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Grandparents & Autism Connect

Overview of Autism

Learner Objectives

• Identify the 3 areas of impairment associated

with autism spectrum disorders

• Identify the learning characteristics of children

with autism

• Use information about learning characteristics to

learn about your grandchild

Did You Know • Autism is a spectrum disorder

• Some people with autism have average or

above average IQs. Many children with autism

have mental retardation

• Autism is 4 times more common in boys than

girls

• Once considered a rare disorder it now occurs

in approximately 1 in every 91 people

Autism

• Children with autism experience

difficulty in the areas of:

1. Communication/Language

2. Social skills/Interacting with others

3. Have narrow interests and repetitive

behaviors

Communication

• Development of language is

significantly delayed

• Some do not develop language

• Difficulty with using language to get

their wants and needs met

• Difficulty understanding when others

are talking

Communication

• Difficulty starting or ending conversations or

keeping conversations going

• Robotic, formal speech

• Echolalia: Repeat back what is just said or

repeat back whole or partial scripts from

movies, cartoons, commercials

• Difficulty with the practical use of language

Social Interaction

• Difficulty making friends

• Difficulty with give and take of social

interactions

• Hard time understanding body language/facial

expressions of others

• Hard time using body language/facial

expressions

• May not be motivated by same things as other

kids (like verbal praise “good job”)

Narrow Interests/Repetitive

Behaviors

• Can become intensely focused on things that are different from what a typical peer is interested in

• Can have very strong rituals

• May move their body in a certain way, over and over (hand flapping, rocking)

• May become very focused on the part of an object

• May use their behavior as a way to communicate

Video Guide

• Make three columns on your paper and

label them Communication, Social Skills

and Behavior

• What characteristics of autism does this

child display that would fit into these

categories?

• Is there overlap between the columns?

Revisiting Autism

• Challenges in the areas of Social,

Communication and Behavior

• 1 in 91

• Spectrum disorder

11

Learning Characteristics

Concrete and Literal Thinkers

• Have difficulty thinking in

the abstract

Concrete and Literal Thinkers

• What this means for you?

– Avoid the use of figurative language, idioms

• Activity: Draw a picture of what one of these phrases would mean to someone who takes everything literally.

– Cat got your tongue?

– Hit the road

– You’re out in left field

– People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

– Here’s mud in your eye

– You’re the whole enchilada

– Or think of your own phrase and illustrate. Share with the group.

Overselectivity

• Child may pay attention to one detail of a

task/activity/toy/person instead of the whole

thing

• May miss the main point of the task or

activity

Overselectivity

• What this means for you

– Be sure to point out, highlight what is the main

point of the task/activity

Lack of Generalization

• May learn a skill in one place and may not

be able to do it in a different place

Lack of Generalization

• What this means for you: – Teach your grandchild with ASD the skills they need in

the places where they will use them!! Practice those skills in lots of different settings.

• Choose 1 skill Work with your group- how many places could you work on that skill? – Standing in a line

– Taking turns

– Ordering food

– Sharing materials

– Using money

– Asking for help

Distractibility

• Easily distracted by things from the outside

world and within themselves

• External things: Noise level of the room,

things on the wall, smells, lighting,

closeness of other people

• Internal things: Hunger, stress level,

tiredness, sickness

Distractibility

• What this means for you:

– Be aware that certain settings might be hard for

your grandchild (e.g. Walmart, crowded

museum, loud movie)

– How could you reduce the distractions in those

settings?

Strong Visual Learners

• Visual is their premium cable channel

• Your grandchild will often learn by seeing

and doing

Strong Visual Learners

• What this means for you:

– Point

– Show them

– Draw a picture

– Write it down

– Give them an example of what it should look like

Strong need for Routines

and Rituals

• Once learned, it is difficult to change

• Asset, liability or both?

Strong Need for Routines and

Rituals

• What this means for you

– Be aware of routines and rituals (if they are not

disruptive it is okay to follow the routine or ritual)

– Talk to your son or daughter about how to be

supportive and how to encourage flexibility for

when change is necessary

Motivation

• Motivation is often different from their peers

• Your grandchild’s parents may have

excellent ideas about what motivates your

grandchild

Guess What’s in the Box

Did anyone guess that a piece of

PVC pipe and a feather duster

would be in the box?

