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REINFORCEMENT
The quicker the reinforcement is given after a student with ASD has completed a teacher-requested activity, the more powerful the reinforcer will be.

USING PICTURE CUES
Sequences of the lesson and day

https://www.australiancurriculumlessons.com.au/2013/07/09/inclusion-strategies-for-students-with-autism-spectrum-disorders/

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In this brief video, autism teacher Maureen Ostrander talks about some of the measures in place at her school to support students with autism, including providing a mini-lesson about autism to all the students in the school. . About the video
Download video (Right-click or option-click)

Legislative mandates such as No Child Left Behind and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act require that students with disabilities not only be exposed to the general education curriculum, but demonstrate progress in it as well. This includes students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that one in 110 children are diagnosed with ASD. As a result, more students with ASD are being included in the general education setting, and teachers are faced with the task of determining strategies that will help students with ASD succeed in the classroom. Although the task may seem daunting to teachers, students with ASD can and do learn.The first critical step in this process is to understand the unique characteristics of ASD.

Characteristics

Symptoms of ASD range in severity, which is why it is referred to as a "spectrum." ASD is an umbrella term for students diagnosed with any of a variety of disorders, including:

Autism

A neurological disorder that typically appears before the age of three which impacts development in social and communication skills.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)

Also called "atypical autism," PDD-NOS is very similar to autism. The difference is that only some (but not all) of the criteria associated with autism are present.

Asperger Syndrome

The highest functioning sub-category; children with Asperger Syndrome usually do not have language delays, but struggle with social interactions and obsessions.

Rett Disorder

Found only in girls; children begin developing on target but later lose communication skills.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Similar to autism, but appears at an earlier age with a more dramatic loss of skills and a greater chance of having intellectual disabilities.

Intelligence quotients range from having a severe intellectual disability to being gifted. Although the range encompasses a wide spectrum of abilities, all five sub-categories cause impairments in social, communication, and behavioral skills. Below is a list of impairments for each domain.

SOCIAL

Social cues: Children may have difficulty understanding social cues and reading others' nonverbal gestures.

Sharing: Children may display problems with sharing or waiting for a turn during a game.

Eye contact: When having a conversation, children may not look directly into the eyes of the person speaking; this is thought to be a self-regulating strategy to compensate for visual input difficulties.

Social interactions: Children may lack the skills, ability, or understanding to make friends, initiate contact, and maintain social interactions.

Responsiveness: Children may be more interested in "things" than in people, and may lack interest in responding to other children.

COMMUNICATION

Functional language: Children with ASD are often echolalic - repeating what others say.

Verbal language: Forty to forty-five percent of students with ASD are nonverbal.

Reciprocal conversation: Children may have difficulty in the natural "give and take" in a conversation and may talk only of their obsessions.

Imitation and comprehension of language: Children may demonstrate hyperlexia- an above-average ability to read with a below-average ability to understand spoken or written language.

BEHAVIORAL

Unusual obsessions and compulsions: Children may become preoccupied with a single television program or with arranging objects in lines or stacks.

Unusual sensory experiences: Children with ASD may be hypersensitive to touch.

Repetitive use of objects: Stacking or lining up objects, for example, may become a fixation.

Self-injury: This is common in more severe forms of autism. Children may, for example, bite themselves.

Splinter skills: Children may be highly skilled in one area, such as painting.

To round out this brief summary of autism spectrum disorders: About a quarter of children with ASD also have epilepsy; four out of five children with ASD are boys; and girls usually have more severe symptoms. Some children with ASD may have poor motor skills.

General teaching strategies

Although knowing the general characteristics of ASD is helpful, teaching strategies for students with ASD still need to be individualized, and it is important for teachers to realize their expectations of their students. Children with ASD often have visual-spatial strengths. Knowing this, teachers can modify their instructional strategies in a number of ways. First, teachers should demonstrate and model expected skills. For example, if the teacher wants a student with ASD to place his book bag in his cubby when he gets to class in the morning, the teacher should demonstrate exactly how to do this.

Next, teachers should provide visual schedules of the day's events in a location easily seen by the student. (Wisconsin's Cooperative Educational Service Agency offers a useful page on visual schedules.) A visual schedule can be written out and paired with picture symbols to increase understanding. A teacher can also provide individual student schedules attached to the student's desk for accessibility. Both types of schedules can be created using Boardmaker, a program that pairs text with picture symbols, which can often be acquired from the school's speech pathologist.

