Implications for Parents and Teachers

Implications

Parents

According to this Pediatrics Journal, mother's of children with ASD earn 56% less than mothers with children who have no health issues (Ciday, Marcus & Mandel, 2012).
There are substantial healthcare expenses related to the treatment of ASD although some may be covered by the government ("Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)", 2018).
Check out this article to read about treatment options.
This article from The Guardian is written by a mother who has autistic children. She rights about 10 ways people can help parents by showing support and encouragement (King, 2017)!

Teachers

It is the teacher, school and administration's responsibility to provide children with autism the necessary supports.
Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act states that children with disabilities ages 3 through 21 are required by law to be provided a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment ("Statute of Regulations").

Check out this article on Autism Speaks for tips on how to work with children with autism in the classroom! It discusses the following 12 things this mother of a child with autism wishes every teacher would know:

1. Autism is a huge spectrum.

2. A routine and transition warnings are helpful for a child with autism.

3. A child with autism needs extra time to process language.

4. Receptive language and expressive language are two different things.

5. Children with autism are literal.

6. A child with autism can get stuck on one subject.

7. A child with autism may need help with social interactions.

8. Sensory issues are a distraction for many children with autism.

9. Children with autism use stereotypic behaviors or repetitive behaviors when they are excited, bored, or stressed.

10. Positive Reinforcement will be helpful but punishments will not.

11. People with autism tell the truth as they see it.

12. Kids with autism are not scary or unlovable. They are just different.

("Autism Speaks")

Classroom Management & Autism

Teachers who have a well-managed classroom will have a smoother time implementing supports for children with autism (and children with autism are more likely to thrive in a well-managed classroom)!

"Management is defined as that aspect of your teaching role that focuses on creating an environment and establishing conditions that facilitate student success in achieving both academic and social goals. (Savage, 1999)"

Students with autism will require different supports and attention than the rest of the class. If you have not already, check out The Tough Kid Book. It provides a plethora of classroom management tips and tricks! Differential attention for example is one of the many strategies included in this book. This strategy is one that I have implemented for students with autism. Basically, you ignore the unwanted behavior until it stops, then reinforce wanted behavior as soon as possible (Rhode, Jenson, Reavis, 2010)! This book provides many other wonderful techniques for behavior management in the classroom.

When planning for classroom management, teachers should keep in mind the following issues that children with autism may face in the classroom:

Communication issues:

very “direct”
trouble following directions
trouble with jokes, sarcasm, and figurative language
written and oral responses may not reflect true knowledge
may not know how to ask for help
takes a long time to process verbal instructions (getting started)

Social issues:

prefers solitary activities
problems with group work and interactive lessons
trouble making friends
easy targets for bullying and teasing

Behavior issues:

strong and inflexible adherence to rules
rituals and preoccupation with preferred topics/objects
easily overwhelmed by minimal change
unstructured times are the most difficult because they are unpredictable (socially, transition) such as recess, lunch, PE, bus, changing classes, etc.

Academic Issues:

variable abilities across areas
concrete/literal thinkers
may develop expertise in area of interest
difficulty making connections
difficulty shifting attention
may respond atypically to sensory input, lights, sounds, touch, etc.

("Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)", 2018)

Assistive Technologies for Children with ASD

In order to support children with ASD, parents and teachers can use assistive technology.

Assistive technology is any tool or product that is used to improve the daily lives of people with disabilities. According to the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), assistive technology can be:

low-tech: communication boards made of cardboard or fuzzy felt,
high-tech: special-purpose computers,
hardware: prosthetics, mounting systems, and positioning devices,
computer hardware: special switches, keyboards, and pointing devices,
computer software: screen readers and communication programs,
inclusive or specialized learning materials and curriculum aids,
specialized curricular software,
and much more such as electronic devices, wheelchairs, walkers, braces, educational software, power lifts, pencil holders, eye-gaze and head trackers.

("What is AT")

If you would like to learn more about assistive technology, check out this informative video from this SUPER INFORMATIVE page (check it out!!!) on Edutopia:

Assistive technologies can be very beneficial for students with autism and can also assist teachers with classroom management! They can help create a more equitable classroom so all students can learn.

Check out this graphic showing how supports such as assistive technology can help students. In the second image, the children are given the support necessary to view the game. The same should be done in education by allowing students with autism to use assistive technology in the classroom.

Navigate through this page on the autism speaks website. It describes and links many awesome assistive technologies for students with autism.

Students with autism need communication, academic, social and behavioral supports. This can be done through the use of assistive technology! Below I will provide examples of these supports.

Pictured above is a PECS book. PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) is a wonderful tool that allows for nonverbal communication. It allows people with little or no verbal communication skills the opportunity to communicate using pictures.

If you are working with children who have autism and are interested in using technology such as iPad applications for communication, check out the following resources:

Communication Supports

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) ASD affects communication in many ways. Quoting this site,

"Without meaningful gestures or other nonverbal skills to enhance their oral language skills, many children with ASD become frustrated in their attempts to make their feelings, thoughts, and needs known. They may act out their frustrations through vocal outbursts or other inappropriate behaviors. ("Autism Spectrum Disorder: Communication Problems in Children," 2018)"

This specific PECS book is available for purchase on amazon. Even if you are not creative, it is super easy to make your own PECS book as well! That way, you can individualize the book depending on the needs of the child. Check out this tutorial on how to make a PECS style book! There are many awesome resources on Pinterest as well.

Academic Supports

Visual schedules are a great way to support students with autism.

This blog discusses the following 7 reasons why visual schedules work:

They provide independence.
They help avoid power struggles.
They provide a permanent visual reminder.
They relieve anxiety.
They communicate with students.
Individuals with autism often understand visual information best.
They are evidence based!

(Reeve, 2017)

Behavior Supports

Class Dojo is a free behavior management website and application that can be managed from your computer, IPad, SMART board or phone. It creates a positive classroom culture where students can achieve points for positive behavior.

Students with autism would benefit from this application because:

it is very visual and shows the students how they are behaving,
it can provide a lot of positive reinforcement,
it can provide music, if that works for your students,
it has a noise meter, controlling the volume of the classroom,
and it also has the option for a visual timer.

Quoting the site, "The Bluebee Pals Learning App is a robust life skill and cognitive development tool for children ages 3 to 7. When connected to a Bluebee Pal, children can immerse themselves in activities in five life skills’ rooms and play 9 educational mini-games. In addition to our app, Bluebee Pals pair with all apps with a narrative providing endless entertainment and education for all mainstream and special needs children. ("Bluebee Pals," 2018)"

Social Supports

This wonderful article from Autism Speaks discusses how we can support the social skills of children with autism. Quoting this article,

"The desire to interact with others is often in place in individuals with autism, but the processes that allow social interaction to occur can be so overwhelming that they do not know where to begin. Take care not to interpret social deficits as a lack of desire or avoidance of social interaction ("Autism Speaks")."

Bluebee Pals

Bluebee Pals uses a plush toy to teach life and social skills. It is completely interactive when paired with an app downloaded on a smart device. It is super adorable and can be a wonderful reinforcer for children!

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