Responsive Teaching for Autism
The Autism Society of America reports that there has been a 10 to 17 percent annual growth in autism since it became one of the categories protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1990. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the number of students receiving services for autism increased from 0.39 percent in 1993 to 3.2 percent in 2005. These students have surfaced across geographical, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic divides. There are four times as many males as females receiving autism services. Although there can never be one-size-fits-all solutions to teaching any population as diverse as students with autism, all effective intervention programs for autism include six practices.
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Individualized Education Program
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The IDEA mandates that all public schools develop an Individualized Education Program ( IEP) for every student with a disability who is found to meet the federal and state requirements for special education. This allows parents, teachers, counselors, psychologists, social workers and school district representatives to work together in developing goals and objectives in all areas that are affected by the student's disability. IEP teams must carefully consider the latest research pertaining to autism and any issues raised by the student's strengths and weaknesses, cultural background, resources and circumstances.
Direct Instruction
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In Greek, the word "autism" means "living in self." Among the biggest challenges of teaching students with autism is helping them to come out of their shells and interact with others. That is why direct instruction with its focus on communication and social skills is beneficial to students with autism. It asks that you lead your students through the steps of learning systematically, helping them to see the purpose and the result of each step as you go along. In order to practice direct instruction, set clear goals at the start of every unit and lesson, give clear and concise instructions, model whatever skills you want your students to acquire, provide an abundance of examples and illustrations, ask questions frequently to check for understanding, and make sure that your students have plenty of opportunities to practice what they have learned.
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"Autism-Friendly" Environments
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The authors of The TEACCH Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders place much emphasis on the creation of an educational environment that is "autism-friendly." To create such an environment, make your classroom as focused, structured and predictable as possible. Minimize distractions by covering all windows with shades and restricting high-noise levels and unusual smells, such as those of food or perfume. Arrange student desks so they face blank walls and use visual cues such as schedules, clocks and calendars to keep students on task and to reduce anxiety. Provide sufficient space for storage, allow access to shelves, cabinets, lockers or cubbyholes. Ensure that all facilities, including learning centers and learning materials, are easily accessible and clearly marked.
Communication and Social Interation
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Because the major characteristics of autism include difficulty with communication and social interaction, make the promotion and cultivation of these skills the central consideration of curriculum development. Work incrementally, setting small communication goals and benchmarks. Encourage such forms of communication as gesturing, pantomiming, writing and drawing pictures in addition to verbal speech. Aim for independent, spontaneous communication rather than rote responses. Everyday communication is hard work for students with autism, so don't allow any attempt at socially acceptable communication to slip by without positive reinforcement of some kind.
Exposing the Hidden Curriculum
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Whether you realize it or not, there are a number of lessons you are teaching your students every day without necessarily meaning to do so. You model behavior for them and express approval or disapproval of their actions with the slightest tilt of the head or narrowing of the eyes. In fact, everyone in school plays a role in establishing the culture's unwritten code of conduct---custodial engineers, cafeteria workers, office clerks, counselors, administrators, and the students themselves. In Exceptional Students: Preparing Teachers for the 21st Century, authors Ronald L. Taylor, Lydia R. Smiley, and Stephen B. Richards say, "The hidden curriculum often needs to be directly taught to and interpreted for students with autism spectrum disorders. Videotapes, pictures, cartoons, role playing, and peer-mediated assistance can be useful in direct instruction."
Borrowing Elements
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Since the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1980 officially acknowledged autism to be a disorder, a number of practices, programs and organizations have formed to help teachers meet the needs of students with autism. These include TEACCH and applied behavior analysis programs such as discrete trial intervention, pivotal response teaching, and incidental teaching. The best thing you can do is to borrow various elements from those programs that have been scientifically validated and piece together a system of your own that is as unique as your students.
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References
Resources
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