Slideshow: Visual Communication Supports for Students With Autism

This slideshow shares examples of picture symbols and discusses how they might be used to facilitate communication with students with autism.

Additionally, teachers should work to make eye contact with the student and expect to acquire the student's attention. This can be challenging because students with ASD may have difficulty maintaining eye contact due to difficulties with modulating visual input. Close proximity with a verbal reminder - a gentle, "Josh, look at me" - can work well. However, even if the student is not looking directly at the teacher, the teacher should know that he or she may still be listening. Checking frequently for understanding can give the teacher assurance that the student is, in fact, paying attention.

Teachers can adopt other strategies to increase motivation in students with ASD, such as allowing short breaks between teaching sessions and providing time for the student to be alone if needed.

REINFORCEMENT

Reinforcement is another crucial strategy in developing and maintaining motivation in a student with ASD. A reinforcer is an object or activity that the student likes, which can be presented after a behavior to increase the frequency of that behavior in the future.Teachers may reinforce a non-preferred activity with a preferred activity, contingent upon task completion. For example, if a student has difficulty maintaining focus on a math assignment (non-preferred activity), she can spend five minutes using the computer (preferred activity) after completing her math work.

In order for reinforcement to work, a teacher must know a student's preferred reinforcers. As a result, conducting a preferred reinforcer assessment prior to teaching the student with ASD is very important. If the student is unable to verbalize his preferred reinforcers, the child's parent or other caregiver could provide this information. Alternatively, the teacher can determine preferred reinforcers for the student by presenting one or more objects or activities contingent on the desired behavior (such as the student's completion of a math assignment) and examining their effectiveness on increasing that behavior in the future. In other words, does giving the student time to work on the computer after completing the math assignment increase the student's motivation to complete another math assignment in the future? If not, then the computer is not a reinforcer.

The quicker the reinforcement is given after a student with ASD has completed a teacher-requested activity, the more powerful the reinforcer will be. If a teacher waits for two hours before delivering reinforcement for a completed activity, the student with ASD might not make the connection.

Academic modifications for the inclusive classroom

Students with ASD will more than likely need to have some form of academic modification while in their general education class, regardless of intellectual ability. Issues with fine-motor deficits (e.g., grasping a pencil to write) and motivation (e.g., attending to heavy workloads in some subjects) are among some of the areas that may require modifications.

There are numerous ways for teachers to modify activities and materials to meet the needs of students with ASD. In many cases, modifications that are appropriate for students with learning disabilities can also be useful for students with ASD. For example, adjusting the number of items that the student must complete can be helpful, such as requiring the student to complete only the even numbers on a math activity. This helps maintain the student's attention without overwhelming her, while giving the teacher enough data to determine if the student has mastered the skill.

The time allowed for completing assignments can also be adjusted, giving extra time if needed to accommodate fine-motor deficits. Teachers can also increase the level of support that the student with ASD receives during a lesson, such as peer or paraprofessional support during math instruction. Another useful modification is varying the response modes for the student. For example, a student who struggles with writing may be allowed to type responses or verbally answer questions.

Modifying the student's environment so that he or she can learn successfully is another consideration. The location of the student's desk and materials is important. The desk should be as close to the teacher as possible and should face the front of the room. A quiet zone in the classroom is helpful when the student becomes "overloaded" with stimuli. Sensory materials, like a bean bag or stress ball, and sensory-blocking materials, like earplugs or earphones, can increase the student's level of engagement by occupying or isolating a particular sense. Some students with ASD do not tolerate noise very well, so having the option for the student to request using the quiet zone with earplugs may calm the student if he's feeling overloaded.

Socialization strategies

Teaching social skills to students with ASD is extremely important, and is beneficial not only for the student but for classmates as well. Classmates have been known to "benefit from their experiences with students with ASD, developing a compassion for and an understanding of children with special needs. Their self-esteem is boosted by the positive role they take in helping a friend with autism learn."

Teachers should always supervise social interactions, and can offer valuable support by providing specific social rules and reinforcing positive social interactions. This can be done by posting specific social rules easily visible and understandable by all students, and reviewed periodically with the class. Teachers should recognize that a student with ASD may want to interact, but may not know how. Helping the student change topics of the conversation when necessary, rehearsing strategies for social interactions, and using classmates as peer models (e.g., video modeling of a desired social skill) are notable strategies, as well as providing "scripts" of what the student should do in particular social situations.

