Autism Spectrum Disorders Resource For Teachers

Introduction

Life is like a video,
I watch but cannot partake.
My uneven skills are but an echo,
Of the frustrations which I hate!
School was a nightmare! I was so easily caught
away with life's interruptions. It might have been
a child coughing, a bus passing by on the road outside,
a bird singing, or simply my own thinking trying
to work out words from a previous conversation.
I couldn't organise either myself, or my time.
I knew that I didn't 'fit' anywhere.
Wendy Lawson

This resource is designed to give teachers an insight into some of the challenges faced by school students with autism spectrum disorder, some of the characteristics of the disorder, and practical strategies for support. Please note that it is not a substitute for the many excellent and detailed books on the topic, and it is most emphatically not a substitute for skilled, experienced and specialised help.

The umbrella term "autism spectrum disorder" is used to acknowledge that there is a range of disorders that share characteristics, including autism and Asperger syndrome. The focus of this resource is on students in the middle rather than at the extreme ends of the spectrum.

Autism spectrum disorder is a pervasive developmental disorder. It can affect one person completely differently from another and is life-long. Skill development can be very uneven. For example, a person with the disorder may be extremely gifted in some academic areas and yet show very poor ability in others. Another may have poor social and self-management skills.

Every student with autism spectrum disorder will have a unique range of abilities and needs.

Characteristics of autism spectrum disorder

Each person on the autism spectrum will show particular characteristics to varying degrees and in unique combinations. All people with autism spectrum disorders have what is referred to as the "triad of impairments":

Social interaction - difficulty with making friends eg, they may appear distant to other people

Social communication - difficulty with verbal and non-verbal communication eg, not really understanding the meaning of gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice; not knowing when it is appropriate to start and stop talking

Imagination - difficulty in developing flexible creative thinking. This often leads to repetitive thoughts and actions and difficulties with symbolic play.

Although it is relatively easy to describe the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder, diagnosis is a complex process because it is only in particular combinations of several of these characteristics that the diagnosis is made. However, the earlier the diagnosis, the better the chances are of that person receiving appropriate help and support.

Autism spectrum disorder is pervasive. This means they affect the individual at school, at home, in play, fun and relaxation, on the sports field, within their family and whānau, in the community and while pursuing their special interests. Those who spend the most time with the student (especially their families) will understand their abilities and difficulties, obsessions and phobias. They are likely to have developed many coping strategies that, when shared, will help everyone to tune into the student's unique needs.

How Teachers Can Make a Difference

Good teaching can make a difference, and high expectations (as long as they accept the child's difficulties) are as important ... in autism as for any other group.

Powell and Jordan 1997

Finding practical and effective approaches to enable a student to achieve their goals depends on identifying particular strengths and weaknesses, interests and aversions. Students with autism spectrum disorder are actively seeking to make sense of a confusing world. Their problem-solving strategies may appear unusual to other people but not to them - they are simply working through a process.

These children need help to interpret the world. Just as you would not expect someone who was blind to see, you cannot expect someone with autism to have social vision.
Parent

For most students, school is a rich social environment, which can be surprising, stimulating, exciting and challenging. It provides opportunities for experimenting, engaging and learning.

For almost all students with autism spectrum disorder however, school is a confusing, demanding and noisy place. It challenges their need for order and predictability. They can try very hard every day to work out the rules and do the same things as other students, but their disability means that they can still get it wrong, get laughed at and feel little sense of belonging or achievement. A normal day at school can leave them feeling anxious, overloaded, distressed and with low self-esteem.

Practical strategies can make a significant difference to the student, through supporting their social and communication skills and adapting and interpreting the school environment to their needs.

The quality of life of someone with autism depends more on the way we can adapt to their differences - rather than modify their efforts.
Gilberg and Peters 1999

It is important to note that these strategies will not only help students with autism spectrum disorder in the classroom but all students with social and communication needs.

Support Team

People with autism spectrum disorder are highly individual and need equally individual packages of support. The first step towards providing support is for those working closely with the student to assemble an individual profile, including unique skills and needs (see the ‘Building a student profile’ section towards the end of this resource). The family and whānau, school support staff and specialised team can then use this profile as the basis for individual education programmes.

The specialised team may include a specialist teacher or a resource teacher: learning and behaviour (RTLB), or a special education provider such as the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE). No one person will have all the skills and expertise required. Together the team will provide the complementary skills required to meet the student's needs.