Navigating Middle School With Autism by Rosie Mchatton https://padlet.com/ramchatto/z4jfmtyi189ed3fx Below is a resource guide to support teachers, therapists, and families in utilizing age-appropriate positive behavioral interventions for verbal students with autism in the pre-teen age group. en-us 2022-04-23 19:30:11 UTC 2022-04-23 19:56:41 UTC hello@padlet.com ramchatto https://padlet.com/ramchatto/z4jfmtyi189ed3fx/wish/2154841463
  • Autism is a spectrum disorder. “The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability in functioning that can occur in people with ASD. Some children and adults with ASD are fully able to perform all activities of daily living while others require substantial support to perform basic activities” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2021).
  • Perspective-taking is a difficult skill for most people with autism. “People with ASD may find it difficult to understand other people’s feelings or talk about their own feelings” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2021). 
  • “ASD occurs in every racial and ethnic group, and across all socioeconomic levels” (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2021).
  • People with autism usually have difficulty maintaining physical boundaries with people as well as controlling their impulses (especially when they are pre-teens/teenagers).
  •  Autism creates deficits in both receptive and expressive communication skills.
  • “ They also have conditions such as anxiety, depression, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which occur more often in people with ASD than in people without ASD” (CDC, 2022).
    • 7. Some of the risk factors of Autism include...
    • Having a sibling with ASD
    • Having certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, such as fragile X syndrome or tuberous sclerosis
    • Experiencing complications at birth
    • Being born to older parents

    8. About 1 in 44 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. 

    9.  Since ASD is a developmental disability and not a medical diagnosis, ASD is diagnosed by screening for behavior and developmental delays. 

    10. Early intervention services have been shown to greatly improve a child with autism’s development and behavior. 

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  • Utilizing individualized motivation systems and incentive programming are helpful in increasing a student’s motivation to attempt difficult tasks. 
  • Using a variety of instructional materials when teaching academic and social concepts helps students generalize the information taught to other settings (social stories, videos, group discussions, worksheets, etc.). 

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  • Offer choices and be flexible to their needs.
  • Limiting verbal communication on your end can ease some of the sensory dysregulations and allows you to actively listen to their concerns. 
  •  Validating the student or child’s feelings helps to build a stronger rapport between the student and therapist/teacher. 

    • ]]>     2022-04-23 19:35:15 UTC https://padlet.com/ramchatto/z4jfmtyi189ed3fx/wish/2154842150     Researchers studied the efficacy of a school-based program by the Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism (CSESA). It had specific interventions in the areas of reading comprehension, independence and behavior, peer relationships and social competence, and transition and families for high school students with autism compared to the services that students with autism receive as part of IDEA’s free and appropriate public education (referred to as “services as usual schools” by the article). ramchatto https://padlet.com/ramchatto/z4jfmtyi189ed3fx/wish/2154842468 Key Takeaways: 
    1. Many high school teachers feel ill-equipped to support students on the autism spectrum because of the magnitude of individualized services that they need.
    2.  “[The study] resulted in positive changes in the quality of the school and produced significantly more positive attainment of students’ learning goals, relative to standard practice, and was well received by program staff” (Hume et al., 2022). 
    3. “After the 2-year implementation, quality ratings were significantly higher for CSESA schools in comparison to the services as usual schools” (Hume et al., 2022). 
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  • https://www.exceptionallives.org/transition-to-adulthood-for-youth-with-disabilities?gclid=CjwKCAjwx46TBhBhEiwArA_DjIMlPl-GiY4djyh5fN00JoXdtBWvYji9J9wacsYEUyiH6QUCKfsiwBoCu3YQAvD_BwE 
  • https://iancommunity.org/cs/simons_simplex_community/autism_in_teens 
    • 3. https://www.verywellhealth.com/autism-and-family-life-4013470 

    ]]>     2022-04-23 19:37:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ramchatto/z4jfmtyi189ed3fx/wish/2154843272     ramchatto https://padlet.com/ramchatto/z4jfmtyi189ed3fx/wish/2154844379 Hume, K., Odom, S. L., Steinbrenner, J. R., Smith DaWalt, L., Hall, L. J., Kraemer, B., Tomaszewski, B., Brum, C., Szidon, K., & Bolt, D. M. (2022). Efficacy of a school-based comprehensive intervention program for adolescents with autism. Exceptional Children, 88(2), 223–240. https://doi-org/10.1177/00144029211062589


    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, March 31). What is autism spectrum disorder? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html 



    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Autism spectrum disorder fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Autism-Spectrum-Disorder-Fact-Sheet#3082_8 



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