Part+2+-+Group+7

=Group 7 - Part 2 - Chapter 4=

What are the learning characteristics of students with ASD?
The learning characteristics of a student with ASD may include... Strengths and needs -"Students with ASD learn best when educators select instructional strategies that best fit the individual strenghts and needs which have been outlined in the student profile. Instruction that focuses on student strengths can provide a means of compensating for areas of student weakness or need, encouraging the acquisition of new skills, and reducing the student\s frustration." (CH4 Teaching the Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder) ie: A child who is a visual learner would benefit from illustrations, a child who excels and enjoys reading would benefit for having instructions in print.

Motivation and Interests -Discovering and incorporating the students interests into an activity will motivate the student to attend to an activity and find more enjoyment in it. This in turn helps the student stay with the activity longer and with less prompting and encouragement. Students who are actively engaged are more receptive to learning and have fewer behavioural challenges.

Structure, Routine and Predictability -The amount of structure, routine and predicatability will vary from student to student and perhaps even from day to day. It is important to know the cues your students present. Students should know what is expected of them, have the tools to complete appropriate learning outcomes and be aware of what comes next. The student may benefit from visual cues for completing assignments, organizing their belonging, transitioning ect. Visual support will help the student function with greater independance once a routine has been established.

Responsiveness to visual support -Most ASD students process visual information better than auditory information. With visual supports the student can examine the information until they are able to process the contents of the message. Students who use visual supports are more likely to reach their potential as verbal language users. Visual supports can be used to: -organize student activities -provide directions or instructions -assist in illustrating the organization of the environment -support appropriate behaviour -teach social skills -teach self control Some expamples of visual supports are: daily schedules activity checklists calendars choice boards file cards signs social stories pictographs What works for one child may not work for another. Some ideas may just need small adjustments to be effective. I believe the key is consistency and being observant as to what works and what does not for the individual.

Describe two general instruction strategies.
Students with ASD display an psycho-educational profile that is unique from their peers. Area of concerns and deficits may include paying attention or attending to cues, receptive and expressive language, ( with particular difficulty in expressing or attending to abstract concepts), there are also deficits in concept formation and abstract reasoning. Social skills are impacted making it difficult to understand or share emotions or feelings. Students with ASD are also impacting in their ability to plan, organize and problem solve. These are factors are common in those diagnosed with ASD, we must keep in mind that each person is still a very individual learners and displays an individual learning style. The amount or level that each area is impacted can vary greatly from person to person. It is therefore important to create a profile of the learner you are working with and outline their strengths and interests. Incorporating these pluses into the daily routine and lesson will help to improve the students’ focus, and motivation. There are several learning characteristics associated with ASD individuals which should be considered when planning. These include:  1. Visual learners – they respond better to pictures, photographs, drawings, toys, and other visual objects. Visual/pictorial schedules, instructions etc are very helpful. Allowing time to process and acting as an ongoing reminder of the task etc. visual supports may be used to improve organization skills, provide directions, support appropriate behaviour, teach social skills, and self control. Students supported with visuals are better able to reach their full potential in the verbal language domain. Strategy - use pictures, to demonstrate eg, homework instructions. Pictures, and social stories can encourage appropriate behaviours and assist in maintaining attention. Picture icons sucha as Boardmaker or Writing with Symbols help to increase concepte understanding. Use of picture or words systems help to increase independent work by listing procedures and tasks to be completed. e.g. Listen or read directions Work on page 6 problem 1-4 Put all finished work in the done bucket Read “Summer Winds” beginning on page 12  2. Structure, routine and predictability – assist the student in understanding where things belong, what the expectations are and the schedule of events/tasks. Strategy – Create a color coding system for binders one for each subject area. Write homework assignments on the homework board with markers in the same color as the subject area.  3. Motivation and Interests – assist the student to attend for longer periods  4. Sensory – e.g. some students feel the need to touch everything. Sensory abilities are at a heightened level. Respond better to activities and tasks that allow them to use or touch the objects. Strategy – ASD students may become anxious due to sensory overload and begin rocking, placing their hands over their ears etc. Show the student a pre-selected self-calm area, such as a chosen chair in a quiet area or a sensory area ( area contains stress release activities such as koosh balls, headphones or music). Give the student of visual menu or appropriate behaviours to use when the become overwhelmed. Show the student their menu when their stress level is rising.  5. Memorization – often are distracted/overwhelmed by environmental sounds. This makes it difficult to take in the concepts, or complete or retain information from lessons.
 * 1) Using meaningfull reinforcements: Knowing the students interests and needs will help us provide meaningful reinforcements. One of my pet peeves is the amout of junk some schools use to motivate, reward, provide incentive-basically bribe students to behave and complete their work. One of the wonderful aspects of many ASD students is that they may often be motivated by a need that has to be filled or an interest that they have. If this is the case the reinforcers provide additional learning experiences in conjunctions with increasing the frequency of desired behaviours.
 * 2) Schedules help prepare the student for the activities of the day, week, month. Schedules which are reviewed each morning (or as necessary) lessen anxiety for the student and provide smoother transitions. A well designed system allows for changes that will undoubtedly occur. Schedules are also a useful tool for the student's "helpers" as they enables us provide consistency for the student regardless of who the adult support person is. Just how you design an individual schedule depends on the needs of the child. It may incorporate self care, organization, social skills, as well as the class timetables and special events.