A Practical Guide to Surviving High
School for Students on the Autism
Spectrum
OCDSB ASD Team
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Agenda
• ASD Team and resources available
• Understanding the diagnosis and changes to the DSM-V
• Transitions
• Practical Guide to support students in high school
• Questions and Answer period
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
ASD Team
Autism Initiative Coordinator for the OCDSB - Dr. June
Pimm
Case managers -Leanne Forrest
-Linda Burner-Martin
-Lori Fraser
-Heather Swafford
-Pam Wilson
- Emma Findlay (ELT)
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
ASD Team
Learning Support Consultant – Colleen Richards
Itinerant Teacher – Julia Sneyd
Social worker – Nanci Burns
Speech and Language Pathologists -Michelle McIsaac,
Lindsay Campbell
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
ASD Referral
• Case manager - receives referral on Tuesdays at
Clinical
• Initial meeting - meet with school team and determine
goal
• Observation – in the classroom/alternate days
• Action plan – create and share with school team
• Referral to other members of the ASD team for:
Social Communication Strategies- IEP/Programming Support - PD
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Reason for Referral in
High School
•
•
•
•
•
Student not performing to his or her academic level
Strategies to reduce disruptive behaviours
Strategies to reduce anxiety
Student not attending regularly
Placement options for students
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
What We Can Offer
• Assist school team with the creation of a behaviour
supports or Safety Plan
• Support the development of the IEP and Transition Plan
• Provide consultation for social communication
programming
• Transition support pre, during and post high school
• Meet with school team and parents when necessary
• Professional Development
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Resources
• Effective Educational Practices for Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorders, Ministry of Education
• ASD Lending Library
• Autism Folder – Special Education Conference (Beam)
• Augmentative Lending Library – Board Office
• Directory of Services For Families With ASD Children
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Understanding the Diagnosis
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Diagnosis is based on the
DSM-IV Triad of Autism
Three Major Areas of Dysfunction:
1. Social Interaction: appear indifferent to
people
2. Social Communication: (verbal and
nonverbal); trouble reading faces, gestures
and tone of voice
3. Limited Range of Mental Activities
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD - NOS)
PDD-NOS, also referred to as “atypical autism”,
includes individuals who do not fit into the other
categories because they do not meet all of the
diagnostic criteria for a specific disorder; this is
often the third criterion - limited range of
activities as some students may show no
specific interests at all.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Asperger’s Disorder
• According to the DSM-IV, Asperger’s students
have Impaired social interaction
• A limited field of interest and activities
• Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour
• No significant delay in language acquisition,
cognitive development, acquisition of ageappropriate learning skills, or adaptive
behaviours
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Prevalence of ASD
• Incidence of Autism is one of the fastest
growing developmental disabilities
• Initially thought to be rare (4.5 in 10,000) , until
recently calculated as 1 in 88.
• US figures estimate more than 1.77 million
• This translates to more than 72,000 Ontarians
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Intellectual Functioning
• Approximately 70% of Autistic children are developmentally delayed
(Fombonne, 2005)
• Recent evidence has suggested that the prevalence is closer to 50%, but
these samples have included Asperger’s (Edelson, 2006)
• It is important to take this information into consideration when
transitioning ASD students into school
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Intellectual Functioning
If a psychological report designates a child at the 1st percentile or below
this can be interpreted more meaningfully in the following way:
• When a child scores at the 50th percentile, he is expected to function
consistent with his chronological age, whereas a child at the 1st
percentile would only be capable of achieving a little over half of his
chronological age
• Translated into age, a five year old child functioning at the 1st
percentile would be capable of achieving approximately at the two ½
year old level
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Intellectual Functioning
• Approximately 10% of children with ASD demonstrate “splinter skills”
which can be stronger than those of the typically developing child
• These “splinter skills” are “islets” and not necessarily indicative of
the child’s overall level of functioning
• It is important to remember to look at the entire range of skills when
writing the IEP. (Klin et al, 2005)
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Changes to the DSM-V
• Asperger’s Disorder and PDD-NOS will be subsumed under
Autism Disorder.
• Criteria have been changed to emphasize two characteristics repetitive behavior and social/communication skills.
• Examples of behaviors will be included.
• Severity of symptoms will need to be noted.
• Older children can now be diagnosed.
• Only 60% of currently diagnosed would fit new criteria.
• However, children will not lose their diagnosis.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Asperger’s in the Classroom
and Workplace
• Difficulties in meaningful verbal communication.
• Difficulties in social interaction
• Difficulties in abstract thinking and generalization of information.
• High levels of anxiety
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Some Strengths of ASD
Students
•
Thinking in a visual way; may be precise and detail oriented
especially pertaining to special interests
•
Understanding and following concrete rules
•
Following routines; can often be depended upon to maintain
schedules and be on time
•
Understanding concrete concepts and factual information; strong
rote memory
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Excessive Strengths
May result in:
• Perfectionist tendencies; trouble starting or finishing a task
• Rule bound “policing role”
• Difficulty with transitions
• Negative thinking patterns
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Challenges of ASD Students
May experience anxiety and stress due to challenges in the following
areas:
• Executive Functioning -time management/organizational skills
• Theory of Mind - social understanding and communication
• Self Regulation - anxiety
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Executive Functioning
Deficits with executive functioning may present as:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Disorganized or Perfectionism
Non-compliance (difficulty with “moving on”)
Difficulties with task execution (shifting from one task to another)
Lack of awareness (the ability to respond to cues about space, time
objects and people)
unable to anticipate the outcome or self monitor behaviour
Lack of situational awareness (“reading the room”)
Prompt dependency (adults have always provided executive control)
Difficulties with self control (self regulation)
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Self-regulation
Deficits with self-regulation may be
present as:
• Anger, frustration or feeling overwhelmed
• Need for routine and predictability
• Unexpected behaviour
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Theory of Mind
Deficits with theory of mind may be present as:
• Difficulty functioning in social situations and forming friendships
(Hidden Curriculum)
• Appearing non-compliant, rude, or oppositional
• Social naiveté and vulnerability to bullying
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Understanding the “Hidden
Curriculum”
Refers to the unwritten rules of social conduct:
• If you hear yourself (or others) saying:
• I shouldn’t have to tell you…
• Everyone knows that...
• It’s obvious……
There may be a need for teaching the hidden curriculum.
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Transitions
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
ASD Transitions
• Intake
• Grade to Grade
• Elementary to Middle School
• Middle School to High school
“As per the Policy Program Memoranda PPM140”
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Plan for the Transition
• Meet with sending school, parents and service
providers
• Allow more time during IPRC or alternate meeting
• Prepare transition materials - about your school
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Prepare for the Transition
• Observe the student in his/her current setting
• Plan school visit to high school – June/August
• Prepare transition materials – school, staff, resources
and supports
• Share student information with staff – June/August
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Support the Transition
• Develop Transition Plan/IEP
• Observe and track transition
• Maintain team communication -staff /student/parents
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Evaluate the Transition
• Evaluate student success and further required supports
• Re evaluate plan or supports if necessary – semester to semester
• Plan for next year and beyond…
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Practical Guide For ASD
Students
What students may need:
• Transition Support
What you can do to help:
• Provide or encourage the use of
visual tools- (bus schedules, map
of school, class schedule, watches/
timers
• Access to required materials
(text books, pencil case, etc.) in
each class may be necessary
• Allow for early/later transitions
between classes or
beginning/end of day
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Practical Guide For ASD
Students
What students may need:
What you can do to help:
• Safe Person
• Provide a mentor or staff member to help
support initial transition to school
• Safe Place
• Create a supportive timetable that
includes non credited resource period or
lunch hour options
• Peer Support
• Access to Link Crew, peer tutoring, to
volunteers (Algonquin, CO-OP), a person
with similar interests
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Practical Guide For ASD
Students
What students may need:
What you can do to help:
• Organizational & Time
Management Supports
• Resource period each semester
• Accommodations and
modifications
• Checklists, task cards, work plan
of assignments
• Extra time for processing
• Preferred seating
• Access to technology
• Binder system
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Practical Guide For ASD
Students
What students may need:
• Communication
What you can do to help:
• Check in with student
regularly (travel card, 5 point
scale, CPS)
• Communicate with parents
(home – school
communication)
• Teach, promote and recognize
self
advocacy (break card)
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership,
Community
Practical Guide For ASD
Students
What students may need:
• Social Supports
What you can do to help:
• May require further social
skills support
• Generalization of previous
acquired skills taught
• Foster positive peer
interactions
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Absence of supports may lead
to;
• Disruptive behaviour
• Social misunderstandings (stalking, bullying, police involvement)
• Anxiety
• School refusal
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community
Questions and Answers
Our Focus: Learning, Leadership, Community