!
It is also associated with depression, to name but
some of the conditions.
Major areas of impairment in
Executive Dysfunction
Inhibitory
Control
Cognitive Flexibility
Working Memory
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EXECUTIVE FUNCTION JOBS
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Inhibition - The ability to stop one's own
behavior at the appropriate time, including
stopping actions and thoughts.
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The flip side of inhibition is impulsivity;
Shift - The ability to move freely from one
situation to another and to think flexibly in
order to respond appropriately to the
situation.
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EXECUTIVE FUNCTION JOBS cont
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Emotional Control - The ability to modulate
emotional responses by bringing rational
thought to bear on feelings.
Initiation - The ability to begin a task or
activity and to independently generate ideas,
responses, or problem-solving strategies.
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EXECUTIVE FUNCTION JOBS cont
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Working memory - The capacity to hold
information in mind for the purpose of
completing a task.
Planning/Organization - The ability to
manage current and future- oriented task
demands.
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EXECUTIVE FUNCTION JOBS cont
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Organization of Materials - The ability to
impose order on work, play, and storage
spaces.
Self-Monitoring - The ability to monitor one's
own performance and to measure it against
some standard of what is needed or expected.
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Executive Dysfunction
 Core
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Deficits
Inhibitory control
Cognitive flexibility
Working memory
Contributing to the ability to
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Plan
Organize
Predict
Self Monitor
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Addressing Executive Function Challenges
Why Use Visual Strategies
 Visuals are not transient and compensate
inattention, poor working memory, inability to
prioritize/organize
 Visuals help sort out or point out what is
important
 Visuals lesson demands on working memory
and other executive functions
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Theory of Mind
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Theory of mind, or the ability to make inferences
about the mental states of other people, is
thought to be the primary mechanism underlying
our ability to function in complex, collaborative
social networks.
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Theory of Mind (ToM)
Broad & multifaceted construct, including ability to understand
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False beliefs
Pretense & Deception
Desire & intention
Appearance-reality & mental-physical distinctions
Affect recognition & causes of emotion
Notion that seeing leads to knowing
Empathy
. . .to understand. . .
Visual perspective taking
Mental state terms & speech acts
Second order thinking (e.g., understanding what
Tiffany thinks Patty thinks)
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Limitations of Traditional Education
Methods
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Use of language: limited ability to attend and
process (even students with HF cognitive
ability) especially implied, idioms, complex
structure and abstract concepts.
Use of modeling: not attending to relevant
cues, theory of mind challenges
Reinforcement: Especially social is not
relevant or meaningful. EF affects the link
between consequences (Sr+) and behavior.
What is Structured Teaching?
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A specific antecedent based approach designed
specifically for students with autism. This approach
utilizes the core strengths of the student with autism
to facilitate learning. This approach was born out of
the T.E.A.C.C.H. philosophy.
T.E.A.C.C.H. was founded by the late Eric
Schoppler, PhD. in the early 1970’s at UNC. It
promotes the “Culture of Autism” as a way of
thinking about the characteristic patterns of thinking
and behavior of these individuals.
Goals of Structured Teaching
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Promote independence & meaning through
structure.
Transform curriculum/learning tasks into
concrete, visual sequences that compensate
for Executive Function Disorder and poor
communication skills
Structure is not faded or removed but is
modified and adjusted
Structured Teaching
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Antecedent based NOT reward or punishment
based
Uses competence motivation rather than
consequence motivation
Levels of Structured Teaching:
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Physical Structure
Schedules
Work Systems
Routines and Strategies
Task
Physical structure
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Clearly defined spaces so students can
visually see what the expectations are for that
area
Visual structure that supports the task or
activity
Answers the questions of why am I here and
what do I need to do
Physical Structure
Physical Structure
Physical Structure
Schedules
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Provides a visual (objects, pictures or words)
to tell the person what activities will happen
and in what order
Sometimes it can be faded or changed to
match a student’s skills but not eliminated
Success does not indicate a lack of need
Schedules
Routine vs Structure
Schedules
Schedules
Schedules
Schedules
Work Systems
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What work?
How much do I have to
do?
How do I know when I
am finished?
What comes next?
Work Systems
Work Systems
Work Systems
Work Systems
Work Systems
Work Systems
Finished
Routines and Strategies
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Visually presented sequence to accomplish a
task & address sensory and executive
function needs
Plan for unexpected, unrewarding, or difficult
Uses FIRST-THEN
Couples a desired task with a less desired
task
Social stories
Routines and Strategies
Routines and Strategies
show movement through a sequence
Task structure
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Relies on visual cues and instructions rather
than verbal cues
Flows left to right or top to bottom
Flows from task analysis of skills and
sequence
Compensates for weaker areas and supports
areas of strength
Is designed for success and is modified to
lead to independence
Task Structure
Prompting Hierarchies
System of Least Prompts
(traditional sequence)
 Independent
 Verbal
 Model
 Physical
Structured Teaching
Prompts
(geared toward learning
strengths)
 Independent
 MATERIAL(visual)
 Gesture
 Verbal
 Physical
Research support for TEACCH model?
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As a comprehensive program: emerging support
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Ozonoff & Cathcart, 1998; Panerai, Ferrante, Caputo, &
Impellizzeri, 1998; Panerai, Ferrante, & Zingale, 2002
For two of its many components: stronger support
 Activity schedules:
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Children/young adults with autism had improved on-task behavior
in the absence of adult prompts (Carson, Gast, & Ayres, 2008;
MacDuff, Krantz, & McClannahan, 1993; Bryan & Gast, 2000)
Structured work systems:
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Children and young adult with autism had (Hume & Odom, 2007)
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improved on-task behavior and task completion in absence adult
prompts
Children with autism showed (Bennett, Reichow, & Wolery, 2011)
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increased engagement, and speed and accuracy of task completion;
decreased stereotypic behavior and escape attempts
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Conclusions
Individuals exhibiting characteristics of autism are
assisted by:
 Using visual work systems to structure their
work/activities
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Bypass skill deficiencies and teach to strengths
Counteract problems with executive functioning
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Build on visual skills
Focus attention
Need for routine
Need for organization
Presenting tasks in organized and predictable ways
Using visual supports for communication rather than
only spoken language