Answers to some Frequently Asked Questions
What are some of the behaviors seen in children with autism?
Every child with autism is different. It is a spectrum disorder, with one side of the spectrum including children who are more severely affected – cognitively delayed to those more mildly affected – some social difficulties. The three areas we typically look at are communication, social interaction, and behavior/interests. Some behaviors we may see include difficulties in communication – a child may be non-verbal, delayed in receptive/expressive language development, not have functional language; be very literal in their thinking (i.e. if you say it’s raining cats and dogs, the child looks at the sky expecting to see cats and dogs raining down). Difficulties in social interactions may look like the student is not interested in others around them, may not know how to interact with peers or adults; some students have intense areas of interest (i.e. they know EVERYTHING about clocks) and that may be all they want to focus on. Some may display stimming behaviors (rocking, pacing, spinning, and flapping). It is completely dependent on each individual child.
How do I know what to expect from my student with autism?
As with any child, you need to look at what the child is capable of, how they learn, any accommodations and modifications they might require, and plan accordingly. If a child is in 3rd grade and reading at a 1st grade level, we are not going to expect them to pick up a long chapter book and read for understanding. Regardless of a diagnosis, we need to look at what the child can do, how far they have come, the progress they have already made, and continue to build on that. Sometimes this is trial and error, but it is extremely important that we not lower our expectations for a child based on a diagnosis. All children are capable of learning – just at different paces and with different supports.
What should I do if my student has a bad day?
First of all, we all have bad days. (I think I may have more than most J) It is unrealistic to expect perfection, so we need to be proactive. If we know a student is set off by certain triggers (a word, sound, smell, person, activity) how can we prepare the student ahead of time? Can we sandwich the non-preferred activities in between two preferred activities? Can we offer a reward/reinforcer for completion of the non-preferred? Can we offer choices? Sometimes we need to make decisions in the moment, whether it means decreasing the size/length of a task demand, taking a break, changing the environment, or just allowing the student to let it out. The more you get to know your student, the more you will be able to identify triggers that might set off your student, and strategies that might help to deescalate behavior. This is where the CPI chart can come in handy.
What do we do for the student that always seems to finish before everyone else?
If the student has completed the task successfully, it might help to keep a few independent tasks (preferred) the student can complete on his/her own at their desk or in a corner of the room. If there is staff available, this might be a great time to incorporate a sensory break – just make sure it is a functional break (i.e. bringing a note to the office, getting a drink, using the bathroom, etc.). Many students love being a special helper so if there is a task that you need completed in the classroom, this would be a great time to incorporate it – (filing graded papers in mailboxes).
What do you do for the student who doesn't seem to be motivated by anything?
These are the tough ones!! We have to become detectives at this point.
Everyone is motivated by something/someone. Sometimes we can offer preference assessments. (see attached). Sometimes we can ask the student for ideas of what they might want to work for/earn. Asking parents what the student is motivated by at home, or simply exposing the student to many different types of reinforcers and seeing what he/she gravitates to. Some students are motivated by the same thing for what seems like forever – with others it changes by the hour. Frequently assess a student’s preferences to avoid satiation. Also keep in mind – what we see as reinforcing may not be at all for someone else, and vice versa. Also, with children with autism, the intrinsic motivation we may feel for being told “good job” or simply for someone’s approval may have no value to them.
Note re: using food as a reinforcer. I have found that if I am really struggling to find a motivator for a student, it is sometimes necessary to start with a food (1 m&m, a chocolate chip) that I pair with other reinforcers. Once a student shows success, we then begin to fade back the use of food, and continue to offer other options.
How am I supposed to address all of this student's needs when I am responsible for educating an entire classroom?
That is a difficult and valid concern. Try to see what can be incorporated as a whole class strategy – for example, incorporate sensory breaks for everyone (call them brain breaks). Pair your student with a responsible student as a model. If you have an extra set of hands in your classroom, it may be easier to address the more specific differentiation that needs to take place. The best way to address everyone is to set up a consistent routine for as much as possible in your classroom. Introduce it, model it, practice it, practice it, practice it, model it, and be consistent.
What can I do about the inappropriate hygiene behaviors?
You may want to incorporate social narratives - a power card, social autopsy as examples, to help the student remember not to do it, and why. A visual reminder that can be used to remind a student, as well as reinforcement for when the behavior is absent will also help. An immediate consequence (natural) would be good (i.e. washing hands) and may be a way to help a student break the cycle of behavior. It depends on the function of the behavior (does the student like the attention they get, are they doing it to get out of the task, does it just feel good?).
What is the best way to communicate with parents?
Let parents know what you are implementing and why. Also, let them know what their child is doing and can do at school! Sometimes as parents, we hear that our kids can do this, this, and this, yet we have never seen them do it at home and have no idea they can!! If we know some positives, and not just negatives, we are more likely to be positive about their time at school. If we know why a certain strategy is being used, and that data supported that decision, we are more likely to accept it.
How can we help our students with autism understand that they are not the center of the universe?
Perspective taking skills are difficult for children in general, but particularly so for kids on the spectrum. It is very hard to understand that what I do affects other people, and will play a part in how they respond to me. The best thing we can do is not to give in and just let the student win, or be the center of the universe. All children need to learn that they may not always win, they may not always go first, etc. We can incorporate social narratives to help with this, task analysis (breaking down the steps), role-playing, reinforcing for those times that the student can self-regulate and adjust, etc. It may take more practice than with other students, and it may take longer for the student to gain those perspective taking skills, but it is important that we teach them anyway. Lastly: Pick your Battles and remember – Fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing…fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful.