Features of Autism
Impaired Social Interaction
 Inappropriate social responses.
 Difficulties in interpreting emotional cues.
 Inappropriate expressions of emotion.
Impaired Social Communication
 Lack of appreciation of the social uses and pleasures of communication (verbal and
non-verbal). Limited or inappropriate use of language.
 Lack of understanding of language as a tool for conveying information.
 Poor verbal and non-verbal understanding.
Impaired Imagination
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Difficulty with imaginative play
Egocentricity and lack of empathy with others.
Difficulty in appreciating the viewpoint of others.
Insistence of sameness and difficulty coping with change. Stereotyped activates.
Pupils with Asperger Syndrome
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Social impairment (extreme egocentricity)
Narrow Interest
Repetitive Routines
Speech and Language Peculiarities
Non-verbal communication Problems
Motor Clumsiness.
Strategies for Teachers
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Be flexible
Prepare in advance for changes in routine.
Use pupil’s name (they may not realize everyone includes them)
Be calm – never shout.
Be precise in instructions.
Provide ‘time out’ if necessary.
Use computers (they do not exhibit emotion)
Use ability to remember by rote to increase self-esteem.
Asperger Syndrome
Children with Asperger Syndrome have higher academic and linguistic ability than autistic
children. It is more common among boys than girls.
Asperger Syndrome is a genetic brain dysfunction resulting in a disorder of personality.
75% of children with Asperger Syndrome also have a specific learning difficulty.
Key characteristics.
Children with Asperger Syndrome:
 Are socially isolated from peers by personal choice.
 Can behave in a socially inappropriate way.
 Use formal, pedantic speech with an expressionless voice.
 Stick to routines.
 Experience difficulty transferring skills from one situation to another.
 May be clumsy.
 Have poor organisational skills.
 Have difficulty with written recording.
 Often do not finish tasks.
 Exhibit obsessive compulsive behaviour.
 Have difficulty making friends.
Practical solutions.
Use of Language
Language needs to be simple, direct, avoiding ambiguities and idiomatic phrases, such
as ‘kill two birds with one stone’
Giving time
Time is needed to process language, such as the ’10 sec rule’ giving the pupil an
opportunity to respond to requests.
Visual Strategies
Present information in a visual or pictorial format to aid understanding, such as visual
timetable and mind mapping techniques
Homework
Allow more time to write homework in journal, and to record when homework is due in.
School visit/trips
Give attention to prior planning and preparation so that the pupil can adjust to the
change in routine required by a trip.
Safe Place
Agree a safe place with the pupil, that they can go to safely in times when they feel the
need.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Key characteristics
Children with ADHD may exhibit some or all of the following traits:
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Have short attention span, poor concentration and difficulty following instructions.
Are easily distracted and have difficulty listening.
Are forgetful, disorganised and lose books and homework.
Take time to settle down to work.
Act without thinking and are impatient.
Take risks and are excitable.
Are restless and fidgety and may wander around the classroom.
Are argumentative and prone to interrupt conversations.
Are attention seeking.
Experience mood swings and are immature.
Are erratic and show spasmodic academic progress.
Understanding ADHD
 Place pupil in part of room with fewest distractions (front row away from windows,
doors, staff desk)
 Keep desk clear when doing work.
 Divide and shorten tasks with reward in between. Provide opportunities for
purposeful movement.
 Strive to attract the child’s eyes and ears to teacher – make sure pupil is paying
attention.
 Provide structure and routine.
 Define limits clearly and reasonably with consequences clearly understood.
 View length of attention as a skill development.
 Realise pupil will be more inattentive just before and after lunch and late afternoon.
 Reward pupil when on task. Give non-attention to inappropriate behaviour by
praising pupils who are behaving appropriately.
When giving instructions, say it and write it.
Tourette Syndrome
Tips for dealing with TS symptoms in the classroom setting
 Some movement and noises can be annoying or disruptive to the class. Please
remember that they are occurring involuntarily, and do not react with anger or
annoyance! This requires patience but reprimanding a student with TS is like
disciplining a student with Cerebral Palsy for being clumsy.
