Southern Maine Autism
Conference 2015
Students with Autism:
Strategies for Success in
the School and
Classroom
Presented by
Powerpoint TemplatesHeidi Eastman Bowden
MAINE AUTISM ALLIANCE
What is
Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Autism is a brain
disorder that often
makes it hard to
communicate with
and relate to others.
With autism, the
different areas of the
brain fail to work
together.
DSM V
PDD-NOS, Asperger’s
Syndrome removed from DSM V
One umbrella term “Autism Spectrum
Disorder.”
Language Delays Not Part of Diagnosis
NEW: Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3.
The new DSM will have only two core
areas: communication and social
deficits and fixed or repetitive behaviors
Powerpoint Templates
Page 3
WHAT CAUSES AUTISM?
Autism is caused by a
combination of
Genetic Risk Factors
that interact
with
Environmental Risk
Factors.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 4
THE NUMBERS
CDC MARCH 27, 2014
1 in 68 American children has a diagnosis on the
autism spectrum
1 in 42 Boys
1 in 189 Girls
Prevalence: Almost 5 times more likely in boys
39% of people Seizure Disorders
Most children diagnosed after age 4.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 5
AREAS AFFECTED
Communication
Social Skills
Restricted/Repetitive Behaviors
Powerpoint Templates
Page 6
COMMUNICATION
Verbal, Non-Verbal, Vocal
Development of language
is significantly delayed
Experience difficulty with
both expressive and
receptive language
Difficulty initiating or
sustaining conversations
Robotic, formal speech
Repetitive use of
language
PowerpointEchoic
Templates
Page 7
SOCIAL SKILLS
Difficulty developing peer relationships
Difficulty with give and take of social
interactions
Lack of spontaneous sharing of
enjoyment
Impairments in use and understanding
of body language to regulate social
interaction
Powerpoint Templates
Page 8
RESTRICTED/REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS
Inflexibility related to routines and rituals
Stereotyped movements
Preoccupations with parts of objects
Powerpoint Templates
Page 9
STRENGTHS
Ability to understand concrete concepts, rules
and sequences
Strong long term memory skills
Math skills
Computer skills
Musical ability
Artistic ability
Powerpoint Templates
Page 10
STRENGTHS
Ability to decode written language at an early
age (This ability is called Hyperlexia. Some
children with autism can decode written
language earlier than they can comprehend
written language.)
Ability to think in a visual way
Honesty – sometimes to a fault.
Ability to be extremely focused – if they are
working on a preferred activity
Excellent sense of direction
Powerpoint Templates
Page 11
CHARACTERISTICS
(Could include or varying degrees)
Difficulty with transitions, need for sameness
Difficulty accepting “NO”
Possible aggressive, disruptive, or self-injurious
behavior; unaware of possible dangers
Challenges interpreting nonverbal language
Difficulty with pretend play
Rigid adherence to rules
Powerpoint Templates
Page 12
CHARACTERISTICS
Poor eye gaze or avoidance of eye contact
Few facial expressions and trouble understanding
the facial expressions of others
Poor judge of personal space – may stand too
close to other students
Trouble controlling emotions and anxieties
Difficulty understanding another person’s
perspective or how their behavior affects others
Literal thinkers
Powerpoint Templates
Page 13
CHARACTERISTICS
Very literal understanding of speech; difficulty
in picking up on nuances
Echolalia – may repeat last words heard without
regard for meaning
Unusually intense or restricted interests in things
(maps, dates, coins, numbers/statistics, train
schedules)
Unusual repetitive behavior, verbal as well as
nonverbal (hand flapping, rocking)
Unusual sensitivity to sensations – may be more
or less than typical peers
Powerpoint Templates
Page 14
STUDY
The study, published in January 2014 in the
Journal of Neuroscience
“Multisensory Temporal Integration in Autism
Spectrum Disorders”
Sight, sound out of sync in children with
autism
Stephen Camarate co-authored the study.
He explained, “The auditory and visual signals
do not match in their brains.”
Powerpoint Templates
Page 15
“STIMMING” (SELF-STIMULATION)
Many individuals on the autism
spectrum exhibit some form of
repetitive motor behavior.
