Learning Support

The Forgotten History of Autism by Steve Silberman


They need longer to process information and can also find socialising and communicatingchallenging. Many want to make friends, but find it hard as they lack the expected social skills. They are often bullied as their peers can lack autism awareness and acceptance.

In addition to this, many will have difficulty processing sensory information. This can occur in one or more of the seven senses. Their senses can be intensified (hypersensitive) or under-sensitive (hyposensitive). The degree of difficulty will vary from one individual to another and according to other factors such as mood and levels of stress and stimuli.

Trying to cope with the above during the school day can lead to anxiety, behaviour that challengesand meltdowns. Often, autistic pupils will not show the stress they are feeling while they are at school, leading to different behaviour between school and home. 

  • have an agreed safe and quiet place for autistic pupils to go to when they feel anxiety building or are overloaded by sensory stimuli. This shouldn’t be the same place as where pupils are sent as a form of punishment


A QUICK TIP SHEET FOR TEACHERS WITH ASD( Autism Spectrum Disorder) CHILDREN


PARENTS and PREPARING for the CHILD
  1. The parents have been on a huge and at times extremely stressful journey in getting their child diagnosed. Be aware of that and listen to them.. They KNOW their child, what his/her triggers are and what works best . BE A GOOD LISTENER.
  2. Ask the parents , ' How can we help you? " Many families are already under a lot of stress with the situation, they don't need advice, they need support ...assist them in achieving their vision.
  3. Prepare the child and family BEFORE the first day of school. Talk with them, show them the environment , let them have a say and ownership. Get to know the child/family.
  4. For a young child creating a social story visually about the class and systems including the teacher(s) name(s). They can take this home and share it with the parents.  It can be done prior to coming to school if you know in advance.
AT SCHOOL and  WORKING with the  CHILD
  1. Choose your battles- You are the adult.  An ASD child might not know why they have melted down or become  non-compliant. Often a distraction to calm them is needed before any discussion can take place about an incident.
  2. INSTRUCTIONS should be short .   Many ASD children do not realise the oral and written instruction is for them. You may have to give general class instructions and then approach the ASD child, call their name and give them the instruction. ( This was an aha moment for me !)
  3. A SPECIAL PLACE- the  ASD child may need a place just for them to blob out, defrag or just be on their own. Do this early and often and be clear about expectations of using it.
  4. SPECIAL INTEREST- Many children have a special interest. This may help you to tailor their learning. Do NOT use it as a punishment but be clear about when and for how long they can be involved.
  5. ROUTINES - are important . Little things like where to put bags, getting bags at the end of the day , lining up , sitting on the mat. They may need special places or to get their bag earlier or later if they don’t like being rushed or pushed. Be consistent in your routines and if you are going to change them, make sure you have talked the ASD child through it before hand.
  6. Be careful how you use words, their literalness can mean they misunderstand you. Avoid words like ‘could’, ‘would’,‘can’ as they perceive them as a choice. e.g. “Can you start work?” can be seen as a choice. ( S. Larkey) Watch the use of sayings .e.g. Killing 2 birds with one stone - they may take this literally and really be concerned that that is what you are doing.
  7. Declarative language usually gets 3x more information especially with children on the spectrum e.g. Instead of " John, what is the matter? ' change it to  ' John, you look upset to me ."
  8. Break it down. Break tasks down into smaller parts and give them each step sequentially. If possible, give them a checklist to mark off as they do each step. Do NOT expect the children to multitask! Allow them extra time to get it done, but let them finish! It is important to finish one task before going to another. Slow it down. Be aware of communication. ( S. Larkey)
  9. DOES IT MATTER? :  If a child has a sensory problem, a chewing problem or something that requires something different- e.g. different shoes for school uniform ask yourself, in the whole picture.”Does it really matter ? “ It may make life better for all concerned .
  10. Develop a measure in kids speak for ' stress'.. is this a BIG one or little?  Deal with it in the right context.
  11. FIDGIT TOOLS have their place. Choose them well and make sure there are clear guidelines around these. http://suelarkey.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Tip_Sheet_-_Using_Sensory_Toys_to_Improve_Learning_and_Behaviour.pdf
Resources:
Tells about good apps to help with children, great links and a lot of other information. Very user friendly.


Bill Nayson talks , answers and gives hope and ideas for people dealing with autism in its different forms. No hidden agendas, a very grounding page .
A great resource with lots of tip sheets .
http://marglnz.weebly.com  My report, website and links

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