Social stories are short stories, written from a child's perspective, that describe appropriate behavior in particular social situations. Social stories can be used to teach social skills to students with ASD who may have difficulty understanding how to behave in certain circumstances. Examples of social stories can be seen in the following documents.

Social story: Everybody needs help

Document by Carrie Elam

Open as PDF (37 KB, 1 page)

Social story: Sitting on the carpet

Document by Carrie Elam

Open as PDF (38 KB, 1 page)

Social story: Showing interest in my friends

Document by Carrie Elam

Open as PDF (42 KB, 1 page)

It is also important to consider the preparation of classmates in understanding the student with ASD. Reading a book to the class is a great way to help students learn more about ASD and their classmate. (One recommendation for younger students is Since We're Friends: An Autism Picture Book.) Some regional organizations, such as the Autism Society of North Carolina, provide speakers to visit classrooms to talk about ASD.

Communication strategies

The first and most critical element of developing strategies to support communication in a student with ASD is teacher knowledge. Teachers must begin with an awareness of the student's communication abilities. It may be helpful to remember that every behavior is an attempt at communication. If the student has no functional language or is nonverbal, it is imperative that teachers use nonverbal communication - such as pairing gestures with speech, or pointing to the science textbook in the student's desk while asking students to get out their science textbooks.

Video: Using Picture Cues to Communicate

In this brief video, speech-language pathologist Carrie Elam uses picture symbols to communicate with a student with autism during a painting project in art class.

Teachers should try to determine communicative attempts displayed by the student's behavior. For example, if a nonverbal student with ASD screams halfway through literacy instruction and the teacher allows the student to stop the activity, that student has successfully "escaped" the undesired activity by screaming. An alternative scenario might involve the teacher instructing the student to communicate needing a break by handing the teacher a picture symbol for "break" - however, the teacher should always have the student return to the activity after taking a break to ensure that the student does not use "break" to escape the activity. Reinforcing the correct behavior (asking for "break" appropriately) and ignoring inappropriate behavior (screaming) can be a successful strategy.

When it's difficult to determine the function of a student's behavior, a teacher may benefit from using a behavior plan that indicates the use of an A-B-C form. An A-B-C form provides a format for teachers to write down the Antecedent - what happened directly before the behavior, the Behavior - what the student specifically did, and the C onsequence - what happened directly after the behavior that maintained the behavior. The following document is an example of an A-B-C form:

Sample A-B-C form

Open as PDF (46 KB, 1 page)

Additionally, teachers should use concrete language to eliminate abstract concepts. Many individuals with ASD are quite literal and may misunderstand abstract sayings. For example, if a teacher comments on the weather by saying, "It is raining cats and dogs out there," the student with ASD may be very confused as to whether that is possible!

Strategies for managing obsessions and compulsions

Consistency and routines are extremely important to most individuals with ASD; anxiety issues play a big role in this need. As a result, teachers should prepare and explain any changes to the daily routine. For example, an assembly at school one day would prompt the teacher to put either a picture symbol or text on the schedule to reflect the change in routine. A few minutes before the transition, the teacher would give a verbal (and/or visual) reminder of the upcoming event. These approaches would lower the potential for anxiety for the student with ASD.

Students with ASD often have unusual - and frequently narrow - interests, which they pursue obsessively. This can be addressed by teaching choice-making skills, using repeated short intervals of time when introducing new activities, and reinforcing any correct displays of behavior. Building on learning experiences in small reasonable steps, progressing at the rate of the student's response to new activities, and incorporating reinforcement will increase the likelihood of success, because these strategies enable change in a student's habits without overwhelming him or her. Consequently, the entire learning experience can become a conditioned reinforcer, which will increase the student's motivation.

Finally, when planning activities, it is imperative that the teacher use age-appropriate materials with students with ASD, just as with all students. Even if the student loves Elmo, the teacher should not incorporate materials or reinforcers involving Elmo if the student is in seventh grade. This would only single out the student in a negative way.