 If some aspects of the child’s tics affect the privacy or safety of others, e.g. touching
others, it is important to find ways to work around the problem.
 Provide opportunities for short breaks out of the classroom. Time in a private place
to relax and release the tics can often reduce symptoms in class. Private time may
also enhance the student’s ability to focus on school work, because energy will not
be used to suppress the tics.
 Allow the student to take tests in a private room, so energy will not be expended on
suppressing tics during a quiet time in the classroom.
 If tics are particularly disruptive, consider eliminating recitation in front of the class
for a while. Oral reports might be tape recorded, so those skills can be judged
without the added stress of standing before the class.
 Work with other students to help them understand the tics and the reduce ridicule
and teasing.
Difficulties Arising from a Conductive Hearing Loss
A pupil may:
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appear dreamy, disruptive, distracted or demanding
find it difficult to listen and attend to speech
feel insecure and confused, this may be reflected in their behaviour
be withdrawn and wait for cues from others in the class
give the impression of being able to listen when they want to
find it difficult to hear when there is background noise
not hear clearly in a group situation
have unclear speech
have a vocabulary deficit
have delayed language
experiencing difficulties acquiring phonics.
How to help the pupil with conductive hearing loss:
 Speak clearly – use a strong voice, speak naturally and at a normal rate. Use whole
sentences and not single words.
 Reiterate what the other pupils are saying – at a distance, the pupil with a hearing
loss may not hear the comments, questions or answers.
 Get close – when talking try to be as close as possible to the pupil. The pupil will
need to see your face and lips.
 Don’t hide your mouth – face the pupil when you are talking and try not to cover your
face with your hands.
 Allow the pupil to see your face and expression.
 Make sure of the pupil’s attention before starting – a pupil with a hearing loss may
only look up and concentrate when your voice gets loud enough, and therefore may
have missed the introduction.
 Give clues – clue in the pupil so that he/she knows what you are going to talk about.
 Attract attention – make sure you have got the pupil’s attention before you begin to
talk, or the first part of the conversation will be lost.
 Include the pupil in group discussions.
 Keep noise level to a minimum.
 Try to make sure that only one person talks at a time.
 Make constant references to the point of conversation.
 Use visual as well as verbal referrals to the topic.
Dyscalculia
What is dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a difficulty with numbers arising from a deficiency in the mathematical ability
of the brain. Some pupils with dyscalculia may also be dyslexic.
Features of dyscalculia
Children with dyscalculia:
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Make errors in carrying numbers over.
Ignore decimal points.
Experience confusion recognising and using mathematical signs / symbols.
Confuse left and right when undertaking calculations like division.
Need concrete mathematical apparatus.
Have difficulty learning and remembering multiplication tables.
Experience difficulties with problem-solving tasks in mathematics.
Set out calculations untidily and incorrectly.
Have difficulty telling the time by an analogue clock or watch.
Have difficulty working out the correct change from a given sum of money.
Have a tendency to reverse and transpose numbers.
Experience problems in sequencing numbers.
Have difficulty recognising / naming shapes and patterns.
Strategies to improve mathematical skills.
 Put a list of numbers with their spelling (1 – 100) on a prompt card.
 Give the pupil a set of mathematical symbol cards with the range of names for each
symbol.
 Provide an audio tape with multiplication tables on for home/class use.
 Provide support materials, e.g. number square, number line, calculator, large
decimal point.
 Head number columns (hundreds, tens, units) to assist with place value.
 Use arrows to help pupils know which direction to perform a calculation in.
 Model a method of calculation and put this in the pupil’s exercise book.
 Allow the pupil to use their own method of calculation if it produces the correct
answer consistently.
 Break down mathematical problems into smaller steps.
 If the pupil is also dyslexic, audio tape ‘wordy’ problem solving questions.
Dyspraxia
What is dyspraxia?
Children who are dyspraxic are clumsy, uncoordinated and experience organisational
difficulties. More boys than girls are dyspraxic.
