A guide to aid teachers on the education of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
This guide intends to provide information on interventions and strategies that teaching staff for a mainstream secondary school in Hounslow, with a special educational needs (SEN) centre can use to aid key stage 3 students who are diagnosed with ASD, in their mainstream classes.
What is ASD?
The American Psychological association defines Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a ‘complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviours. The effects and severity of symptoms of ASD are different in individuals.’ (Copeland,2018)
Levels of ASD:
As ASD is a spectrum disorder, individuals who are diagnosed can range from high functioning autistic (HFA) to low functioning autistic (LFA), although this is not a part of the diagnosis as these are not in the diagnostic manual. However, as a teacher you will typically be dealing with individuals who are HFA, as individuals who are LFA are less likely to be included in mainstream classrooms. This is because HFA individuals are typically able to use speech well enough to communicate, however, an individual who is LFA is more likely to be non-verbal and have to use visual aids or technology to communicate.
Troubles that individuals with ASD face:
Individuals with ASD can face many difficulties in everyday life, these may include troubles with social interaction, learning, speech and behaviour.
When and how ASD can be detected:
The exact cause of ASD is currently unknown (NHS, 2016), and therefore may occur as a result of genetic factors, environmental factors or unknown factors.
The identifiers of ASD typically present themselves during the childhood developmental stages. Typical signs of ASD in children are delayed speech, showing little or no interest in interacting with peers, not responding to their name, avoiding eye contact, and being angry/ upset when others enter their personal space, but not being aware of the personal space of others.
How is ASD typically managed:
There is currently no cure for ASD, however there are specialist interventions that teaching staff can implement, which can aid educational and social development, a few of which are further explained below.
Interventions that can be used for children with ASD to aid their learning in mainstream classes:
1. Individualised support and services for the students with ASD:
According to the Individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA) amendments in 1977 – as a teacher or a member of staff you must provide continuous individualised support, and services to students, from encouraging and practicing inclusion to their general education.
As ASD is a spectrum disorder, each child’s needs will be unique. Due to the individualistic nature of ASD, no one curriculum will be suitable for all children with ASD and therefore schools should provide a flexible curriculum and support options in order to aid every child’s individual needs in a classroom. (Heflin & Simpson, 1998)
For some students with ASD little to no change to the general curriculum will be appropriate, however for others, major changes may need to be made. The best way to understand what changes need to be made to the curriculum is to either ask the student what they think will aid them or asking the SEN centre staff on what has been helping the student so far and try to incorporate these into the teaching of the students.
A key feature of individualised education is engagement, ensuring students are engaged with the content of the lessons is one of the best predictors of positive student outcomes in terms of learning. Hurth, J., et al’s, (1999) study discovered that when a student engaged in their learning, it typically means the student is interacting and making connections with the content. For students with ASD it may be harder for them to engage with the content, and therefore it is less likely they are making connections to the content. This is unless there has been planned changes to the content, such as using art, incorporating visual aids and activities or materials the individual student with ASD finds intriguing, as these will help to increase the student’s engagement to the content (Dettmer, Simpson, Myles & Ganz, 2000.)
2. Systematic instruction:
Another strategy in aiding learning in individuals with ASD is systematic instruction, where new information is built on prior learning, usually by building up from simple information onto more complexed information.
Students with ASD are able to demonstrate a significant progress in their education when information is presented in instructional approaches (systematic and comprehensive). Systematic instruction allows for the conservation and generalisability of learned information, which makes it an imperative element of any students learning. (Heflin and Alberto, 2001, Simpson, 2001.)
Using Systematic instruction is effective in many ways for students with ASD, due to it not only aiding with retention of information but also by increasing inclusivity, as the student with ASD does not feel as though their learning is different from their peers. They may be aware that the lesson is tailored slightly to aid them more, however as they’re following a structure similar to their peers, the student is more likely to be comfortable in their environment and feel less judged, thus increasing engagement which again is crucial to educational achievement.
3. Social Skills workshops:
Another intervention to aid learning in students with ASD is to implement social skills workshops, where the students are taught the correct ways in which to interact with their peers and different groups of people, as well as which behaviours are suitable in different situations.
These workshops can improve the teacher-student relationship, but also allows for students with ASD to develop valuable social skills that they can apply to different aspects of their lives, thus improving not only their school experience but their overall quality of life (Kasari et al, 2006)
By ensuring that students with ASD have a positive school experience it is more likely that their engagement at school will increase, making it more likely they will retain the information they are being taught, in turn improving their academic performance.
4. Comprehensive/structured learning environments:
Olley, (1999) discusses how individuals with ASD require classrooms that are structured, despite this, structure is not constantly defined in the same way. A lesson may be referred to as structured if the activities are clear to the students and the teachers, whereas others may refer to a lesson as being structured if it follows the same patterns as previous lessons have, building upon knowledge i.e. systematic learning.
A classroom that is arranged to aid, enhance and support specific skills such as behavioural management and appropriate behaviour, social communication and educational goals etc is a comprehensible classroom for individuals with ASD. (Hurth et al, 1999.)
These sorts of environments allow for students with ASD to:
1. Predict learning processes and to further understand and consolidate what is currently happening in lessons,
2. Know what to expect from certain or specific environments,
3. To generalise the skills, they have learnt to wider environments and experiences.
(Gresham et al., 1999).
Visual cues and aids are examples of approaches you can take to create structured educational environments for students with ASD, such as using them to:
1. Help to organize the instructional environment of a classroom (Heflin & Alberto, 2001)
2. Make transitions in life (educational and non-educational) easier, increase flexibility, and openness to change (Myles & Simpson, 2002)
3. Help individuals with ASD to establish and clarify areas of the classroom /education /school settings (Heflin & Alberto, 2001.)
In conclusion, some of the most effective interventions that can be used to ensure students with ASD have a positive school experience, is to use an interactive and individualised teaching style. Using this intervention ensures the students are engaged with the content, this will then encourage them to retain this information and thus performing better in class. Making sure that individuals with ASD not only have academic support but also pastoral support is imperative to them having a positive secondary school experience. By providing students with both levels of support ensures they understand that school is not a place where they are judged, but a place where they can learn and are comfortable doing so, with a strong support system to who they are able to express their problems to. In expressing their problems, the students feel more comfortable and the teaching staff and pastoral staff are able to adapt when and where they are able to ensure the students with ASD have a positive school experience. Also, by ensuring there is a whole school understanding of ASD, and the individualistic nature of ASD, allows for children diagnosed with ASD to have a positive school experience as they are less likely to experience bullying, not only in the classroom but also the playground and social times with their peers. (Dillon, Underwood & Freemantle, 2016.)
Individuals who are diagnosed with ASD will all have different needs and requirements when it comes to interventions which are able to aid students learning due to the individualistic nature of ASD, meaning you may have to try many different interventions before you find the correct match for the students. If you believe the Students with ASD are still struggling in your classroom, do not be afraid to ask for help from the students as to what they think you can do to improve their education. You could also ask staff in the SEN centre who spend more time with the students, and therefore may be able to recommend specific interventions that they know work for the individual students.