Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents...
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Transcript of Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents...
milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected] 249
WORKSHOP ABSTRACT:
Interests and social norms change rapidly when students enter middle school. Hormones, technology, and popular culture take the wheel as elementary interests go to the backseat. This becomes a particularly challenging time for students with autism that often have narrowed interest and difficulty with change. Developing age-appropriate skills and exposing children with autism to age-appropriate interests will encourage more socialization and help to increase future independence. Parents and practitioners of children with autism need to make a clear effort in encouraging and designing age-appropriate activities and materials.
SESSION OBJECTIVES:
1. Participants will be able to identify the need for considering age appropriateness for adolescents with autism.
2. Participants will be able to identify age-appropriate activities for adolescents with autism.
3. Participants will be able to identify age-appropriate material for adolescents with autism.
4. Participants will be able to identify the benefits of age-appropriate activities and materials for adolescents with autism.
WORKSHOP D-2
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
JennifeR GOnDa, MSed, BCBaYoungstown Summit academy High School for autism
nataSHa WalSKi, BedYoungstown Summit academy High School for autism
TRACKS: Clinical & School Psychologist; Educator & School Administrator; Parent & Family Member; Speech-Language Pathologist
250 milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected]
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA
is currently a doctoral candidate at Kent State University. She received her graduate degree in special education: autism and related disabilities at Youngstown State University and BCBA coursework at Penn State University. Her undergraduate degree was completed at New York University in educational policy. She works in a math and science classroom at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism. She is the director of Supported and Facilitated Environments, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to have similar experiences as their peers. One of the programs she created through this was Mahoning Valley Circle of Friends. Her interests include functional communication training for older students, social skills for teenagers, and positive behavior supports in the classroom.
Natasha Walski, BEd
is a general education teacher working with students with autism for six years in a school setting. She holds her teacher license in math and science for grade 4-9 with a reading endorsement completed at Youngstown State University. She currently works in a math and science classroom at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism. She cofounded Supported and Facilitated Environments, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to have the same experiences as their typically developing peers. One of the programs she created through this was Mahoning Valley Circle of Friends. Her research interests include incorporating the Common Core standards for all students, and creative hands-on learning experiences.
milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected] 251
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA and Natasha Walski, BEd
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
Natasha Walski, BEd and
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA
12th ANNUAL 2014
Speaker Disclosure Information
Natasha Walski is a Math/Science Teacher at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism and is speaking at the conference on a voluntary basis. She has no relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Speaker Disclosure Information
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA is an intervention specialist at Youngstown Summit Academy High School for Autism and is speaking at the conference on a voluntary basis. She has no relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Session Objectives • The participants will be able to identify the need for
considering age appropriateness for adolescents with autism.
• The participants will be able to identify age-appropriate activities for adolescents with autism.
• The participants will be able to identify age-appropriate material for adolescents with autism.
• The participants will be able to identify the benefits of age-appropriate activities and materials for adolescents with autism.
Age appropriateness is defined as: a student’s chronological age, rather
than developmental age. (Wehmeyer, 2000)
• Special interests or inappropriate attachment to objects • Limited interests • Resistance to change and to try new things • Insistence on sameness • Lack of social interactions • Inappropriate peer interactions • Sustained odd play
(OCALI, 2013)
CHARACTERISTICS OF AUTISM TO CONSIDER
252 milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected]
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA and Natasha Walski, BEd
FREE AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION
“FAPE is an individualized educational program that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and from which the child receives educational benefit, and prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living.”
(Wrightslaw, 2014)
AGE APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM • Looking at the Common Core and the Ohio Department of Education’s
Extended Content Standards to find and create activities beneficial for our learners
• Unique Learning • Real World Math • Social Thinking • Edmark Functional Reading Program • Real World Manipulatives
• Cash register • Money • Receipts • Balancing a checkbook
TOKEN ECONOMY High School students can still thrive on a Token Economy. Students earn
checks for expected behaviors and earn 5 minutes of “reward time” at the end of each period. Students are only allowed to work for the same thing 2 times per day so that they can try new things. Students are able to pick things that are familiar (Yu-gi-oh) but try new things as well (poker).
Students earn Knight Bucks for exceeding expectations and have to
earn a certain number each month to be invited age-appropriate incentives (skating, bowling, etc). Students take turns graphing Knight Bucks as one of the student jobs.
INCENTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Tailgating Party Hockey game YMCA
Open Mic Knight Skating Bowling
SHAPING SPECIAL INTERESTS
• Comic Book Debate Club • Collect them instead of play with them • Draw favorite characters • Talk about the worst villain, greatest
hero, etc
Action Figures
• Girl Club • Make-up • Hair stuff • Jewelry • Perfume • Gossip
My Little Ponies
• Video Game Club • Find age-appropriate computer games
(Temple Run) • Try new games on different technology
Computer Games
DATING • Teaching difference between “flirting” and
being mean • Teaching difference between “flirting” and
touching Flirting
• What do we talk about? • Social media rules • How to ask for a phone number Communication
• Teach appropriateness of touching • Appropriate/inappropriate touch PDA
• Is it okay to have friends of opposite sex? • Is it okay to laugh at other people’s jokes? • Expected/Unexpected for relationships Jealousy
milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected] 253
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA and Natasha Walski, BEd
PRE-PROM
Practice Dancing
Social Skills Practice
How to get ready for a special event
“Fun is a choice!”
