This lecture was produced for the VCU-ACE Foundations of ASD Course. The transcript is intended for
use by participants in the online course. Please do not disseminate this material without the permission of
VCU-ACE staff.
Learning Styles in Autism
Slide 1
Hi my name is Sue Palko. I am the training coordinator at the VCU Autism Center for
Excellence. I will be presenting on the learning styles of individuals with autism spectrum
disorder.
Slide 2: Learning styles
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Each individual with ASD is unique.
There are core traits that impact how individuals with ASD learn.
Learning patterns include differences with attending, organization, sequencing steps,
central coherence, understanding abstract information, and generalization.
As we have discussed in other presentations, each individual with ASD is unique. In this
presentation we will discuss some of the learning characteristics of individuals on the autism
spectrum. It should be noted that not all individuals will learn in the same way or exhibit
challenges to the same degree. But there are core traits that individuals with ASD share that
have an impact on how they learn including many associated strengths. Individuals with ASD
process information differently. They often have uneven patterns of development resulting in
extreme differences between areas of strength and areas of weakness. As we explore learning
characteristics, the areas we will discuss include: differences with attending, organization,
sequencing steps, central coherence, understanding abstract information, and generalization.
Slide 3: Learning Styles
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Learning style is a person’s preferred way of learning.
There are three common learning styles: auditory, visual and tactile
Some people learn best by combining two of the areas, such as auditory and tactile.
I would like to start by defining what I mean by “learning style.” Learning style is a person’s
preferred way of learning. There are three common styles that most people are familiar with.
They are auditory, visual and tactile. Some people are auditory learners. In other words they
learn best when they hear new information. A visual learner learns best by seeing the information
and may benefit from using visual diagrams, maps and pictures. A tactile learner learns best
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from experiencing things and will benefit from doing hands-on activities, using their whole
body, or manipulating materials. Some people learn best by combining two of the areas, such as
auditory and tactile. What can of learner are you? Do you know how you learn best?
Slide 4: Processing
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Given the difficulties those with ASD have with language and communication, most are
visual and tactile learners.
Many do demonstrate strengths with visual processing and are able to process visual
information much faster.
Manipulating materials may be helpful in the learning process.
When using auditory information, providing additional time to let the person process
what you are saying is essential.
Many with ASD have visual processing as a strength that can be utilized to enhance
understanding and independence.
Think about what you have learned about ASD so far in this course. Given the difficulties those
with ASD have with language and communication, what learner profile or profiles – auditory,
visual, or tactile, do you think fits this population the best? If you said visual and tactile you are
correct! We know individuals with ASD have challenges with receptive language, therefore, for
most, learning through auditory means is not effective or as effective as it is for the general
population. However, many do demonstrate strengths with visual processing and are able to
process visual information much faster. Further, actually manipulating materials may be helpful
in the learning process.
Temple Grandin, an adult with autism has written about her learning style. When discussing
auditory information she notes that this method of learning is much slower as it takes tremendous
work to retrieve information she has heard. When using auditory information such as providing a
verbal direction, providing additional time to let the person process what you are saying is
essential. Additionally, when providing a lot of verbal information such as giving several
directions in a row or delivering a lecture on Thomas Jefferson, we must realize there may be a
break down in understanding and provide the information in a written or visual form. Temple,
like many with ASD, has strong visual processing skills and thinks in pictures. She has visual
images that represent her memories and thoughts. For example, she envisions a door when
thinking about graduating from college or a computer when she hears the word “thinking”. She
is able to use her strength in visual processing to not only compensate but to excel in her career
and life. Many with ASD have visual processing as a strength that can be utilized to enhance
understanding and independence.
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Slide 5: Sensory
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Sensory experiences can often interfere with a student’s ability to learn
It is through interaction with our environment that we develop our ability to process
information and discriminate what is important for us to pay attention to and what is not.
For individuals with ASD, that ability to filter out what is distracting or not important is
challenging.
We all have optimal stimulation for focus and for learning.
Individuals with ASD do not orient, process or respond to new or unpredictable stimuli in the
same way as their typically developing peers. As you can tell by the three primary learning
styles, auditory, visual and tactile, we learn through our senses. If a person has a problem with
how they orient, process or respond to sensory information then chances are they may not
process information in the same way. Let’s now discuss the difficulties individuals with ASD
might have with modulating and integrating sensory stimulation.