Paraprofessional support

The paraprofessional is vital for the student's success in the general education classroom. Often, the paraprofessional is the school staff member who best knows the student with ASD. However, he or she should not be expected to have the same amount of responsibility as the teacher. The paraprofessional can work with the student in a one-to-one format if feasible, in small-group instruction, and in large-group instruction. He or she should follow and implement all academic modifications made by the teacher, and should promote the daily social interactions of the student with ASD and classmates. Even more importantly, the paraprofessional should be very familiar with the student's behavior plan and implement it consistently; otherwise, the plan will not work. Finally, the paraprofessional (and the teacher) should refrain from using negatives ("No," "Stop that") and instead tell the student directly what he or she wants the student to do. This will ensure that the student is learning the expected behavior.

A note on collaboration

Establishing a strong partnership between home and school is essential to making the inclusion of students with ASD successful. Students with ASD often have difficulty with generalizing a newly learned skill to another environment, so if skills taught at school are not reinforced at home (and vice-versa), the student may be unable to generalize the skills he or she acquires in the classroom. Offering parents a chance to observe a portion of the class can help them visualize strategies explained by the teacher. Teachers, in turn, can consider the home setting before developing behavior plans, and can then train the parents on how to implement the plan to ensure its consistency. The special education teacher and the speech pathologist are both good resources in this collaboration. Finally, knowing parents' goals for their child and including those in the IEP is important. Parents obviously know their child better than anyone, so their input is critical.

Because of the tremendous diversity among students with ASD, there is no "one-size-fits-all" strategy. The attitudes of the teacher and paraprofessional can determine the success - or failure - of the student with ASD in the general education classroom. Teachers who provide appropriate environments, employ proven behavior-management strategies, and welcome students with reasonable but challenging expectations will see that students with ASD can make great gains in socialization, communication, and academic achievement. If educators enthusiastically approach the idea of teaching a student with ASD in their classrooms and are willing to try new methods and use them consistently, the rewards will be worth the hard work.

1. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub.L. No. 107-110, 115 Stat. 1425 (2002). [return]

2. Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, Pub. L. No. 108-446. (2004). [return]

3. "Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available online (retrieved on June 15, 2010). [return]

4. Grandin, T., Thinking in pictures, expanded edition: My life with autism. (New York: Random House, Inc., 2006).[return]

5. Ibid. [return]

6. Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L., Applied behavior analysis (2nd ed.). (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. 2007). [return]

7. Ibid. [return]

8. Wagner, S., Inclusive programming for middle school students with Autism/Asperger's Syndrome. (Arlington, TX: Future Horizons, Inc. 2001). [return]

9. Ibid. [return]

10. "Building our Future: Educating Students on the Autism Spectrum," in Autism Society of America. Availableonline(retrieved on June 15, 2010). [return]

11. Shally, C., Since we're friends: An Autism picture book. (Centeron, AR: Awaken Specialty Press. 2007). [return]

12. Schopler, E., & Mesibov, G. (Eds.). Behavioral issues in autism. (New York: Plenum. 1994). [return]

13. Smith Myles, B. and R. L Simpson, "Effective practices for students with Asperger syndrome," in Focus on Exceptional Children 34:3 (2001). [return]

14. United States Government Accountability Office and United States Congress, House Committee on Government Reform. Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness. Special education : children with autism : report to the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2005. Available online (Retrieved on June 15, 2010). [return]

15. Sherer, M., Pierce, K., Parades, S., Kisacky, K., Ingersoll, B., & Schreibman, L., "Enhancing conversation skills in children with autism via video technology: Which is better, "self" or "other" as a model?" in Behavior Modification 25, 140-158.(2001). [return]

This article courtesy of http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6692

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Australian Curriculum Lessons Admin Account

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Inclusion strategies for students with autism spectrum disorders - Australian Curriculum Lessons

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BY SUSAN FLYNN In this brief video, autism teacher Maureen Ostrander talks about some of the measures in place at her school to support students with autism, including providing a mini-lesson about autism to all the students in the school. .About the video Download video (Right-click or option-click) Legislative mandates such as No Child Left Behind1 and the [...]

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When assessing something that is oral, for students with ASD, you could implement adjustments to the assessment, such as allowing the opportunity to pre-record a video and send it in. Or, in the case of Daniel who is mostly non-verbal, you could provide the adjustment to submit a written component and mark that.
(EducationVic, 2020)

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Diving deeper with strategic questioning.

