[Fwd: Supporting Students With Autism: 10 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms]

[Guest guest]

>

> From: " AutismLink " <listserv@...>

> Date: 2006/03/09 Thu PM 07:26:26 EST

> lesmact@...

> Subject: Supporting Students With Autism: 10 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms

>

> Supporting Students With Autism: 10 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms

>

> © 2005 a Kluth. Adapted from: P. Kluth (2003). & ldquo;You're

> going to love this kid & rdquo;: Teaching students with autism in the

> inclusive classroom . Baltimore: s Publishing

>

> As I speak with colleagues in primary and secondary schools, I have

> noticed that many teaching veterans understand how to include

> students with learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities,

> emotional disabilities, and physical disabilities in general

> education classrooms; but they remain puzzled at how to support and

> teach students with autism in these same environments and learning

> experiences.

>

> These tips are designed for the teacher who is just beginning to work

> with a student with autism. These simple ideas may work for a myriad

> of students but they are particularly helpful for educating students

> with autism, Asperger's syndrome, and other spectrum labels. They can

> help a teacher of any grade level or subject area plan lessons and

> engineer a safe and comfortable classroom for students with autism

> and other unique learning characteristics.

>

> 1) Learn About the Learner From the Learner

> Oftentimes, educators needing information about a student will study

> the individual's educational records. While these documents are

> certainly one source of information, they are seldom the most helpful

> source of information. Teachers wanting to know more about a student

> with autism should ask that student to provide information. Some

> students will be quite wiling and able to share information while

> others may need coaxing or support from family members. Teachers

> might ask for this information in a myriad of ways. For instance,

> they might ask the student to take a short survey or sit for an

> interview. One teacher asked his student with autism, to create a

> list of teaching tips that might help kids with learning differences.

> The teacher then published the guide and gave it out to all educators

> in the school.

>

> If the student with autism is unable to communicate in a reliable

> way, teachers can go to families for help. Parents can share the

> teaching tips they have found most useful in the home or provide

> videotapes of the learner engaged in different family and community

> activities. These types of materials tend to give educators ideas

> that are more useful and concrete than do traditional educational

> reports and assessments.

>

> Observing the student in another classroom setting can also be

> useful. In particular, these observations should focus on the

> student's successes: What can this student do well? Where is she

> strong? What has worked to create success for the student?

>

> 2) Support Transitions

> Some students with autism struggle with transitions. Some are

> uncomfortable changing from environment to environment, while others

> have problems moving from activity to activity. Individuals with

> autism report that changes can be extremely difficult causing stress

> and feelings of disorientation. Teachers can minimize the discomfort

> students may feel when transitioning by:

> & bull; Giving five and one minute reminders to the whole class before

> any transition.

>

> & bull; Providing the student or entire class with a transitional

> activity such as writing in a homework notebook or for younger

> students, singing a short song about & ldquo;cleaning up & rdquo;.

>

> & bull; Ask peers to help in supporting transition time. In elementary

> classrooms, teachers can ask all students to move from place to place

> with a partner. In middle and high school classrooms, students with

> autism might choose a peer to walk with during passing time.

>

> & bull; Give the student a transition aid. Some students need to carry

> a toy, object, or picture, or other aid to facilitate their movement

> from one place to the next.

>

> 3) Give Fidget Supports

>

> Oftentimes, learners with autism struggle to stay seated or to remain

> in the classroom for extended periods of time. While allowing learners

> to move frequently is one way to approach this need, some students can

> be equally comforted if they have an object to manipulate during

> lessons. One student I know likes to pick apart the threads on

> patches of denim. Another folds and unfolds a drinking straw during

> long lecture periods.

>

> Students having such a need might be offered Slinky toys, Koosh

> balls, straws, stir sticks, strings of beads, rubberbands or even

> keychains that have small toys attached to them.

>

> Allowing students to draw can be another effective & ldquo;staying

> put & rdquo; strategy. Many learners with and without identified needs

> appear better able to concentrate on a lecture or activity when they

> are given the opportunity to doodle on a notepad, write on their

> folders, or sketch in a notebook.

>

> 4) Help with Organizing

> While some students with autism are ultra-organized, others need

> support to find materials, keep their locker and desk areas neat, and

> remember to bring their assignments home at the end of the day.

> Consider implementing support strategies that all students might find

> useful. For example, students can attach a small & ldquo;going

> home & rdquo; checklist to the inside of their lockers or be reminded

> to keep a small set of school supplies in each classroom instead of

> having to carry these materials in their backpacks. Teachers can

> also:

>

> & bull; Have students copy down assignments, pack book bags, put

> materials away, and clean work spaces together. Specific skills can

> even be taught during this time (e.g., creating to-do lists,

> prioritizing tasks);

>

> & bull; Ask all students to do two-minute clean-up and organization

> sessions at the end of class; or

>

> & bull; Provide checklists around the classroom- especially in key

> activity areas. For instance, a checklist can be placed near a

> classroom assignment & ldquo;in box & rdquo; (e.g., Did you complete the

> assignment? Is your name on the paper?) or on the front of the

> classroom door (e.g., Do you have a pencil? Notebook? Homework?).