Communication

• Difficulty understanding spoken words Especially in times of stress – Remember to give wait time. After saying

something wait five seconds to allow your grandchild to process

• Difficulty using their words -Especially in times of stress

Communication

• What this means for you: – Use less spoken language

– Reduce your talking significantly when giving a direction!!!!! Especially if they are upset. Show them instead. Pair words with a visual.

– It is very important that you remain calm. Your behavior will influence your grandchild’s

– Have a back up system available

Myth Busters!!!

• You and your partner will be given a colored card with a myth on it

• You will also be given a blank card

• Read the myth

• With your partner, write the correct information on the blank Myth Buster card

• When all the groups are finished, share the myth and the Myth Buster Card!

Learner Objectives

• Identify the 3 areas of impairment associated

with autism spectrum disorders

• Identify the learning characteristics of children

with autism

• Use information about learning characteristics to

learn about your grandchild

Questions

Generations & Autism Connect

Your Family

Learning Objectives

• Increase understanding of how having a grandchild with autism affects you and your family – Grief

– Stress

• Emotional

• financial

• Increase understanding of how you can support your family – Emotional support

– Respite

– Sibling support

– Information gatherer

– other

Who are members of Your

Family?

• Whomever you identify as a family

member

• Every family defines itself

Family Stress

• Parents of children with disabilities rate

themselves as more stressed than

parents of children without disabilities.

• Parents of children with ASD rate

themselves as more stressed than

families of children with any other

disability.

Characteristics of Children with

Autism Related to Family Stress

• Work with your team to identify

characteristics of ASD that may be related to

family stress

Sources of Family Stress • Reactions from society

• Feelings of isolation

• Concerns over future care giving

• Finances

• Ethnic/Cultural/Religious Differences

• Feelings of grief

• Others??

Video Guide

• What are sources of stress for this family?

• What are things they celebrate?

Marital/Relationship Stress

• Readjusting expectations

• Challenges may increase

• Cumulative effect of stress

Sibling Stress

• What would be sources of sibling stress?

Strategies to Address Family Stress

• Their spirituality

• Exercise

• Relaxation Techniques

• Advocacy

• Counseling

• Keeping a log of daily goals and successes

What Does this Mean for You?

Opportunities to Offer Support

– Emotional support

– Respite

– Sibling support

– Information gatherer

– other

Review of Learning Objectives

• Increase understanding of how having a grandchild with autism affects you and your family – Grief

– Stress

• Emotional

• financial

• Increase understanding of how you can support your family – Emotional support

– Respite

– Sibling support

– Information gatherer

– other

Communication

Strategies, Ideas and Supports

Review

Impairments in:

• Communication

• Social interaction

• Narrow interests and repetitive behaviors

Learning Characteristics:

• Learn best by seeing

• Difficulty generalizing

• Strong need for routine

Learning Objectives

• Identify the different ways people communicate

• Understand that even people who use spoken language sometimes need help communicating

• Increase knowledge of how to develop communication aids for your grandchild

Activity

• What do we mean by “communicate”

• There are lots of different ways we

communicate

• How many different messages can we

communicate with the words:

• “Thanks a lot Mom”

• “That’s great”

Types of Communication

• Expressive: What is spoken or

communicated with nonverbal

communication. It is the OUTPUT part of

communication

• Receptive: What is heard or understood

by nonverbal communication. It is the

INPUT part of communication

Just Because you Can’t Talk

Doesn’t Mean you Can’t

Communicate

What is Needed to

Communicate • Understanding Cause and Effect

Understanding Cause and Effect

• Does the child recognize that their

actions can cause something to happen

in their environment?

• Example:

1. John loves bubbles

2. He presses the button (cause)

3. Bubbles come out (effect)

Understanding Cause and Effect

Communicating with Pictures

What is Needed to

Communicate • Understanding cause and effect

• The need to communicate

The Need to Communicate

• Communication opportunities can occur throughout the day

• Example: – Rose drinks juice during three meal times, when she

comes home from school and in the evening. Rose has the chance to communicates about juice FIVE times per day.