Asking questions on justifying why Daniel couldn’t complete an objective (e.g., wouldn’t contribute to a question)

Unsolved Problem #1: e.g., wouldn’t contribute to a question.

Communicate first: understanding the teacher is going to talk first (provide distraction material, like food or in Daniela case a car) *taking the lead.

The student identifies his concerns. (E.g., stressed out on answering question so started to have repetitive movement, like rocking in chair)

The teacher identifies their concerns.

Teacher & student coming to an agreement to solve issue.

Implementation this into a group activity to see if this helped solve the problem.

Work on this to build confidence emotionally and physically with future peers.

https://livesinthebalance.org/educators-schools/

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HELPING YOUR MOST DIFFICULT STUDENTS STARTS HERE

As an educator, you probably recognize that punitive, exclusionary discipline helps no one. Fortunately, there is an evidence-based, compassionate alternative. The Guided Tour is going to take you through the three components of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model, as described in Dr. Ross Greene's books Lost at School and Lost & Found. The model has dramatically reduced discipline referrals, detentions, suspensions, restraint, and seclusion in lots of schools. Through audio programming and demonstration videos, we'll walk you through the basics of the CPS model and help you fundamentally change how you go about dealing with concerning behaviors in your school and classroom. Your role is going to change: you won't be in the "behavior modification" business anymore, you'll be in the problem solving business instead.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As an educator, you probably recognize that punitive, exclusionary discipline helps no one. Fortunately, there is an evidence-based, compassionate alternative. The Guided Tour is going to take you through the three components of the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS) model, as described in Dr. Ross Greene's books Lost at School and Lost & Found.

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Other ways in which Daniel can communicate

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Other ways in which Daniel can communicate

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Non-verbal methods: gesture, facial, expression, eye contact, etc.

https://thespectrum.org.au/autism-strategy/autism-strategy-communication/

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It may be true that I'm not good at eye contact or conversation, but have you noticed that I don't lie, cheat at games, tattle on my classmates or pass judgment on other people?
- Ellen Notbohm, author of international bestseller 'Ten Things Every Child With Autism Wishes You Knew'

How do people on the autism spectrum communicate?

How autistic people on the spectrum communicate is as varied as the experience of autism itself.

Communication is the exchange of information including ideas, needs, desires and feelings. Communication can also be made in written form and includes reading and writing.

One of the core criteria for autism is defined as persistent difficulty with social communication and social interaction.

Many children on the autism spectrum have a difference in their development of speech and language. For some, speech and language may be delayed, disordered or may not develop.

An absence of being able to understand language and express language using words and phrases may be the first indicator that an individual is suspected of having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Communication also includes the understanding and use of non-verbal communicative behaviours (eg. eye-contact, and body-use, including personal space as well as gestures).

Types of communication include:

Language: The way we represent information - what words mean and how we put them together.
Receptive - the understanding of language
Expressive - the use of language

Speech: A verbal means of communicating - using sounds to make words.

Non-verbal methods: gesture, facial, expression, eye contact, etc.

Pragmatics: The way in which individuals use language in social situations. It includes following the 'unspoken' rules of conversations including turn-taking.

Some people on the autism spectrum might find it hard to hold a conversation, or even start one. They can also have difficulty understanding facial expressions and inferring communicative intent based on context.

If you're on the autism spectrum and are good at talking, you generally take things literally and mean what you say. You may have been told that you are always very honest. It also may mean that you find it confusing when people use language to hide their feelings or use language in a way that doesn't make their meaning clear.

You might also be great at talking about your favourite topics, enthusiastically sharing lots of detailed information, or pointing out things that neurotypical people might not notice.

There are, of course, challenges for people on the autism spectrum when it comes to communication. These can be minimal - like learning to recognise social cues - or impact significantly, making all forms of communication challenging.

People with autism can also find it hard to filter out less important information and can become overwhelmed if too much information is presented. 'Sensory overload' can even happen through eye contact, which is why many people on the spectrum don't like to make or hold eye contact with others.

And even those who are good at communicating can miss the unspoken aspects of conversation, which can make the world a confusing and isolating place.

How does autism impact communication?

All people with autism experience 'differences' in communication, but the impact of these differences in everyday life varies.

According to Speech Pathology Australia, some children with autism achieve their preschool speech and language milestones, only to be identified as having autism when they start school where the social-communication demands increase.