Sensory processing is one of the secondary characteristics of ASD. Now let’s look at the role
sensory processing plays in learning. Learning begins in our early developmental years. Infants
are flooded with sensory information, different sights, sounds, tastes, and textures. We are not
born able to interpret and make sense of the world around us. It is through interaction with our
environment that we develop our ability to process information and discriminate what is
important for us to pay attention to and what is not. For individuals with ASD, that ability to
filter out what is distracting or what is not important is challenging. For example, Connor can
hear the noise the pencil makes as his peer writes and is frightened by the loud school bell. He is
often distracted and does not learn or attend to the teacher’s lesson!
Sensory processing can affect learning in other ways. I want you to think about your own
learning for a minute. When do you learn best? Is there an optimal time of day, setting or
physical state for you? I know for me, I do better in the morning. At work, it is quiet. There are
few distractions and I feel calm. In the afternoon when I am tired and I have had several
meetings in a row, I can feel overwhelmed and unfocused! For all of us, we have optimal
stimulation for focus and for learning. Sometimes we are under stimulated and may feel flat or
tired. Other times, we are over stimulated and feel distracted. Klinger and Dawson (1992)
conducted a well known study that examined reception and processing problems in individuals
with autism. As noted in the study, individuals with ASD do not orient, process or respond to
new or unpredictable stimuli in the same way as their typically developing peers. In the study
Klinger and Dawson hypothesized that individuals with ASD have a small window of optimal
stimulation. In other words they spend a large amount of time either under stimulated or over
stimulated! This definitely impacts learning!
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Slide 6: Uneven patterns of development
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Individuals with ASD may have uneven patterns of development.
Uneven patterns of development refer to a person exhibiting relative patterns of strength
in certain areas while having more significant delays in others.
Often, we hear the term “splinter skills” used to refer to the person having an uneven
pattern of development.
Individuals with ASD may have uneven patterns of development. Uneven patterns of
development are one of the areas that set individuals with autism spectrum disorder apart from
individuals with intellectual disabilities. When I say uneven patterns of development, I am
referring to a person exhibiting relative patterns of strength in certain areas while having more
significant delays in others. For example, Josh a young man with high functioning autism who is
in the 4th grade is able to read and comprehend the social studies curriculum and gets A’s in this
topic, but is unable to identify which pile of blocks has “more”. Connor is strong in reading and
math but has tremendous challenges with self-help skills. Another example is Tasha who is able
to read a passage by phonetically decoding words, but is unable to comprehend the meaning of
the text.
Often, we hear the term “splinter skills” used to refer to the person having an uneven pattern of
development. Splinter skills are common. As we support this group, understanding that
development will not be linear or even is essential as it helps us to tailor our supports to the
person and to target the areas of need so we can provide the necessary remediation and
scaffolding to help the person learn. Additionally, the person’s strengths can be used to help
him learn and develop in all areas.
Slide 7: Central Coherence
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Central coherence is the ability to focus on details as well as the whole.
Individuals with autism have a difficult time seeing the big picture and get lost in details.
Those with ASD have a tendency to focus on irrelevant details
Weak central coherence can effect organization, generalization, focus and performing
new tasks.
Weak central coherence can be a hindrance for some while a strength for others.
Central coherence is the ability to focus on details as well as the whole. Frith, in 1989, suggested
that individuals with autism have what is called weak central coherence and have a heightened
focus on details rather than wholes. In other words, individuals with autism have a difficult time
seeing the big picture instead of getting lost in details. For example, many of us can read a story
and then remember the gist of the story afterwards, even if individual details are lost. For the
individual with ASD, the theme or meaning of the story was never understood. A weak central
coherence is an explanation for one widely observed characteristic of those with ASD; a
tendency to focus on irrelevant details. When reading a story, the person may not comprehend
the meaning, but may instead focus on an irrelevant detail such as the color of the character’s
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dress. Connor identifies any animal with 4 legs and a long tail as a dog. He has focused on
specific details rather than looking at the whole animal.
Weak central coherence results in the person not being able to make sense of situations and
events according to context. For example, when reading the passages "There was a big tear in
her eye", and "In her dress there was a big tear", individuals with ASD may not be able to judge
which pronunciation of the word "tear" was appropriate for which sentence.
Having weak central coherence can impact learning in other ways such as difficulties with
organization, problems with generalization, and difficulties with focus.
As we think about central coherence, while having difficulty focusing on the big picture may be
a hindrance, it may also be seen as an area of strength for some. For example, there are many
situations when identifying and remembering details is important. Have you ever forgotten your
friend’s birthday? I know an adult with Asperger’s Syndrome who works in quality assurance for
a technology company due to his eye for detail. What a great job match this is!
Slide 8: Attention
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Individuals with ASD may have challenges with attending which can impact learning.