– Rose asks for juice by handing you a cup

– You give her a a ¼ cup of juice in her cup so she can ask for juice several times before she is finished drinking

What is Needed to

Communicate

• Understanding cause and effect

• The need to communicate

• Someone with whom to communicate

Someone with Whom to

Communicate

• If adults are always the ones initiating,

children may only respond

• Provide opportunities your grandchild to

initiate and ask for things independently

– Provide temptations

Someone with Whom to Communicate

What is Needed to

Communicate

• Understanding cause and effect

• The need to communicate

• Someone with whom to communicate

• Something to communicate about

Something to Communicate

About

• Let the child determine what he wants to

communicate about

• Try to figure out the child’s interests by

watching him, and asking his parents.

This is where communication can begin.

• Make a list of 5 really exciting things that

you think your grandchild would want to

communicate about

Something to Communicate About

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Something to Communicate

About

• Review your list of 5 things – How many opportunities would the child

have to use the messages you selected?

– What good things would the child receive

if he/she communicated those messages?

What is Needed to

Communicate • Understanding cause and effect

• The need to communicate

• Someone with whom to communicate

• Something to communicate about

• A way to communicate

What is Needed to

Communicate - A Way to

Communicate

• Children who do not have spoken

language CAN communicate using

different means other than speech.

A Way to Communicate

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication

(AAC)

– Most people use AAC to Augment (add to) their message

(body language, facial expressions, tone)

– Sometimes we use Alternatives to speaking (pointing,

writing, drawing)

• AAC can be used by people with disabilities who

have difficulty communicating

• AAC can be simple or it can involve technology

A Way to Communicate - Gestures

A Way to Communicate

Actual Objects

A Way to Communicate

Picture Symbols

A Way to Communicate

Picture Symbol Book

A Way to Communicate

Written Word

AAC- High Tech Device

What This Means For You

• Try to create opportunities for your

grandchild to communicate.

• That means

– Understands cause and effect

– Has a need to communicate

– Has someone with whom to communicate

– Has something to communicate about

– Has a way to communicate

Learning Objectives

• Identify the different ways people

communicate

• Understand that even people who use

spoken language sometimes need help

communicating

• Increase knowledge of how to develop

communication aids for your grandchild

Choice Making

Choice Making with Objects

Picture List of Choices

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Picture List of Choices

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2008 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights

Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Written List of Choices

Choice Making

Grandparents & Autism Connect

Socialization

Learner Objectives

• Increase understanding of why it’s

important to work on socialization

with all children

– Why it is especially important to work on

social skill development with children

with ASD

• Increase skills in setting up social

opportunities

– How to enlist the help of other children

Importance of Socialization

• How well we are able to get along with

others predicts school performance in first

grade even more than intelligence and

family background

• Getting along with others is Important

• Children who are unpopular, aggressive,

disruptive and unable to sustain close

relationships with other children are at risk

for long term problems

Importance of Socialization

• Friendships are important

• Friendships promote social and

intellectual development

• Friendships contribute to successful

adulthood

Help Children Recognize Their

Feelings

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Help Children Manage Their Feelings

Challenges

• Difficulty understanding social situations

may result in inappropriate responses

– You can help your grandchild learn to

how to socialize

• Challenges continue into adulthood

Strategies for Success

• Find places where there are children

without disabilities available for play

and interaction

• Plan for social activities when you’re

planning your outings or visits

• Praise and encourage the your

grandchild and other children when

they are playing appropriately

together

Strategies for Success

• Support play by suggesting play ideas.

(Example “Hey, Bill likes Thomas the Tank

Engine, why don’t you two play with

Thomas!”)

– Be sure to allow for wait time. Many children

with autism need processing time and may

be slow to warm-up to an idea

• Consider times during your visit when you can

focus on social skills

• Arrange the environment to promote social

interactions

Example: Interactive Activity

Example: Arrange Materials

Example: Arrange Environment to

Encourage Interaction

Example: Using Names

Example: Reminder to “Play with

Your Friends”

Write a Story

• My Grandpa and I

sometimes go to the park

• I like go on the slide and

swing

• I can try to play on the

merry-go-round with the

other kids

• Grandpa will help me

• Playing on the toys is

fun!

