Autism in the General Education Classroom
Children with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, do not follow typical patterns of childhood development. For some children, the disorder is apparent from birth, while other children do not exhibit signs of problems with social skills and communication until they are older and lag behind other children their age. A child with autism has a developmental disability that affects such things as communication and social interaction, so it is important for regular education teachers to make these children feel as comfortable as possible in the classroom.
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Understanding Autism
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In order for instructors to effectively teach a student with autism, it is important for them to understand the condition and the characteristics associated with it. Autism is one of five conditions often characterized by people with limitations in three major areas of development. These areas are verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction and various types of repetitive behaviors and interests. The diagnosis of autism in children usually comes before the age of three, and characteristics such as repetitive movements and resistance to change become apparent.
Social Relationships
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One of the most prevalent characteristics of students with autism is difficulty with social interactions and relationships. Many students with autism resist human contact and stray away from any kind of social interaction at a very young age. This makes it difficult for them to relate and interact with other children when instructors integrate them into a general education classroom. These students tend to avoid making eye contact with others and they do not express any interest in developing relationships with either teachers or classmates.
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Communication
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One of the main reasons that autistic children have a hard time forming social relationships is because of the difficulty that they have using and responding to verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. Students with autism usually have a problem with their language development and language skills, which makes it hard for them to hold a conversation. When these students become frustrated because they cannot communicate, they often act out negatively by screaming or hitting other students, unless they learn different ways of expressing their frustration.
Student Interests
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Another characteristic of students with autism is a limited range of interests. They tend to spend hours on end focusing on one interest, completely blocking out everyone or everything else in the process. For example, an instructor might have a student, who loves The Civil War and is an expert on it, but will not study or show any interest in any other period of history. This behavior, obsessively focusing on one interest, can also have a negative impact on social relationships because the student will not show any interest in anything else, including people.
Student Stress
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Dealing with stress is very difficult for students with autism. They have a very low threshold for stress, so something as small as a change in seating assignments can be very stressful and difficult to handle for an autistic student. Particular noises, strange odors and a loud classroom can also be stressful to these students. Many students with autism respond to stressful situations in the same way; they perform the same action or motion repeatedly. This is a very stereotypical behavior of children with autism. Instructors might also observe students creating a ritual to complete a task, as a way to create calmness for themselves.
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References
- "Austism Spectrum Disorders" from "Introduction to Special Education: Making a Difference, 6th edition"; Deborah Deutsch Smith; 2007
- "Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities" from "Including Students With Special Needs: A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers, 5th edition"; Marilyn Friend and William D. Bursuck; 2008
Resources
- Photo Credit playing children image by Marzanna Syncerz from Fotolia.com
