Analysing Autism

Across my classes this semester, and last semester, I have had several students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Although of course each student is unique, this is an area I felt I needed further development to be able to support them to be successful. At the end of last term I attended a workshop facilitated by Professor Robyn Young: Autism Spectrum disorder and behaviour management in the educational context. 

Key takeaways from the workshop:

- Often students with ASD can have scripted language. What they say is what makes sense to them and/or they think is what they want you to say. This is important to be aware of, because this may mean the students don't actually understand what is asked of them or what they are supposed to be doing. So rather than yes/no questions, actually ask the students to describe or explain something to reduce the scripted responses. 

- I had never heard of Echolalia before. Echolalia is when someone repeats words or sentences they have heard previously. For instance the student may repeat the last word they hear, or later on in the day repeat something that they heard their caregivers say before school (so it sounds out of context). Having greater understanding of Echolalia is important, because it has made me more aware of how many words I use when giving instructions or asking questions. If the student is retaining and repeating the last word or two, then maybe they did not comprehend the words before it. Robyn explained that this is one of the ways ASD is diagnosed early, especially in toddlers because they are learning speech so are likely to copy their caregivers.

- To diagnose ASD there is no medical test as such (although tests may be carried out to identify/rule out other causes of the symptoms). Across several settings there are observations of the person. They are being observed to see how they communicate with others, what their behaviours are and what their developmental levels are. 

- When possible, ask for quantitative responses rather than qualitative. More definitive, rather and descriptive.

- Rather than setting plans in concrete, allow for changes/adaptations. Many students with ASD do not like or are unable to process unexpected changes, and as a result this may impact on their behaviour. By avoiding solidifying plans, this can help to reduce the fear of change and the reactions to change. This makes a lot of sense to me as one of my students can become argumentative and/or frustrated when we need to change things (for example if I have said we will be playing outside then this changes to completing an activity in the classroom). I also have a new student this semester that asks me in advance where we will be, what he will need and what we will be completing. This has helped me to plan in advance, but also to have conversations about change and flexibility to change.

- Although their IQ skills may be high, many students with ASD have low common sense skills. This means I will have to be more aware of assumptions that I make, as some things that may be obvious to me or to some students, may not be clear for others. 

- Chronological and clear steps are important. Those with ASD are very literal, they will do exactly what is asked, so everything needs to be structured, scaffolded and explicit. After this PD, this is the biggest thing I have been left thinking about. I have gone through and adapted/updated assignments and considered this when I am planning activities. Many of the assignments I gave students (the IB assessments) last term had many questions that implied depth was needed, or had multiple parts to answer. I've tried to break these down, so there is greater order and the questions are as specific as I can make them. Additionally this also helps to divide tasks into more simple and manageable steps to work through, so can be less overwhelming for students. 

- For off task behaviour or behaviour that isn't acceptable, consider differential reinforcement of positive behaviours and/or intermittent reinforcement. Differential reinforcement is about giving alternative behaviours, rather than asking the student to not do something. Robyn gave the example if a student is constantly clapping, this may be because they don't know what to do with their hands. Rather than asking them to stop clapping (which may result in them becoming confused or frustrated with what to do with their hands), ask them to put their hands on their lap or on the table. The students need clear break downs and descriptions of what is expected of them, linking back to the importance of being explicit rather than implicit and not making assumptions. When students are behaving appropriately, make them aware of this so they can recognise what is accepted. Don't ignore low level off task or misbehaviour, because if we wait until they are extreme, this may result in the student thinking the lower level behaviours were acceptable. 

- Sometimes an explanation for the way they are behaving, is that ASD students often do not see cause and effect. They may be able to recognise and describe the effect and consequences of their decisions/actions on themselves, but it can be difficult and problematic for them understand the impact on someone else / others. 

- Executive functioning skills like those below (from the Positive Partnerships webinar) help us to organise information, evaluate ideas, self regulate and much more. These skills are incredibly helpful during a student's learning journey, and are often skills autistic children struggle with. Positive Partnerships also suggests several strategies that could be used in the classroom to support development of these executive functioning skills. 

Things to consider moving forward

- Simple instructions

- Scaffolded and explicit questioning

- Break down tasks

- Allow for flexibility or change

- When in groups, consider who will be supportive

- Explain why certain behaviours are unacceptable and give an alternative

- Read through students' individual learning plans that have been broken down, to learn more about students individually and strategies that support them specifically