How to Teach the Learner with ASD

• Learners with ASD are a diverse population, requiring individualized assessment and sometimes specialized skills (e.g., applied behavior analysis, systematic instruction, knowledge of evidence-based practices).
• These students’ experiences in typical academic environments are strongly marked by confusion regarding social interactions, classroom routines, and academic expectations.
• They often do not learn efficiently from naturalistic experiences (e.g., watching others, trial and error). They may have trouble with language-intensive teaching modalities (e.g., group discussion or coaching), which are common in most classrooms.
• More than most students, they need educators to provide motivation for them to engage, learn and cooperate in the academic milieu.
• Problem behaviors in the classroom stem from the core features of ASD including social and communication impairments. It is not personal or simply oppositional behavior.
• In general, students with autism require teachers to:
  • Clarify expectations
  • Motivate them to cooperate and engage
  • Explicitly teach social, communication, and other skills

Clarify Expectations

• Adapting the physical environment
  • Visual organization systems for work space (bins; color-coding, etc.)
  • Seating and other ‘geographic’ considerations
  • Quiet space (other spaces in room clearly demarcated)

• Visual supports for routines and instruction (these are helpful and often critical, even with students who are verbally competent)
  • Visual schedules, adapted to the learner’s level to provide information about the routine and transitions
  • Timers or other means for signaling the precise duration of less-preferred activities.
  • Written or picture-based task lists, adapted directions and checklists
  • Visual cues for positive or corrective feedback
  • Graphic organizers

Motivate Students to Cooperate and Engage

• One cannot rely too much on natural rewards
  • praise
  • pride in accomplishment
  • peer acceptance
• Artificial rewards may be needed
  • favorite toys
  • computer time
  • other fun activities
• Preclude discouragement by shortening tasks or presenting them in smaller chunks (with frequent feedback)
• When making an assignment, make sure that the student understands how much or how long the work will take
• Use the schedule (daily, weekly or monthly) to visually highlight the timetable of preferred activities
• Use visually mediated reward systems (score cards to help keep track of how long and how much work is required until payday)
• The Premack principle (Grandma’s law)
• Contracts
• Behavior management strategies: fidelity to behavior plan

Explicitly Teach

• Common weaknesses in vital skills
  • Social skills that may need to be taught
    • Waiting/taking turns
    • Greeting others
    • Raising a hand and waiting to be called on
    • Cooperative play
  • Communication skills that may need to be taught
    • Gaining a listener’s attention
    • Reciprocal conversation skills (taking turns, staying on topic, etc.)
    • Asking for help, a break, or what they need before becoming too upset to ask
• Common modifications to instruction:
  • Arrange many ‘trials’ (opportunities for instruction)
  • Teach for generalization
  • Teach for independence
  • Break complex tasks down into steps
  • Develop strategies for signaling transitions and announcing unanticipated events
  • Use of concise, truncated instructions when introducing new concepts or new applications of learned concepts
  • Most often, less talking is better when a student is frustrated or upset
• Instructional Interventions that are often beneficial:
  • Social scripting or video modeling
  • Self-monitoring/self-management
  • Peer-mediated instruction
  • Task-analyzing

Helpful Links

• Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
• Delaware Autism Program 
• Autism Delaware