Sensory processing difficulties can lead to distractibility in students with ASD.
Distractibility can also be caused by preoccupation with a preferred topic or activity.
Another reason for distractibility is weak central coherence.
Individuals with ASD may have challenges with attending which can of course, impact learning.
There are several reasons why they might get distracted easily. The person might have a
comorbid disorder such as Attention Deficit. As discussed in a previous slide, they might have
sensory processing difficulties. Individuals with ASD are often hypersensitive or hyposensitive
to the sensory information that is around them. As an educator it is often difficult to discern the
sensory experience that is interfering with a child on the spectrum’s ability to pay attention to the
information that is important to the current task. While working in a classroom, there is usually a
consistent din of shuffling papers, chairs moving, and students moving around. Tasha, a sevenyear-old with autism will often plug her ears and hum to drown out the sound of the fluorescent
lights, a sound that most of us do not hear. While Tasha has her ears plugged, she is not able to
take in the information that is important for her to complete the assignment.
Additionally, an individual with ASD might also be easily distracted by their area of interest.
Consider, Mark who loves insects, he sees a spider crawling across the floor, and he immediately
thinks about all the different spiders that he knows about, the type of spider that is on the floor,
all the facts about spiders; missing the entire explanation of how to solve for ‘y” in an algebra
problem. When it comes time to work on his assignment, he appears to have not understood the
information, when in fact he really didn’t attend to the explanation.
Finally, another reason might be weak central coherence. If an individual has weak central
coherence they may not focus on what you want them to. An example of this is Emma, a girl
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with AS having dinner at home with her family. Her mother goes through the list of homework
activities she is to complete after dinner and also discusses the trip to grandma’s house over the
weekend. When they are finished eating, Emma begins packing for grandma’s. Her mother can’t
understand why she is not doing homework. It is not because Emma is being defiant, but this is
the detail Emma focused on during the conversation.
As you can see there are many reason why an individual might be distracted. This is important to
remember as you support an individual with ASD. They are not exhibiting behavior such as
distractibility to frustrate you. It is a part of their autism.
Slide 9: Organization
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Difficulty in organization is related to a deficit in executive functioning.
An individual must be able to see the overall big picture and be able to map the steps they
need to take in order to have the desired outcome.
Organization differences can be found in the person’s ability to access, recall and
integrate information in a meaningful way.
Individuals with ASD can have a deficit in executive functioning. A deficit in this area can
result in difficulty with organization and planning. Organization and planning require the
integration of several elements to achieve a predetermined end. In other words, an individual
must be able to see the overall big picture and be able to map the steps they need to take in order
to have the desired outcome.
For example, if you are planning a trip you need to anticipate what will be needed in order to
pack all of these items in a suitcase before leaving. Connor will need to collect all of the
necessary materials before successfully completing a homework project. Emma will need to
exhibit organization when completing an algebra problem.
If you think about it, learning involves organizing – it is organizing information! Organization
differences can be found in the person’s ability to access information, recall information and to
integrate information in a meaningful way.
Slide 10: Sequencing
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Sequencing involves completing steps in a logical, prescribed order but also involves
understanding the purpose of the steps.
Individuals with ASD are able to follow memorized steps, such that when a step is
omitted, or changed it is hard for the student to successfully adapt.
Relearning information can be problematic as can applying information based on the
specific situation.
It is not unusual for people with ASD to perform a series of acts in illogical, counter-productive
order, and seem not to notice.
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Sequencing involves completing steps in a logical, prescribed order, but also involves
understanding the purpose of the steps. Those with ASD often learn routines quickly. They are
able to follow memorized steps, such that when a step is omitted, or changed it is hard for the
student to successfully adapt. An example is, Julie, a fifth grade girl with Asperger’s Syndrome.
She has learned that when she transitions from one class to another in her elementary school she
has to carry all of her books with her for the afternoon. Julie is now in middle school and is to go
to her locker in between classes. When Julie goes to her locker she takes all of the materials that
she needs for the afternoon just as she was taught to do in fifth grade. It takes several weeks for
her to learn the new routine of going to her locker in between classes and only getting the
materials that she needs for her next class.
This rote learning can be a real strength in some situations and should be capitalized on. In other
situations it can be a hindrance. Having to relearn information can be problematic as can
applying information based on the specific situation. Sequencing involves the basic components
of following steps but also involves understanding the relationship between concepts and
adjusting based on context. It is not unusual for people with ASD to perform a series of acts in
illogical, counter-productive order, and seem not to notice. For example, Timmy might get up in
the morning, comb his hair, then take a shower and wash his hair. In these ways he is showing us
that while he has mastered the individual steps in a complex process, he does not understand the
relationships among the steps, or the meaning of the steps with regard to the final outcome.