These children may talk fluently but have significant difficulty with the social aspects of language, such as knowing how to initiate and maintain a conversation, and understanding meaning from other people's body language.

For other children, 'differences' in communication are clearly seen early in life, with children not learning to talk without additional support.

Here are some communication characteristics used to help diagnose autism:

Young children (up to six years)

May be delayed in babbling and using words, may talk less or use speech in a repetitive way. This can include the use of learned phrases or scripts. They may also be slow to respond to their name, or not respond at all, and be unresponsive to social smiling. Some children with autism have difficulty using facial expressions and gestures to communicate. They may be fixated on their own interests and show little ability to share their interests with others.
Learn more

Older children and teenagers (6-16 years)

Communication can be characterised by very limited use of language or they may use it excessively, they may have a 'flat' tone to their voice and repeat certain phrases over and over. They might talk 'at' others rather than having a 'back and forth' conversation, or talk mostly about their topics of interest. In interactions with others, they may not understand facial expressions and non-verbal cues, have difficulty with small talk and have a limited range of responses in social situations. They may also find it difficult to use gestures, facial expressions and eye contact when talking to others.
Learn more

Adults (17 years and over)

Are often similar to teenagers and have difficulty engaging in 'small talk'. People with autism can have a disordered pattern to acquiring language skills. While some individuals develop language and are able to use this independently, others may not develop functional communication and some may not ever verbally communicate.
Learn more

Years before doctors informed me of my high-functioning autism and the disconnect it causes between person and language, I had to figure out the world as best I could. I was a misfit. The world was made up of words. But I thought and felt and sometimes dreamed in a private language of numbers.
- Daniel Tammett, author of Born on a Blue Day about his life with Asperger's syndrome.

There is strong evidence for the benefits of early intervention, beginning as early as possible in the child's life.

There are many therapies designed specifically to build communication and interaction skills. Speech Therapists and Pathologists are the key professionals to assist with assessment and intervention of communication (and swallowing) delays and disorders.

It's important to note that while being delayed to develop speech and language is a common trait of autism, not all children who have delays or difficulties with non-verbal communication are autistic.

An autism diagnosis takes into consideration many other criteria. However, if you are concerned about this don't 'wait and see'. Speak with Speech Pathology Australia on 1300 368 835 or a Speech Pathologist in your area: through local community health centres and not-for-profit organisations, or by calling private practices.

Communication challenges

Communication is not just talking. There are many visual and other cues that help us understand what another person is saying. So, it's not just what someone says that helps us understand them, but how they say it, their facial expression, body language, gestures, eye contact and the context they're saying it in.

People on the autism spectrum have difficulty processing non-verbal cues or may also use non-verbal communicative methods themselves. This means they might not hold eye contact or use body language in expected ways, they may misunderstand or misuse gestures or have a lack of, or different, facial expressions, which can make their social interactions challenging and sometimes confusing.

Echolalia

Many individuals on the spectrum use echolalia, which means they repeat words or phrases over and over, often using them without meaning or using them in an unusual context.

They might repeat the words of familiar people (parents, teachers), or they might repeat sentences from their favourite video.

Individuals may demonstrate immediate echolalia (a repetition of words or phrases straight after they hear them) and delayed echolalia (repeating words and phrases at a later time).

According to The Hanen Centre, there are many reasons an individual might use echolalia for a communicative purpose:

To ask for things - a child might say "Do you want a cookie?" to ask for a cookie, as he's heard others offer cookies this way before.

To start an interaction or keep it going - a child might initiate a game of Hide and Seek by saying a line from the game, like "Ready or not, here I come!".

To draw someone's attention to something - a child might draw attention to something he's noticed by using a line he's heard before to draw attention to something else, like "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!".

To protest something - if a child imitates "You don't want to wear those pants?" as his parent is getting out his clothes, he might really mean "I don't want to wear those pants".

To answer yes - if a child imitates "Do you want some yogurt?" right after he's been asked that question, he may actually want some yogurt and really mean "yes".

Autism communication strategies

There are a lot of tools that can help people on the spectrum develop their language and communication skills.

A Speech Therapist or Pathologist is the lead professional in the assessment of an individual's understanding and use of language, and can provide information about you or your child's level of language development. They can also provide support planning for intervention, and advise of which strategies can be best use to support the development of communicative skills.