Remember

• Individuals with autism can socialize

successfully with support

• As a meaningful adult in your grandchild’s

life you can help them learn simply by

being a great social partner

Closing Thoughts

Who would choose to live, even if

possessed with all other things,

without friends? - Aristotle

Grandparents & Autism Connect

Community Inclusion

Learning Objectives

• Increase understanding of how

programs not children with autism

adapt for success

• Increase awareness of how to adapt

community outings for success

Inclusion is a Principle Not a

Place • Inclusion can extend to

– Family

– Neighborhood

– Church programs

– Recreation centers

– Community presence

Community Inclusion is

Successful with Preparation

To Ensure Success • The learning situations and

environments must be as real as possible.

• Practice makes perfect

Where do Children Play Together

in Your Community?

Structuring the Community

Increase predictability of activity

Make Expectations Clear

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Worldwide. Used with permission.

Bring Communication Devices

Prepare Them Ahead of Time

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Worldwide. Used with permission.

People With Autism Can Be

Included

A Field Trip to the Police Station

At The Beach

At the Grocery Store

At the Park

At the Park

At the Movies

People with autism Can

included!

Anywhere and

Everywhere!!!!!

Grandparents & Autism Connect

Behavior

Learning Objectives

• Increase understanding of why children with

autism might have challenging behavior

• Increase ability to decrease the occurrence

of challenging behavior

• Increase ability manage challenging

behavior if it does occur

From the Point of View

of the Child with Autism

• Problem behavior can results from

– Not understanding what he/she is

being asked to do.

– Difficulty communicating wants and

needs

– Difficulty understanding consequences

From an Adult’s Point of View

• A child’s behavior might look and feel

like

– Lack of compliance

– Tantrums

– Destruction of property

– Aggression

– Self-Injury

A Grandparents Perspective

Important Point to Ponder

To improve a child’s behavior we must

know WHY they are engaging in

challenging behavior

Similarities and Differences

Similarities- Most challenging behaviors

displayed by YOUNG children with autism,

may be observed in young children without

disabilities.

Differences- How often, how severe and how

long it goes on.

Access

• Does the child want something?

• Some challenging behaviors are a

way for the child to communicate

they want something (attention, an

object, activity, person, food item

etc.), or to protest when a desired

object or activity is taken away or

stopped.

Escape/Avoid

• Does the child want to get away from

something/someone?

• Escape behaviors communicate the desire

to escape or avoid certain activities or

people

Sensory-Self Regulation

• Repetitive movements, such as body

rocking, hand waving or head wagging,

may be a person’s way of dealing with the

amount of activity going on around them.

They may be over stimulated or under

stimulated.

Remember

• There is no magic solution

• Ounce of Prevention

What You Can Do to Help

Help the Child Understand the

Rules

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Help the Child Understand the

Steps of a Task or Activity

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Help Prepare the Child

for Changes in Routine

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Adjust Demands for the Child

Help the Child Understand

the Order of Events

Teach a Better Way to

Get Their Needs Met • Challenging behavior communicates a

message

– Escape

– Avoidance

– Sensory

• Children with autism CAN learn to get

their needs met without challenging

behavior – and you can HELP!

Give Them a Way to Communicate

Give Them a Way to Ask for a

Break

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Provide a Place Where They Can

Go for a Quiet Break

Provide Activity Choices

Provide Rewards When

Appropriate

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Help Practice Different Solutions

To Problem Behavior

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Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

Help Them Learn to Calm Down

There are lots of ways you

can help children with autism

learn to manage their

behavior

When Problem Behavior Happens

Success In Action

In Conclusion

• Three general categories of WHY challenging behavior occurs – Access

– Avoid

– Sensory

• We can help children with autism learn alternatives to problem behavior.

Prepare, prepare, prepare to keep problem behaviors from happening in the first

place!