Slide 11: Relationships
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There are many areas of learning that involve the need to understand and formulate
relationships.
This group often has a hard time making connections between distant or seemingly
unrelated topics.
Difficulty formulating relationships poses a problem when a student is not able to learn
from the consequences of his own actions.
There are many areas of learning that involve the need to understand and formulate relationships.
When learning occurs, the person integrates new information with old information in some
logical manner. This development of new relationships allows us to continue building, expanding
and growing.
Individuals with ASD often make associations. For example, every time Connor goes to his
grandmother’s house he expects to get chocolate cake. Every time his mother wears her flip
flops, he thinks it is summer. However, this group often has a hard time making connections
between distant or seemingly unrelated topics. For example, a student may be able to tell you the
weather is “rainy” and that the rain is making mud on the playground, but gets frustrated and
upset when you tell him that there will not be outdoor recess today because of the rain. He was
unable to connect the two concepts and apply them to the current situation.
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There are many areas of learning impacted with difficulties with relationships and associations.
The person may not be able to make predictions or make inferences. This difficulty formulating
relationships poses a problem when a student is not able to learn from the consequences of his
own actions. Sometimes, the person needs specific help making the connection between his
action and the consequence and learning how to determine what the array of consequences might
be.
Slide 12: Concrete Thinking
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Individuals with ASD, regardless of their cognitive level, have difficulty with symbolic
or abstract language concepts.
Concrete thinking can lead to difficulties with understanding jokes, sarcasm, and idioms.
Concrete thinking can impact learning in areas such as reading comprehension, math
application, as well as social studies and science.
Individuals with ASD, regardless of their cognitive level, have relatively greater difficulty with
symbolic or abstract language concepts than with straightforward facts and descriptions. In the
culture of autism, words mean one thing; they do not have additional connotations or subtle
associations. For example, I worked with Zack. The teacher was in the front of the room
instructing the class. She wanted everyone to look at her so she said, “Eyes on me.” Zack did not
know what to do. He touched his eyes, looked at the teacher and then touched his eyes again.
Zack did not understand how to but his eyes on his teacher.
Concrete thinking can lead to difficulties with understanding jokes, sarcasm, and idioms. Teasing
may not be received well because it is not understood. Of course, concrete thinking can impact
learning in areas such as reading comprehension, math application, as well as social studies and
science. As a person ages, these areas become more abstract. Imagine explaining physics to
someone who thinks very concretely!
Slide 13: Generalization
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Generalization of skills does not come naturally for individuals with ASD.
They might learn the literal wording of a rule but not understand its underlying purpose
and have trouble applying it in different situations.
Generalization of skills must be taught and planned for!
Individuals with ASD often learn skills in one situation but have great difficulty generalizing
these to a different situation. For example, they might learn to eat with a green spoon, and then
balk at eating the same meal with a blue spoon. They might learn to wash plates but not realize
that the same basic procedure is used to wash glasses. Tasha is able to identify body parts at
school but struggles to do so at home. They might learn the literal wording of a rule but not
understand its underlying purpose, and so have trouble applying it in different situations. For
example, Diego was in the school cafeteria eating lunch and was talking nonstop about
NASCAR. He was told that people did not want to talk about NASCAR while they were eating
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lunch. He apparently understood this, but what he began to do was talk about NASCAR
throughout his day, during classes and on the bus. He honestly did not understand the concept
behind the request because he had difficulty knowing from other perspectives that they did not
want to talk about this topic.
Generalization of skills must be taught and planned for! Students with ASD should be taught
using multiple exemplars and across different environments from the beginning to assist in
generalization. For example, when teaching the object label “dog” use several pictures, and
representations of “dog” so that the student doesn’t just learn the “dog” is the picture of a yellow
lab in the sitting position. Additionally, skills can be worked on at school and in the home to
ensure utilization across environments.
References
Grandin, T. (2000). My experiences with visual thinking, sensory problems, and communication
difficulties, Retrieved from: http://www.autism.org/temple/visual.html
Janzen, J. E. (2003). Understanding the nature of autism: A guide to the autism spectrum
disorders (2nd ed.). San Antonio, TX: PsychCorp.
Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and
evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9(3), 105-119.
Autism - Learning Styles and Life/Educational Skills Attainment. Retrieved from:
http://www.articlesbase.com/disabilities-articles/autism-learning-styles-andlifeeducational-skills-attainment-1150688.html
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