Most of our students showed little to no interest in attending prom. In order to prepare and excite students for prom, we hosted a practice prom that students were required to attend. Now all of the students are looking forward to prom.
HOLIDAYS
Halloween • Pass out candy • Take little cousins, siblings, or neighbors trick or treating • Halloween Challenge Games
Christmas • Christmas Karaoke • White Elephant Gift Exchange • Candy Cane Grams
Easter • Easter Egg Truth or Dare • Easter Candy Grams
BIRTHDAYS
Birthday ribbon or pin to wear from school
Parents bringing in snacks
Having a birthday wall
Instead of…
Gifts or party from friends
Friends singing “Happy Birthday” at lunch
Decorating lockers on Birthday
Consider…
SENSORY ROOM
• Often times sensory rooms are geared toward younger students. Often times there are water and sand tables, swings, tents.
• Consider our Sensory Room: Treadmill, exercise bike, exercise balls, and weighted blankets.
Activity Age-Appropriate Not Age-Appropriate
Prize Box Make-up, perfume, head phones
Action figures, toys, My Little Pony
Card Games Playing Poker, Black Jack, Rummy
Playing Yu-gi-oh, Pokemon
Outdoor Activities
Organized outside games: kickball, basketball, football
Playing on the playground, tag, hide and go seek
Assemblies Real world applications, motivational speakers, career day, anti-bullying
Animals, clowns, children’s book authors (Grandpa’s Popsicle, puppets, mascots (Captain McFinn)
Field Trips Hockey game, bowling, skating
petting zoo, Bounce Around, farm
MORE EXAMPLES AGE-APPROPRIATE SKILLS
Functional living skills Cooking Cleaning Creating budgets and paying bills
Occupational skills Mock interviews Resume building Practicing filling out applications
(online and paper/pencil) Career interest
inventories/career aptitude tests
Cleaning Building furniture
Cooking Job Searching
254 milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected]
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA and Natasha Walski, BEd
AGE-APPROPRIATE SKILLS
Social skills Social Thinking Curriculum by
Michelle Garcia Winner Big Problem/Little Problem Ability/Chance/Luck Coping Skills Consequences vs. Corrections “I” statements and “You” statements
AGE-APPROPRIATE SKILLS Leisure skills
Giving options Trying new things Time limits on familiar options
Relationship skills and the introduction of puberty Expected and unexpected relationship sort Big Problem/Little Problem in relationships
Quick Strategies You Can Implement Being open and honest with students
“It is unexpected for a 17-year-old to play on a playground with little kids. What would the other parents think?”
“Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, and Tooth Fairy are not real!” Limiting time and giving age-appropriate options
Students can still play Yu-gi-oh, but have to try new card games as well Allowing students to still have special interests, but tweaking how they use them
Drawing (tracing) pictures of cartoon characters instead of coloring pictures Creating special interest clubs (make them chose different clubs each time)
Talking to students as adults Reminding students how old they are and that how they are acting is
inappropriate for their age Using age appropriate language and pitch of voice
Students with Autism can be in any of these environments, as the environments get more
restrictive it is harder to notice age inappropriateness.
Inclusive Classroom
Resource Room
Special School
Residential Facility
BARRIERS TO AGE APPROPRIATENESS
How do parents struggle in facilitating age-appropriate interest?
How do students struggle with this concept?
How do teachers struggle to find meaningful
activities?
AGE-APPROPRIATE ACTIVITIES FOR VARIED LEVELS OF LEARNERS: REAL LIFE EXAMPLES
Inap
prop
riate
Sesame Street videos on website
Appr
opria
te
Bruno Mars videos on Youtube.com
Inap
prop
riate
Touch Money or giant money math manipulative Ap
prop
riate
Real money as a math manipulative
Inap
prop
riate
“I got a boo boo!” Ap
prop
riate
“I hurt myself!”
Inap
prop
riate
Male using high pitched, squeaky voice Ap
prop
riate
Use Voice meter
milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected] 255
Fostering Age-Appropriate Interests for Adolescents with Autism
Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA and Natasha Walski, BEd
BENEFITS Teaching age appropriateness is beneficial and increases:
Independence Opportunities Peer interactions Self esteem Self confidence Social skills Self advocacy
REFERENCES Learn about Autism > Characteristics. (2013, January 1). Ohio Center for
Autism and Low Incidence. Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.ocali.org/project/learn_about_autism/page/autism_characteristics
Wehmeyer, M. L. (2002). Teaching students with mental
retardation. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Wrightslaw - Topics - Learn About Free Appropriate Public Education
(FAPE). (2014, January 1). Wrightslaw - Topics - Learn About Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Retrieved April 15, 2014, from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/fape.index.htm
CONTACT US Jennifer Gonda, MSEd, BCBA [email protected] Natasha Walski [email protected]
256 milestones.org • 216-464-7600 • [email protected]