Children with Autism have difficulties communicating and poor social skills. As there is a large spectrum of symptoms that fall on the autistic scale, the severity of the disability can vary widely between two different students. Even so, there are some generalities that will help teachers include these students more in the classroom.
Daily Classroom Routines for Autistic Students
Students with autism thrive on a predictable routine. When something unexpected happens, an autistic child has difficulty coping and may demonstrate some stereotypical autistic symptoms such as rocking, and repeating the same word or phrase. This repetition is calming, and efforts should be made to gently teach the child how to cope with changes in a routine.
Have the class routine written down so that you can refer to the schedule often throughout the day. Having a schedule taped to the student’s desk may help as well. This way the child can look at the schedule himself and know what is coming next. This is especially helpful when the schedule changes – providing the student a written schedule will help them cope from one activity to another.
Reduce Distractions in the Classroom
Minimizing the excess stimuli in the classroom will help prevent the student with autism from becoming overwhelmed. It is easier to process one thing at a time, and when there is too much going on, either visually or audibly, it can cause the student to shut down and resort to calming techniques.
When the student seems to become overwhelmed, quiet the class, slow down the pace of the activity, or allow the student to move to a quiet area of the room to calm down and continue working. Reducing the volume and clutter in the classroom can help.
Simple Teaching Strategies for Autistic Students
Ask simple questions and instead of giving open ended questions, and provide options. Remember to give more wait time than usual for the student to answer a question, and be sure to use vocabulary that the child understands. This may mean using simple words, or defining words as you go. Reword questions instead of repeating the same question if the student does not understand or does not respond.
Remember that the child may take longer to process a request, and may be hesitant to try something new. When speaking to the child, work on getting the child to make eye contact. Do as much concrete teaching as possible instead of requiring the student to draw an inference. Be sure to involve all of the child’s senses in the learning process.
Working with an autistic student in an inclusion setting has its challenges. Patience is a huge key in helping the child be successful. By setting a routine, reducing distractions and implementing some simple teaching strategies, an autistic child will be able to participate more, and learn more in your class.
Find more resources for teachers working with autistic students.
Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.
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