How can I support my student with Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Answer 1

Your student with ASD likely has sensory differences that need to be addressed in order for them to learn more effectively. When a student's sensory system is regulated then learning is enhanced. It can be useful to have your student evaluated by an occupational therapist to determine their unique sensory profile and get ideas of what sort of sensory input (or lack of sensory input, as with noise cancelling headphones) will help your student stay regulated. This is called a sensory diet.

Your student may also benefit from a visual schedule and structured routine. A visual schedule may be as simple as a written list (if your student is a reader) or it may include pictures of photos. Students with ASD are better able to focus and stay regulated if they know what to expect and they are often visual thinkers so pictures are more meaningful to them than language.

Finally, your student with ASD may benefit from frequent breaks. Many people with ASD also have ADHD and focusing for more than a few minutes at a time may be difficult for them. Allow your student to take short breaks as needed - a visual timer can help keep them on track.

Answer 2

Learn your learner! Sometimes supporting your student just simply means learning what interests them and being willing to incorporate that into teaching! What is your student most interested in? If we can make this task or subject they would prefer to not be involved in more interesting for them by relating it back to their interest, adding visuals that help them understand the time that is left, and meeting them where they are instead of expecting them to meet us where we are we take a lot of pressure off of the learner and help them to learn and enjoy learning!

Practically: If teaching Math to a student that would prefer to be watching SpongeBob we can use print outs of characters from the show to help them get down concepts. If addition: 1 SpongeBob (visual) + 5 Patrick (Visuals) = 6 Friends. Just like that we've taught a concept that was difficult before but has now been made enjoyable!

Answer 3

The autism spectrum is extremely broad. It includes at least a sensory component, a social referencing component, and a communication component. Autism is a developmental problem. Therefore, the uniqueness of each case increases with age, until treated or development stagnates. Your question needed to include age and specific issues that affect your student for it to have a good answer. Someone replied that speech and occupational therapy are useful. I will add that applied behavior analysis should be very beneficial.

Is the child self injurious or aggressive? Those are normally the first two problems I would correct. Does the child produce unproductive behaviors, such as odd repetitive gestures or rocking? Those tend to relate to anxiety and emotional insulation. Treating those without finding better replacements can be detrimental. Can the child speak? If speech is deficient, Speech pathology is very important. Behavior analysis can help with language development too. A coordinated effort between a speech pathologist and a behavior analyst has worked amazingly in my experience. Are gestures and emotional expressions very limited? The child needs to learn to react to the world before he or she can truly interact.

Perhaps you want to ask this question again, giving specific problems related to your student.