Speak a word or phrase over and
over again (echolalia)
Utters the same sound repeatedly
Flapping hands
Flick fingers
Bang their heads
Grind their teeth
Endlessly perform other seemingly
random physical acts
Powerpoint Templates
Page 16
SENSORY
Sight - visual stimulation - Bright lights,
flashing lights etc
Sound - loud noises, screams, bells ringing,
thunder etc
Touch - The feel of certain fabrics, clothes
label, hot and cold etc
Taste - certain foods
Smell - Some smells can trigger anxiety,
smoke etc
TIP: Fidget toys, elastic band on chair
Powerpoint Templates
Page 17
HYPERSENSITIVE VS. HYPOSENSITIVE
Some individuals
with an ASD can be
hypersensitive, that
is over-sensitive, to
stimuli
Hand over hears,
crawl under table,
flinch from a touch
(unexpected or not)
(Fluorescent Lights)
Powerpoint Templates
Page 18
HYPERSENSITIVE VS. HYPOSENSITIVE
Other individuals appear to be
HYPOSENSITIVE, that is under-sensitive,
to sensory information coming at them from
the environment. For instance, a child may
not be able to feel the cold, or when to go to
the bathroom or pain.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 19
WHAT ABOUT EYE CONTACT?
Eye contact is physically painful for many people
with autism. Others can either make eye contact or
talk, but not both at the same time. Eye contact
should not be forced or physically manipulated .
Powerpoint Templates
Page 20
THEORY OF MIND
Theory of mind refers to the belief that
many people with autism do not understand
that other people have their own plans,
thoughts, and points of view.
Furthermore, it appears that they have
difficulty understanding other people's
beliefs, attitudes, and emotions.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 21
PHYSICAL & MEDICAL ISSUES
Seizure Disorder (Epilepsy)
Genetic Disorders
Fragile X Syndrome, Angelman’s Syndrome, Tuberous Sclerosis
Allergies, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Pain
Sleep Dysfunction
Pica
Motor Challenges
Emotional Issues, including Anxiety & Stress
Recognize that many behaviors of autism may also be
signs of stress or anxiety (pacing, distractibility, acting out,
nail biting, repetitive actions, etc.)
Powerpoint Templates
Page 22
12 TIPS FOR CLASSROOM
1. Keep it structured: Routine and structure
provide great comfort to a child on the autism
spectrum.
2. Use visuals: A picture speaks a thousand
words
3. Schedules: People with autism like order and
detail. They feel in control and secure when they
know what to expect.
4. Reduce distractions: Many people with autism
find it difficult to filter out background noise and
visual information.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 23
12 TIPS FOR CLASSROOM
5. Use concrete language: Always keep your
language simple and concrete. Get your point
across in as few words as possible. Avoid using
idioms. “Put your thinking caps on”, “Open your
ears”
6. It’s not personal: Children with autism are not
rude. They simply don’t understand social rules
or how they’re supposed to behave.
7. Transitions: “In 5 minutes..3..” Time Timer
8. Establish independence: Make time to show
them the ropes (again, and again, across all settings.)
Powerpoint Templates
Page 24
12 TIPS FOR CLASSROOM
9. Rewards before consequences: Rewards
and positive reinforcement are a wonderful
way to increase desired behavior.
10. Teach with lists: Teaching with lists can be
used in two ways. One is by setting
expectations and the other is by “ordering”
information.
11. Creative teaching: People on the spectrum
think out of the box and if you do too, you will
get great results. Make up your own story
about dinosaurs, baseball statistics or any other
topic your students enjoy. Act things out as
often as you can.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 25
12 TIPS FOR CLASSROOM
#11--Example Creative Teaching:
Teacher: Plants need sun. What do they need?
Class: Sun
Teacher: That’s right. They also need air and water. What do plants need?
Class: Air and water.
Teacher: That’s right and what else?
Class: Sun
Teacher: Correct. Plants have stems and leaves. What do they have?
Class: Stems and leaves.
Teacher: And what do they need?
Class: Air and water
Teacher: And what else?
Class: Sun
Teacher: That’s right…
Powerpoint Templates
Page 26
12 TIPS FOR CLASSROOM
12. Don’t sweat the small stuff: By correcting
every action a person does, you’re sending a
message that they’re not good enough the way
they are. When making a decision about what
to correct, always ask yourself first, “Will
correcting this action help this person lead a
productive and happy life?”
Powerpoint Templates
Page 27
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION…
IQ does not necessarily =
level of ability, function,
understanding
If you are discussing your
student, always assume
they can understand every
word spoken. Should they
hear this conversation?
Person first!
Child with autism
Powerpoint Templates
Page 28
EMBRACING THE JOURNEY
"I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good
teacher." - Temple Grandin
“If they can't learn the way we teach, we teach the way
they learn” – O. Ivar Lovaas
"From my clinical experience, I consider that children
and adults with Asperger's Syndrome have a different,
not defective, way of thinking."
Tony Attwood
Powerpoint Templates
Page 29
WEB SITES
www.paulakluth.com
www.autismspeaks.org
www.ellennotbohm.com
www.researchautism.org/
www.tonyattwood.com.au/
www.usevisualstrategies.com/
Powerpoint Templates
Page 30
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
1. Behavior is communication. All behavior occurs for a
reason. It tells you, even when my words can‘t, how I perceive
what is happening around me.
Negative behavior interferes with my learning process. But
merely interrupting these behaviors is not enough. Teach me
to exchange these behaviors with proper alternatives so that
real learning can flow.
Start by believing this: I truly do want to learn to interact
appropriately. No child wants the spirit-crushing feedback
we get from ―bad behavior. Negative behavior usually
means I am overwhelmed by disordered sensory systems,
cannot communicate my wants or needs, or don‘t understand
what is expected of me. Look beyond the behavior to find
the source of my resistance. Keep notes as to what
happened immediately before the behavior: people
involved, time of day, activities, settings. Over time, a pattern
may emerge.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 31
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
2. Never assume anything. Without factual backup, an
assumption is only a guess. I may not know or understand the
rules. I may have heard the instructions but not understood
them. Maybe I knew it yesterday but can‘t retrieve it today.
Ask yourself:
Are you sure I know how to do what is being asked of
me? If I suddenly need to run to the bathroom every time I‘m
asked to do a math sheet, maybe I don‘t know how or fear
my effort will not be good enough. Stick with me through
enough repetitions of the task to where I feel competent. I
may need more practice to master tasks than other kids.
Are you sure I know the rules? Do I understand the reason
for the rule (safety, economy, health)? Am I breaking the rule
because there is an underlying cause? Maybe I pinched a
snack out of my lunch bag early because I was worried
about finishing my science project, didn‘t eat breakfast and
am now famished.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 32
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
3. Look for sensory issues first. A lot of my resistant
behaviors come from sensory discomfort. One example
is fluorescent lighting, which has been shown over and
over again to be a major problem for children like me.
The hum it produces is very disturbing to my
hypersensitive hearing, and the pulsing nature of the
light can distort my visual perception, making objects in
the room appear to be in constant movement. An
incandescent lamp on my desk will reduce the flickering,
as will natural light tubes. Or maybe I need to sit closer
to you; I don‘t understand what you are saying because
there are too many noises in between – that lawnmower
outside the window, Jasmine whispering to Tanya, chairs
scraping, pencil sharpener grinding. Ask the school
occupational therapist for sensory-friendly ideas for the
classroom. It‘s good for all kids, not just me.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 33
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
4. Provide me a break for self-regulation
before I need it. A quiet, carpeted corner of
the room with some pillows, books and
headphones allows me a place to re-group
when I feel overwhelmed, but isn‘t so far
physically removed that I won‘t be able to
rejoin the activity flow of the classroom
smoothly.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 34
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
5. Tell me what you want me to do in the
positive rather than the imperative. ―You left
a mess by the sink!‖ is a statement of fact to
me. I‘m not able to infer that what you mean is
―Rinse out your paint cup and put the paper
towels in the trash.‖ Don‘t make me guess or
have to figure out what I should do.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 35
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
6. Keep your expectations reasonable. That
all-school assembly with hundreds of kids
packed into bleachers and some guy droning
on about the candy sale is uncomfortable and
meaningless to me. Maybe I‘d be better off
helping the school secretary put together the
newsletter.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 36
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
7. Help me transition between activities. It
takes me longer to motor plan moving from one
activity to the next. Give me a five-minute
warning and a two-minute warning before an
activity changes, and build a few extra minutes
in on your end to compensate. A simple clock
face or timer on my desk gives me a visual cue
as to the time of the next transition and helps
me handle it more independently.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 37
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
8. Don’t make a bad situation worse. Even though you are an adult, you
can sometimes make bad decisions in the heat of the moment. I truly don‘t
mean to melt down, show anger or otherwise disrupt your classroom. You can
help me get over it more quickly by not responding with behavior of your
own that makes things worse for me. Beware of these responses that prolong
rather than resolve a meltdown;
Raising pitch or volume of your voice. I hear the yelling and shrieking, but
not the words.
Mocking or mimicking me. Sarcasm, insults or name-calling will not
embarrass me out of the behavior.
Making unsubstantiated accusations
Invoking a double standard
Comparing me to a sibling or other student
Bringing up previous or unrelated events
Lumping me into a general category (―kids like you are all the same‖)
Powerpoint Templates
Page 38
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
9. Criticize gently. Be honest – how good are you at accepting ―constructive‖
criticism? The maturity and self-confidence to be able to do that may be far beyond
my abilities right now.
Please! Never, ever try to impose discipline or correction when I am angry,
distraught, overstimulated, shut down, anxious or otherwise emotionally unable to
interact with you.
Again, remember that I will react as much, if not more, to the qualities of your
voice than to the actual words. I will hear the shouting and the annoyance, but I will
not understand the words and therefore will not be able to figure out what I did
wrong. Speak in low tones and lower your body as well, so that you are
communicating on my level rather than towering over me.
Help me understand the inappropriate behavior in a supportive, problem-solving
way rather than punishing or scolding me. Help me pin down the feelings that
triggered the behavior. I may say I was angry but maybe I was afraid, frustrated,
sad or jealous. Probe beyond my first response.
Practice or role-play – show me—a better way to handle the situation next time. A
storyboard, photo essay or social story helps. Expect to role-play lots over time.
There are no one-time fixes. And when I do get it right ―next time,‖ tell me right
away.
It helps me if you yourself are modeling proper behavior for responding to
criticism.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 39
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
10. Offer real choices – and only real choices. Don‘t offer me a choice or ask a ―Do you
want…?‖ question unless are willing to accept no for an answer. ―No‖ may be my honest
answer to ―Do you want to read out loud now?‖ or ―Would you like to share paints with
William?‖ It‘s hard for me to trust you when choices are not choices at all.
You take for granted the amazing number of choices you have on a daily basis. You
constantly choose one option over others knowing that both having choices and being able
to choose provides you control over your life and future. For me, choices are much more
limited, which is why it can be harder to feel confident about myself. Providing me with
frequent choices helps me become more actively engaged in everyday life.
Whenever possible, offer a choice within a ‗have-to‘. Rather than saying: ―Write your
name and the date on the top of the page,‖ say: ―Would you like to write your name
first, or would you like to write the date first?‖ or ―Which would you like to write first,
letters or numbers?‖ Follow by showing me: ―See how Jason is writing his name on his
paper?‖
Giving me choices helps me learn appropriate behavior, but I also need to understand
that there will be times when you can‘t. When this happens, I won‘t get as frustrated if I
understand why:
o ―I can‘t give you a choice in this situation because it is dangerous. You might get hurt.
o ―I can‘t give you that choice because it would be bad for Danny
o ―I give you lots of choices but this time it needs to be an adult choice.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 40
TEN THINGS YOUR STUDENT WITH AUTISM
WISHES YOU KNEW BY ELLEN NOTBOHM
The last word: believe. That car guy Henry
Ford said, ―Whether you think you can or
whether you think you can‘t, you are usually
right.‖ Believe that you can make a difference
for me. Autism is an open-ended learning
difference with no built-in upper limits on what I
can achieve. I can sense far more than I can
communicate, and the number one thing I can
sense is whether you think I ―can do it.‖
Encourage me to be everything I can be, so that
I can continue to grow and succeed long after
I‘ve left your classroom.
Powerpoint Templates
Page 41