Date: 18/04/18

Focus

Autism

Key Ideas/Messages that informed/or challenge my teaching practice

Autism is for life

There is no test or scan that can be done - just observations

No cure, but there are strategies that they can use that makes life easier to manage and achieve their goals.

What is autism? No easy definition - one way to think about it is that people with autism have their brains
wired in a different way.

Be aware of what we see as this can have a negative impact on how people with autism see themselves,
e.g - disorderd difficult, disabled, impaired etc

People with autism are diverse - but generally will have difficulty in the following areas:

• Understanding and using verbal and non-verbal communications
• Understanding social behaviour
• Thinking and behaving flexibly
• Sensory issues

We have to be careful to take everyone with autism as they come and not compare them to others.
Using a linear spectrum can be problematic as it can pigeon home people.

The linear looking spectrum gives the impression that people range from being a little autistic to being very
autistic. Each person with autism will have a set of traits all in different areas of the spectrum.
Some areas may be affected by some circumstances.

If you’ve met on person with autism...you’ve met one person with autism. They are all different!

Aspergers is on the spectrum, generally at the high functioning end of autism.

Some parents don’t want their child to be labelled autistic. It is completely up to them and can be helpful
when getting support. Early the easier.

There is an great little youtube video - animated explanation of autism

NZ ASD Guideline Book

Executive functioning - an umbrella term for the skills and cognitive processes that enable us to successfully
navigate our lives. They relate to our abilities to organise, plan, remember instructions, understand complex
or abstract concepts and deal with change. Can be split into 2 different groups - organisation and regulation.

Strategies:

• Use routines
• Use visual supports to aid organisation
• Give one instruction at a time (or give written instructions)
• Make consequences clear - help them understand the link between the behaviour and the consequence.
• UNderstand you student’s signs of stress or anxiety
• Plan for transitions
• Teach student’s strategies students can use again in the future

             

Altogether autism have resources that schools can use to help share information about autistic students to their
next teacher.

Theory of Mind - Theory of mind is being able to understand and react to another person’s thoughts,
emotions and intentions.

• Understanding people’s behaviour and emotions
• Being unaware of the effect their own behaviour on others.
• Predicting the perspectives and thoughts of others.
• Joint attention -
• Differentiating fiction and fact.

Strategies

• As neurotypicals we need to understand neuro diverse perspectives to build relationships.
• Practise perspective taking activities
• Role play
• Help understanding and emotions, thoughts and actions
• Video modelling
• Be overt with our own emotions if we want students to understand them.

ASD quiet often sits alongside other things such as:

• ADHD
• Epilepsy
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Selective mutism
• Intellectual disability.

Autism and Anxiety - 75% of children with autism experience anxiety. Many things may cause anxiety
i.e changed routine, situations feeling out of control, unstructured time, lack of social skills and difficulties
following social rules, sensory overload.

What does anxiety look like?

• Avoidance of new situations
• Preference for sameness
• Rigidity
• Withdrawal (physical or emotional)
• Anger
• Meltdowns
• Repetitive noises, movements.

Strategies for anxiety

• Try to understand what is causing the anxiety
• REcognise the individual warning signs
• Reduce the anxiety provoking situations through the use of routines and transition plans
• Teaching self-calming strategies
• Build on strengths -
• Recognise when anxiety is getting worse - seek help
• Choices - only 2!
• Break cards
• Sensory breaks
• Physical breaks
• Relaxation breaks
• Solitude breaks (Not time out!)
• Diversion breaks
• Sensory box

Helpful to know key stressors or triggers

Want to get child’s input where possible. How do you feel? What would they like to happen? How will they know?

Causes - Possibly genetic - seems to run in families. Environmental unlikely. Not vaccinations, trauma or parenting.

Strengths of autism:

• Learning to read at a very early age
• Memorising and/or learning information quickly
• Thinking in a visual way
• Having an exceptional long-term memory
• Being detailed and orientated
• Having an exceptional ability to focus on one task
• Exceptional honesty and reliability

What autistic people need

• Don’t buy into stereotypes and myths
• Strengths based focus - see the person
• Make a good self-esteem a top priority
• Get to know the individual autism
• Connect us with out community and others like us
• Learn about autism from the inside, from autistic people.
• Understand that functioning change and can be fluid.
• Understand that we do feel love - hyper-empathy more likely than lack of empathy.
• Have an open mind - don’t put limits on us.
• Provide social translation, not just social skills.
• Be sure any interventions or therapies are really what is best for us
• Be very careful with punishment

Sensory

Seven senses

5 mains ones +

• Propreosensory - your position in space.
• Balance (can’t remember what it is called)

Hyposensitivity v Hypersensitivity

Hypo - seeking

Hyper - avoiding

Environmental Accommodations

• Small changes to the environment can make a difference
• Be aware of the environment - look around to see if it is creating any difficulties for people with autism
• Bre creative - try and think of positive sensory experiences.
• Be prepared - tell people with autism about the possible sensory stimuli they might experience in different environments.

STIMMING

Could be

• Repetitive body movements
• Repetitive movement of objects
• Repetitive noises or sounds

Private and public stims - what is the difference? Why is this important?

Appropriate age and stage

Stigmatisation - can stims make people look different? Does this matter?

Stims are easier to stop when children are younger. Good to find a replacement.

Predictability and consistency

• Have a consistent routine schedule
• Show as well as tell
• Describe change in a way that is meaningful to them
• Say what you mean and use slang or sayings
• Be direct and specific
• Consider your clients sensory activities.

BEHAVIOUR

Antecedent - Behaviour - Consequence

Most behaviour is not just reflexive or biologically driven, it is learned over time and shaped through our
experiences.

Positive reinforcement is the way to go.

Function of behaviour - gain attention, to get access to a tangible item, to escape or avoid something, or for
sensory reasons.

Best to look at behaviours over time and build up some data - times, what happens before and after etc.
Write down ABC’s

Implications/Actions for my teaching practice

• Focus on one student who has exhibited signs of autism, but is not yet diagnosed.
• Collect some data around his behaviours using this form: ABC Behavioural tracking form
• Use data to look at what aspects of the environment I can change to prevent these behaviours from occuring.
• I will also add more visuals to my programme, which will benefit all students, not just those with autism.
• I will start with our literacy timetable.