>

> 5) Assign Class Jobs

>

> Many students with autism are comforted by routines and

> predictability. Class routines and jobs can provide this type of

> structure while also serving as opportunities to provide instruction

> and skill practice. A student who likes to organize materials might

> be put in charge of collecting equipment in physical education. A

> student who is comforted by order might be asked to straighten the

> classroom library. In one elementary classroom, , a student with

> autism, was sometimes given the chore of completing the lunch count.

> Counting the raised hands and having to record the right numbers in

> the right spaces helped to build 's literacy and numeracy

> skills.

>

> 6) Provide Breaks

>

> Some students work best when they can pause between tasks and take a

> break of some kind (walk around, stretch, or simply stop working).

> Some learners will need walking breaks & ndash; these breaks can last

> anywhere from a few seconds to fifteen or twenty minutes. Some

> students will need to walk up and down a hallway once or twice,

> others will be fine if allowed to wander around in the classroom.

>

> A teacher who realized the importance of these instructional pauses

> decided to offer them to all learners. He regularly gave students a

> prompt to discuss (e.g., What do you know about probability?) and

> then directed them to & ldquo;talk and walk & rdquo; with a partner.

> After ten minutes of movement, he brought the students back together

> and asked them to discuss their conversations.

>

> 7) Focus on Interests

>

> Whenever possible, educators should use interests, strengths, skills,

> areas of expertise, and gifts as tools for teaching. For instance,

> student strength areas can be used to facilitate relationships. Some

> students who find conversation and & ldquo;typical & rdquo; ways of

> socializing a challenge, are amazingly adept at connecting with

> others when the interaction occurs in relation to an activity or

> favorite interest.

>

> One of my former students, , had few friendships and seldom

> spoke to other students until a new student came into the classroom

> wearing a Star Wars tee-shirt. 's face lit up upon seeing the

> shirt and he began bombarding the newcomer with questions and trivia

> about his favorite film. The new student, eager to make a friend,

> began bringing pieces of his science fiction memorabilia to class.

> Eventually, the two students struck up a friendship related to their

> common interest and even formed a lunch club where students gathered

> to play trivia board games related to science fiction films.

>

> Any of the interests students bring to the classroom might also be

> used as part of the curriculum. A student who loves weather might be

> asked to write a story about tidal waves, investigate websites

> related to cloud formation, or do an independent research project on

> natural disasters. A student fascinated by Africa might be encouraged

> to write to pen pals living on that continent or asked to compare and

> contrast the governments of certain African nations with the

> government of the United States.

>

> 8) Rethink Writing

> Writing can be a major source of tension and struggle for students

> with autism. Some students cannot write at all and others who can

> write, may have a difficult time doing so. Handwriting may be sloppy

> or even illegible. Students who struggle with writing may become

> frustrated with the process and become turned off to paper/pencil

> tasks.

>

> In order to support a student struggling with writing, a teacher may

> try to give the child gentle encouragement as he or she attempts to

> do some writing- a word, a sentence, or a few lines. Teachers might

> also allow the student to use a computer, word processor, or even an

> old typewriter for some lessons. In addition, peers, classroom

> volunteers, teachers, and paraprofessionals can also serve as scribes

> for a student who struggles with movement and motor problems,

> dictating as the student with autism speaks ideas and thoughts.

>

> 9) Give Choices

>

> Choice may not only give students a feeling of control in their

> lives, but an opportunity to learn about themselves as workers and

> learners. Students, especially those who are given opportunities to

> make decisions, know best when during the day they are most creative,

> productive, and energetic; what materials and supports they need; and

> in what ways they can best express what they have learned.

>

> Choice can be built into almost any part of the school day. Students

> can choose which assessments to complete, which role to take in a

> cooperative group, which topics to study or which problems to solve,

> and how to receive personal assistance and supports. Examples of

> choices that can be offered in classrooms include:

>

> & bull; Solve five of the ten problems assigned

>

> & bull; Raise your hand or stand if you agree

>

> & bull; Work alone or with a small group

>

> & bull; Read quietly or with a friend

>

> & bull; Use a pencil, pen, or the computer

>

> & bull; Conduct your research in the library or in the resource room

>

> & bull; Take notes using words or pictures

>

> & bull; Choose any topic for your term paper

>

> 10) Include

>

> If students are to learn appropriate behaviors, they will need to be

> in the inclusive environment to see and hear how their peers talk and

> act. If students are to learn to social skills, they will need to be

> in a space where they can listen to and learn from others who are

> socializing. If students will need specialized supports to succeed

> academically, then teachers need to see the learner functioning in

> the inclusive classroom to know what types of supports will be

> needed.

>

> If it is true that we learn by doing, then the best way to learn

> about supporting students with autism in inclusive schools is to

> include them.

>

>

>

> <hr><br><font size= " 1 " >Join our listserv! Don't get your news second hand! Get

LINKED! <a

href= " http://lists.autismlink.com/lists/ " >http://lists.autismlink.com/lists</a>

> If imitation is the highest form of flattery, we're flattered daily!

>

>