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Best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism & Asperger Syndrome in Schools

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A best Practice Guide to Assessment and Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools provides a pr...

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Help children develop strong social skills.

Learning how to interact with other children is an important part of a child's education. Unfortunately, not every child will form an early ability to assert herself or feel comfortable in her own skin. Teachers and parents can use a variety of activities to improve children's social skills. Help kids become comfortable in social and classroom settings.

Manners

Show children how to express gratitude, deliver an apology or make a request. This is a fundamental and practical activity to help children improve their social skills. Saying "please" and "thank you" to peers and adults is a gentle and positive way to teach children good interaction skills. Manners are a valuable way of meeting people--receiving positive responses will help children feel more comfortable in social situations. Encourage these pleasantries early and frequently, as an everyday social activity.

Music

Music is a natural social bond, and children are not immune to its charms. Select songs for a group of children to encourage everyone's participation, even the most shy. Try to find a song that will appeal to everyone--consider using silly and lively songs.

Give the children copies of the song lyrics until they can remember the words. Try The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" or "All Together Now," for example. Place the children in a circle or facing one another so they can all observe each other having fun and finding common ground in song and laughter. In addition to improving children's social skills, this also works well as an educational activity. Use songs to teach children math skills, grammar rules or the names of the 50 states (see Resources).

Strong Characters

Encourage role-playing. Have children--especially the more introverted kids--play strong characters and assert themselves. This activity gives children permission to step outside of the shy roles they may have assigned themselves. Let them know they can be silly and over the top while still being polite. A parent or teacher also can play along and coax a shy child into participating by asking the child questions she will feel confident answering.

For instance, young girls may be able to identify with Ella--based on Cinderella--from Gail Carson Levine's "Ella Enchanted." Ella defiantly fights against a childhood curse of obedience. Ella's character symbolizes the struggle to overcome social obstacles, even those that are self-imposed. Young boys can pretend to be Harry Potter, who gains strength from his personal growth throughout J.K. Rowling's series. He overcomes his feelings of vulnerability and introversion and learns to stand up for himself and his friends.

Make the role-playing exercise transparent. Help the children understand they need to work on improving their social skills. Ask a child to be assertive, authoritative, outgoing or funny as you approach him as a potential friend. Assure the child that it is not always important to say "the right thing," but instead to be himself. Urge children to have fun when meeting new people. Remind them that positive social situations stem from being honest, engaged and confident--not from being perfect.

Extracurricular Activities

The classroom experience, which focuses mainly on education, may not provide enough social interaction. Social organizations for children are abundant. Extracurricular activities give children a view of the world outside of their family and classroom. Give children a chance to experience a larger social environment.

Choose a group that fits your child's personality and interests. Athletic children may enjoy joining a sports team, such as soccer, football, basketball or softball. Children also may enjoy joining the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H Club or Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In addition to improving children's social skills, such groups can teach members how to work together, do their best and become responsible, caring individuals.

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Activities to Improve Children's Social Skills | Synonym

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Help children develop strong social skills. Learning how to interact with other children is an important part of a child's education. Unfortunately, not every child will form an early ability to assert herself or feel comfortable in her own skin. Teachers and parents can use a variety of activities to improve children's social skills.

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If your assumptions about autism come from popular culture, you may not have the full picture.

Stereotypes don't fit people with autism any better than they fit the rest of us. When we talk about autism spectrum disorders (ASD), spectrum is an important word. ASD covers a wide range of conditions and characteristics. The people who live with those conditions have traits and personalities as different as you are from your neighbors, friends and family.

All people with autism are alike

Fiction. Individuals with autism are just that - individuals, each with personal strengths and challenges. There is a saying in the community: If you have met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism.

"People on the autism spectrum absolutely have feelings and can be hurt, even if they perceive the world differently."

Thomas Frazier II, PhD

Director, Center for Pediatric Behavioral Health, Center for Autism

People with autism don't get hurt feelings

Fiction. People on the autism spectrum absolutely have feelings and can be hurt, even if they perceive the world differently. This myth stems from the difficulty many have expressing their feelings in a way that makes sense to others.

All people with autism have restricted interests or repetitive behaviors

Fact. To receive a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, people must show repetitive or ritualistic behavior or have restricted interests that impair social functioning. Some of these are relatively harmless, such as waving arms, turning in circles or repeating certain noises. Others, such as repetitive head banging, can be dangerous.

Autism comes with hidden or exceptional talents

Mostly fiction. A small percentage of people with ASD have exceptional talents that only a few people in the world can claim. Many have what we call "splinter skills." These specific thinking skills are much sharper than their other abilities. For example, a person with autism may have strong skills in math but have difficulty with communication.