Visual supports

Visual supports are tools that help communicate and build language skills. This can incorporate the use of symbols, photos, written words and objects to help people with autism to learn and understand language, process information and communicate.

Many people on the autism spectrum respond well to visual information and visual information can be processed and referred to over time, whereas spoken communication is instant and disappears quickly.

Visuals can involve communication books or boards that use images and/or words on cards to help the individual learn the word and its meaning. The individual can point to the image when they want to communicate. For example, if they are hungry, they can point to an image of food. As the child learns more symbols and words, they can use them to create sentences and to answer questions. Others can also use them to communicate with the child. The Picture Exchange Communication System can be used in the development of intentional and functional communication. Other forms of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) are discussed below.

Another autism communication support tool is known as a visual or picture schedule. This helps individuals learn the steps of a routine, like getting ready for bed. A series of pictures shows the steps in order and over time they learn each step.

Visual schedules can also be used to show a person on the spectrum what is happening next or show when there is a change in routine. As people on the spectrum generally don't like change, this can help them prepare for a change and cope with it more easily. This enables the language surrounding change to be more easily understood and allow individuals to refer back to schedules throughout the task and throughout their day.

Augmentative and alternative communication

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), helps individuals who cannot talk or are very hard to understand. AAC can be used across all environments and at all times, it's not only for use in therapy. AAC includes:

Sign language

Gestures

Pictures, photos, objects, or videos

Written words

Computers, tablets, or other electronic devices

AAC can help many individuals with autism and can even assist with developing spoken communication.

There are two main types of AAC:

1. Unaided AAC: Unaided AAC systems use hand signs and gestures, either with speech or on their own. Hand signing, such as Key Word Sign, is a form of sign language that can be used to assist with speech. It works by making the sign for a particular word, along with the sound and picture.

2. Aided AAC: Aided AAC systems can be low or high-tech.

Low-tech autism communication strategy - these are usually paper-based and include visual supports like cards and picture books, photos and communication boards. This also includes hand signs. Basically, any tool that isn't electronic is considered low-tech.

High-tech autism communication strategy - there are a range of electronic communication aids. These range from apps you can use on a smartphone or tablet to sophisticated computer systems and hand-held speech generating devices.

Speech generation devices either play pre-recorded words via a switch or button, or sound out text that is typed into them. Using the previous example, a child who is hungry can press the 'food' picture button and the device will say, 'I want to eat'.

While these tools can be used to replace speech, they can also be used to help people develop speech. They do this by helping people to recognise sound patterns and can be used with visual aids to build language skills.

These systems can also help children learn words as they begin to associate the sound and picture with each other. They also help by slowing down communication, giving the child more time to process the information and avoid becoming overloaded.

How to support successful communication with people on the spectrum

DO THIS

Be aware of your communication style and how much spoken language you use. Modify your language if you feel that the individual has not understood, e.g., use clear, simplified instructions, or provide additional processing time before repeating an instruction/ direction

Support individuals to take turns in conversation, or provide additional question prompts if you have misunderstood their message.

Be specific with questions you ask and support understanding of what is not explicitly stated (e.g., making inferences). Change communication to match context or the needs of the listener (e.g. talking differently to a child than to an adult).

Provide specific descriptions of objects/ items
When asking them to do something, break it into 'first this, then that' steps and provide instructions in chronological order. 'First put your shoes on, then pick up your bag'.

Use pictures and written information to compliment instructions/ directions/ conversation/ spoken language.

Communicate with the individual regardless of whether or they are demonstrating inappropriate eye contact and body language

Recognise that repetitive behaviours such as rocking, or flapping, may be used to convey how an individual is feeling, e.g., anxious or excited

Use visuals/ social stories/ social scripts/ visual schedules to support an individual to cope/ adjust to changes in routine.

Provide access to rewards, motivators, or reinforcers after engagement in structured tasks.

AVOID THIS

Using nonliteral or ambiguous meanings of language (e.g., idioms, humour, metaphors, or multiple meanings that depend on the context for interpretation).

Using open ended or rhetorical questions: how are you feeling?

Asking questions that have multiple meanings or multiple responses, and are context dependent.

