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Autistic learners will have varying differences in these three areas. Their combined effects can have profound effects on their inclusion, learning and anxiety.
Theory of Mind
Take a look at the image on the right.
How could these difficulties with theory of mind affect the daily lives of children with autism (both in and out of school)?
Executive Function
Learners may have difficulties in:
- Planning responses (both cognitive and physical)
- Organising information in working memory, and developing and evaluating appropriate action from this information
- Finding alternative solutions
- Flexibility of thought and action
- Carrying out independent, purposeful behaviour
Strategies to help:
See picture to the right, and:
- Provide a 'plan of the day'
- Provide a visual timetable
- Give plenty of notice for planned changes to routines
What about Central Coherence?
What about Central Coherence?
I couldn't find a nice image like the ones above but think about this...
Central Coherence
- Failure to perceive the whole
- Difficulty seeing connections
- Difficulty generalising skills and knowledge
- An eye for detail
- Difficulties in comprehension
- Good rote memory
- Difficulty with choosing and prioritising
- Can't focus on the meaning
- Too much info coming at once can lead to sensory overload
Strategies to help:
- Use explicit aims
- Avoid ambiguity, use visual cues
- Teach generalisation of skills (what you've learnt in one situation can be used in another situation)
- Make explicit reference to previous knowledge and tasks
- Teach cause and effect, motives and plot
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