Features of dyspraxia
Children with dyspraxia:
 Have writing that is slow, poorly sized, untidy, off-the-line.
 Have poor hand-eye co-ordination.
 Have difficulty using scissors, cutting out, tracing shapes, drawing a straight line.
 Have poor balance and posture.
 Have poor listening skills.
 Have poor memory retention.
 Have a short concentration span.
 Have difficulty putting puzzles together.
 Have poor concept of shape.
 Have weak sequencing skills.
 Confuse left and right.
 Have difficulty following instructions and understanding positional language.
 Have immature, silly behaviour as a result of frustration in learning.
Strategies to support dyspraxic pupils’ learning.
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Break down tasks and instructions into small parts.
Pair a dyspraxic pupil with a more co-ordinated supportive peer in practical activities.
Use pictures, symbols, modelling and demonstration.
Repeat instructions.
Write homework down for the pupil.
Praise effort and attainment, however small.
Provide additional time during practical tasks.
Cut out shapes for pupils beforehand.
Encourage the pupil to self-correct their own work or behaviour.
Use colour coding for left and right.
Moderate Learning Difficulties
Children with global learning difficulties:
 Have a poor concentration span.
 Are over dependant on the teacher and LSA.
 Seek constant reassurance when doing their work.
 Have a poor self-image, poor self-esteem and lack self-confidence.
 Have poor listening skills.
 Have difficulty remembering lengthy or complex instructions.
 Have poor organisational skills.
 Are slow in completing skills.
 Are reluctant to read aloud or perform in front of other peers.
 Have poor comprehension and basic skill level.
 Have written work that is poorly presented and untidy.
Some practical solutions.
 Avoid asking them to read in public and asking peers to mark each other’s work.
 Use a multi-sensory approach during lessons – auditory, visual and kinaesthetic.
 Carefully consider presentation of work sheets – bold headings, clear print, use of
white space, diagrams etc.
 Regularly place the child with poor reading and writing skills with a group where they
can contribute to the knowledge whilst others read/record for the group.
 Give them photocopies of key texts so they can highlight as they go.
 Ensure the work and materials suit the child’s mental age, as well as the reading age
 Ensure adequate reinforcement / consolidation of reading and writing skills to the
level of automaticity.
 Use colour and visual clues to support reinforcement.
 Try to avoid every lesson being a challenge with reading and writing. Find alternative
methods for recording such as diagrams, pictures, mind maps key word colour etc.
 Where possible mark work on the content rather than accuracy, neatness or
quantity. Try to make as many positive comments as possible
 Develop their keyboarding and ICT skills.
Speech and Language Difficulties
There are 3 broad areas of difficulty: Expressive Language – includes problems with organisation, production with sounds,
grammatical structures and acquisition of vocabulary.
Receptive Language – problems with understanding and processing language heard.
Semantic/Pragmatic Skills – Problems with the meaning and use of language in social
settings.
Features of Speech and Language Difficulties
Children with Speech and Language difficulties:
 Have difficulty listening to and processing verbal information
 Have difficulties following instructions accurately
 May be able to read, but may not understand what they have read
 May not fully understand adults especially when under stress
 May not keep up with rapid language exchanges e.g. class discussion
 Will often give the answer they think you want to hear rather than trying to work out
the question
 Are usually unable to infer
 Process information literally
 Have difficulty with the storage and retrieval of words and information
 Have difficulty with the meaning and use of language in social situations
Strategies to Support Pupils with Speech and Language Difficulties
 Support pupils understanding of the spoken word by using visual cues such as
gesture, illustrations, diagrams and the written word.
 Slow down the speed of talking and use pauses to allow the pupils to process the
language they have just heard.
 Repeat instructions, giving pupils another chance to hear the language.
 Identify key vocabulary of the curriculum. Provide pupils with word lists which include
definitions and/or cueing sentences.
 Support the organisation of language by using pictures, writing frames, spider grams
and mind maps
 Provide written information in a straightforward style to back verbal information.
 Ensure that details of homework are given in sufficient time to be fully understood
and recorded.