Using vague or conceptual descriptions - e.g. "he was salty" rather than "he was angry"

Multi-step verbal instructions/ directions particularly when the environment is noisy/ busy or when the individual appears distracted

Ignoring the individual or excluding them from conversations even if they are demonstrating difficulties with non-verbal communication (eye-contact, gestures and body language)

Asking the individual to stop behaviours such as flapping, rocking, or spinning.

Surprises and changing routines without forewarning or appropriate supports to cope with change.

Inhibiting the individual access to preferred activities after engagement in structured tasks or interaction.

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Information about autism communication strategies to help you or your child with common communication challenges relating to the autism spectrum.

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teach students the difference between 'balanced' and 'unbalanced' communication

https://www.attainmentcompany.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/926/

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Reducing unnecessary environmental stimuli.

Pairing autistic students with positive peer role models.

Maintaining structure and routine.

Encouraging a calm and positive environment in the classroom.

Use visual aids

Use concrete language

Be predictable

Teach social skills directly : discuss appropriate behaviour in easy to understand ways

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Daniel is sensitive to loud sounds, hence the learning environment needs to be maintained at a suitable noise level

Strategies to manage classroom noise level:
- choose a secret behaviour representative
- use visual cues

https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/controlling-classroom-noise

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Talkative students and loud classrooms challenge all teachers at some point, especially when disruptive or clowning behaviors are present. Over the years, we've gathered numerous tips from expert teachers on how they keep classrooms quiet and productive. Read on for some of our favorites.

Dealing with Chatter and Clowning

What's behind all the chatter and clowning around in your classroom? You need to find out. When you know what's behind the misbehavior, you can take steps to address it and to provide opportunities for teaching appropriate ways of talking and using humor. Here are some ways you can help students rein in inappropriate behavior and focus on schoolwork:

At the beginning of the year, make sure one of your classroom rules about respect is: When someone is speaking, show respect by listening.

At the beginning of class, let students know if they will have time to work and talk with others.

Structure learning activities that give students opportunities to talk-and listen-to their peers.

While students are doing a group activity, walk around and give feedback or attention to those who need it.

Give each student time in front of the class-giving a speech or demonstration of a hobby, for instance, or solving a problem or reciting a favorite poem or comedy routine.

Set up times to listen to individual students.

Discuss the chatter and clowning around with them as a group. Be prepared to guide the discussion, but listen to their concerns about disruptions in the classroom and solicit their solutions.

Talk with individual students who continue to have difficulty with inappropriate talking. Make contracts with them, if needed.

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Talkative students and loud classrooms challenge all teachers at some point, especially when disruptive or clowning behaviors are present. Over the years, we've gathered numerous tips from expert teachers on how they keep classrooms quiet and productive. Read on for some of our favorites. What's behind all the chatter and clowning around in your classroom?

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S: Daniel will learn how to communicate, collaborate and contribute ideas with a peer through supported typing and digital communication forums.

M: Measured through response to formative assessment, observations and diagnostic questions.

A: This goal is achievable as Daniel has demonstrated an ability to type, respond to questions and communicate via technology previously. This is assessable through:

- Homework: conversations with parents about school day
- (how your day questionnaire will be provided to parents)
- This allows the teacher to collect and analyze responses, track progress and establish difficulties.

- Response to questions: is student able to initiate conversation independently, complexity of answers, flow of the conversation (posing questions and responding)

R: It has been noted Daniel prefers to play alone and rarely engages with his peers. It is important Daniel feels accepted by his peers and is able to form and maintain friendships as this will affect his overall health and wellbeing.

T: The improvement of Daniel's communication skills will be ongoing, however this specific goal, to be achieved through digital collaboration with a peer, will occur over the course of one term (one unit of work)

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Children with ASD often seem to exist in a private world.
Limited ability to successfully communicate and interact with others.
Difficulty developing language skills and understanding what others say to them.
Difficulty communicating non-verbally - hand gestures, eye contact, and facial gestures.

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Daniel currently prefers to play alone, this goal aims to help him create and maintain friendships/participate in group settings

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Overarching Goal 1: Improve Social Skills/Participation 

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Overarching Goal 1: Improve Social Skills/Participation 

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First SMART Goal:
- Work with a partner for 2 mins for 4 lessons to answer questions. Both students will type as a form of communicating (Daniel likes working with the iPad and supported typing)

Strategic pairing:
- Pair with a student that has a similar interest