People with autism cannot lead independent, successful lives

Fiction. In truth, prognosis varies greatly from person to person. However, some individuals with an ASD live independently and find success in careers and personal lives.

Individuals with an ASD have trouble holding conversations

Fact. Conversations and the subtleties of language present challenges for many people with autism. Just how big that challenge is depends on the person's level of ability, or where they fall on the spectrum.

Individuals with autism prefer to be alone

Fiction. Some do and some don't, but that is true of the typical population too. High-functioning individuals with an ASD may feel sadness and despair if they are isolated from family and others important to them. They often need support and understanding in their social interactions, but a rich social life can be both beneficial and enjoyable for them.

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Contributor: Thomas Frazier, II, PhD Advertising Policy Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy If your assumptions about autism come from popular culture, you may not have the full picture.

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Three-year-old Danny regularly eats only a few foods. To make matters worse, he has great difficulty even touching most foods, especially food covered with a sauce. His mom began the Baby Bite Steps, outlined in my book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater. After only a few weeks with the Baby Bite Steps, he was eating numerous foods which he previously rejected. One benefit of the Baby Bite Steps is that parents make a Preferred Food list for their picky child. It became evident that Danny was avoiding all foods with sauces. Multi-sensory learning is vital especially for picky eaters. Danny was encouraged to touch foods with sauces, even if he wouldn't eat them.

His mom didn't rush to clean off his fingers, but she talked about the various textures with him. She offered lots of positive reinforcement and praised him every time he complied with her request to touch new foods, especially foods in a sauce.

Because Danny had such difficulty in touching gooey foods, his mom made it a point to have him experience various textures while playing: finger painting, gluing paper objects, and making edible play dough. These activities use the hands as tools and eliminate any pressure of having to eat something with a gooey texture. A plus for any child is that these are fun activities.

Once touching sticky sauce-like substances is no longer difficult when playing, then touching and eating food with sauces won't seem unpleasant.
Involve your child in multi-sensory culinary experiences.
Happy Pancakes are easy and fun to make for breakfast!
Danny's mom noticed he had other difficulties surrounding tactile issues and she eventually had him tested by an Occupational Therapist. Danny had Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD, a neurological problem. It's believed approximately 5 percent of children are found to have some level of SPD. The therapy is to integrate sensory-rich activities in a positive environment.

Children with SPD may have difficulty with motor coordination (either gross or fine). Perhaps they'll refuse to walk barefoot in the sand or on the grass.

There can be huge issues surrounding teeth brushing, getting hands dirty, and they may dislike having their head touched when brushing, washing and drying their hair. Sometimes the texture of some clothing and labels overly irritate the child with SPD.

If you see a link between other tactile issues and avoidance of foods with a certain texture, a child may be exhibiting sensitivity defensiveness. It's wise to ask your pediatrician about having an evaluation for SPD by an occupational therapist.

Not all picky eaters have SPD, but most children with SPD are picky eaters, because of their over-responsiveness to tactile sensations. They many times will eat a limited number of foods, and may completely avoid certain textures and food groups. Of course this may impact their overall health.

The Baby Bite Steps uses positive reinforcement, while engaging a picky eater in directed-play. This conditions a positive response to various food textures. Adjust your timetable for kids with SPD. Consistency and praising your child for small steps are even more vital for the "out-of-sync" child.

Although not an official diagnosis, some like Dr. Jacquelyn McCandless, place SPD as a part of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is a broad category, including diagnosis from Sensory Processing Disorder to Attention Deficit Disorder to Autism to Aspergers Disorder. One constant is that these children are usually picky eaters, preferring the very foods that make their problems worse.

Parents of children with SPD have seen remarkable improvement using the Baby Bite Steps, especially when combined with improving "gut dysfunction." Jaquelyn McCandless, M.D. says that Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex biomedical illness resulting in "significant brain malnutrition."

There's emerging evidence that, once nutritional concerns have been addressed, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder improve at some level. While the nutritional treatment will vary, there seems to be agreement that all children with Autism Spectrum Disorder improve with diets free from refined sugar, white flour, and food additives. In addition, they usually benefit from probiotics and cod liver oil. Once Danny began taking both cod liver oil and a probiotic formulated for children, he experienced another giant step toward health.

Click Here for a synopsis of Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

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Three-year-old Danny regularly eats only a few foods. To make matters worse, he has great difficulty even touching most foods, especially food covered with a sauce. His mom began the Baby Bite Steps, outlined in my book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

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Image: Franklin Reyes/Associated Press

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) describes a complex group of brain development disorders characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication and behavior. Often diagnosed at a young age, approximately one in 68 American children is on the autism spectrum. It's a figure 10 times higher than 40 years ago, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Because ASD can vary widely, it's frequently misunderstood, and attitudes toward autism can be misguided. In addition to the many resources geared toward neurotypical people, such as social networks for parents and organizations like Autism Speaks, many autistic individuals and even game developers have created virtual simulations that render common experiences for people with autism - hypersensitivity to sights and sounds among them.

"Increased sensitivity and decreased sensitivity both are common in ASD," Dr. Paul Wang, head of medical research at Autism Speaks, tells Mashable. "In fact, one of the changes in the DSM-5 criteria for ASD is recognition of these issues as a core part of autism."

Wang says these sensory challenges can be very impairing, turning a normally comfortable environment into a struggle for individuals with ASD. The severity of discomfort can range widely: Anything from the cuffs of one's short-sleeve shirt to loud noises to perceptions many of us experience without thinking twice can cause distress.

"It is hard to appreciate what it is like to be in the shoes of someone with ASD," Wang says. "To the extent that these simulations can illustrate how noxious sensory stimulation can be for individuals with ASD, they may help the general population to better understand the difficulty of living with ASD."

Noted autism activist and animal science expert Temple Grandin famously said, "I am different, not less." During Autism Awareness Month, the following simulations help to further that understanding.
Note: Those with epilepsy or who are prone to seizures should not watch these videos. Viewers should also be prepared for increased volumes, which are intended to simulate the intense auditory stimulation associated with ASD.

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5 Autism Simulations to Help You Experience Sensory Overload

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) describes a complex group of brain development disorders characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication and behavior. Often diagnosed at a young age, approximately one in 68 American children is on the autism spectrum. It's a figure 10 times higher than 40 years ago, according to the U.S.

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Understanding Sensory Dysfunction: Learning, Development and Sensory Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Learning Disabilities and Bipolar Disorder By Liz McKendry Anderson, Polly Godwin Emmons

Understanding Sensory Dysfunction is a clear and comprehensive resource to identifying and addressing sensory dysfunction in children, using a range of practical strategies to help them reach their full potential at home, at school and in the community.

The authors explain the causes, contributing factors, symptoms and associated behaviors of sensory dysfunction, particularly when found in conditions such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), ADHD and bipolar disorder. Focusing on early intervention, they provide a host of tried and tested integration activities, assessment and curricular modifications, treatment options and useful equipment and resources that ultimately aim to limit or prevent the interference of sensory dysfunction with successful learning, socialization and skills development.

This accessible and empowering book offers a unique approach to the condition and will help families, teachers and caregivers meet the particular needs of children with sensory dysfunction.
If you would like to purchase this book, please use the affiliate link provided for your convenience:

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Understanding Sensory Dysfunction: Learning, Development and Sensory Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders | The Sensory Spectrum

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Understanding Sensory Dysfunction: Learning, Development and Sensory Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Learning Disabilities and Bipolar Disorder By Liz McKendry Anderson, Polly Godwin Emmons Understanding Sensory Dysfunction is a clear and comprehensive resource to identifying and addressing sensory dysfunction in children, using a range of practical strategies to help them reach their full potential at...Read More "

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Will you be welcoming a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) into your classroom this fall? If this is your first experience having a child with ASD in your classroom you may be a tad nervous (well, likely more that just a tad). You may be wondering how in the world are you going to meet the needs of this one child while balancing the needs of the other children in your classroom. How will you handle the behaviors? What do the parents expect? Children with ASD often come with them a barrage of service providers such as Speech/Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Behavioral Consultants and sometimes a 1:1 para-professional- how are we all going to be working together? You may be worrying about your lack of training in this autism and unsure if you are equipt to meet the needs of the child. Well, take a deep breath. With the proper perspective and some planning and preparation this may be the most rewarding experience of your teaching career. Just a note-I didn't say "easy" and for sure there will be challenges, but you will be learning a lot!
Perspective
It's been over 15 years now that the movement for including students with disabilities into general education classrooms began. I remember very clearly those first students with severe disabilites (many of whom had autism) who we transitioned into their home school district. At that time I was a part time preschool teacher in a classroom for students with ASD and a part time Speech/Language Pathologist in one of our local districts. One of my students, Tommy, who had very limited language and was not toilet trained was to be transitioned into kindergarten in the elementary school that I worked as the SLP. Tommy was clearly autistic and displayed all of the characteristics of ASD. He was very routine oriented and responded with changes in routine with pretty significant behaviors. In other words, he was not easy and I expected the transition to be very difficult. Imagine my surprise when one of the kindergarten teachers approached me and told me that she wanted Tommy in her classroom. She knew very little about autism, knew this child was challenging, yet wanted him in her classroom! I was so touched-she wanted my student who I grew to care so much about over the 3 years. Then imagine what happened when I told Tommy's mom that a teacher wanted him in her classroom. There was a flood of tears! Over my many years of working with parents of children with disabilities, I can say that without exception, their main goal is for their child to be accepted by other children and by their community. I can tell you, for sure, parents wait anxiously for that first invitation to a birthday party-it's like the golden ticket of acceptance. You play a criticial role in whether or not the child is truly viewed as an equal and valued member of your classroom. If you believe in your heart-of-hearts that this child belongs, that message is sent to every other student in your class. If you believe that it's not your job to educate this child, your actions, whether intentional or not, will be clearly obvious. Of course, the child with ASD needs to learn skills, but in my view, your primary responsibility is to create a climate of community and acceptance within your classroom. No special training in autism needed to do that- just compassion.
Planning and Preparation
Let's just say that you now have a healthy perspective. Proper perspective is necessary, but not enough. You don't need to rush back to college to get an autism endorsement, but you do need to spend some time planning and educating yourself on autism. People with autism think and perceive the world differently and knowing this will help emensely. Here are some ideas and resources for you.

1. Curriculum Matrix. Especially during times of major transition (preschool to kindergarten, elementary school to middle school) I recommend that the child's team get together before the transition to do a curriculum matrix. It is time consuming, but it is well worth the effort. You'll either need to put the time in on the front end or twice the amount of time on the back end when issues arise ("a stitch in time saves nine"). The curriculum matrix is typically facilitated by a Teacher Consultant or Social Worker. The child's team (principal, gen ed teacher, special ed teacher, all service providers, parents, para-pro if student has a para-pro) meets and literally dissects the school day. The classroom teacher brings her daily schedule and the expectations of all students and then the student with ASD is listed. If the child has a para-professional, a separate column is added which lists the responsibilities of the para-pro during that specific time. Here is an example of a snip-it of a curriculum matrix.

Click the following link to download this sample Curriculum Matrix

2. The Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) has many, many training videos on specific topics relating to autism. The videos are about 20-30 minutes in length and are incredible. To have access to the site, you'll have to sign up, but it's very easy to do. The videos are for both professionals and parents and cover the range of ASD from the most severe form to higher functioning autism. Once you are logged onto the site, click the modules icon and then the "Autism in the Classroom" link. You'll then have the videos specific to classroom issues. All the vidoes are good, but I highly recommend starting with the following: Visual Supports, Transitioning Between Activities, and Language and Communication.

3. Temple Gradin's book. There's no better way to learn about autism than to hear or read about a personal account of an individual with autism. Temple Grandin is a very famous person with ASD who talks about how she perceives the world and her experiences growing up with autism. I read Temple's first book, Thinking in Pictures, years and years ago and it still serves a reference for me when working with children on the spectrum. Temple's story is so compelling that a movie was made of her life. I'm sure you could probably find it in Netflix or in your local video rental store if you prefer the movie to the book.

I also found this clip online of Temple. Pay particular attention to the point in the video when she talks about how she thinks in pictures. Processing language is particularly challenging for persons with ASD. Their brains are wired differently and Temple does a fabulous job demonstrating this in the video.

3. Children with ASD have significant difficulty understanding social cues. Using Social Stories can be very helpful for specific situations. If you are a classroom teacher, it is not likely that you will be writing social stories. I just want you to be aware of this tool. In our districts, typically the resource room teacher, school counselor, social worker or SLP will write the stories.

Here's a link to Carol Gray's video explaining social stories. You may want to check out The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding as there are tons of resources available.

There are so many resources available for you online. It's so tempting to keep adding more, but it can get overwhelming quickly. Starting with these 3 resources will, hopefully, give you an idea of the challenges that persons with autism face on a daily basis. I've developed a little "cheat sheet" for you with important information that you will need to know specific to ASD.

Click the following link to download this 2-page pdf Strategies for Working With Children with ASD

It's important to remember that children with autism are first and foremost children. Having a child in with ASD in your classroom can be the most rewarding experience.

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Strategies for Working with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Make Take & Teach

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Will you be welcoming a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) into your classroom this fall? If this is your first experience having a child with ASD in your classroom you may be a tad nervous (well, likely more that just a tad). You may be wondering how in the world are you going to ...