Programming for Students with High Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) in the General Education Setting

Presented by: Pam Leonard

&Sabrina Beaudry

Institute Day IPSD 204

2-25-11

First let’s take a few minutes to understand what HFA and AS are

…a Neurological Disorder …a Spectrum Disorder …a Developmental Disorder …life long NOT… a result from poor parenting NOT…curable at this timeDoes NOT have a determined

cause, although there are many theories…

What are HFA and AS ?

HFA◦ Impairment in social

interaction◦ Restricted patterns of

behavior, activities, interest

◦ Qualitative impairment in communication

◦ Before the age of three significant delays or abnormal skills in language for social interaction, symbolic play, social interaction

ASPERGER◦ Impairment in social

interaction◦ Restricted patterns of

behavior, activities, interest

◦ Impairment significantly impacts social, occupational or other areas of functioning

◦ No significant cognitive delay

◦ No significant language delays

What’s the difference?According to DSM-IV

THEORY OF MIND

We’ve looked at the DSM-IV, but let’s think about one more thing

“the ability to infer other people’s mental states (their thoughts, beliefs, desires, intentions, etc.), & the ability to use this information to interpret what they say, make sense of their behavior & predict what they will do next.” (Howlin, Baron-Cohen, and Hadwin, 1999)

Theory of Mind

Theory of mind test Sally&Anne False Belief Test

False Belief Test:1. Sally hides an object and then leaves

the room. Anne moves the object.2. Sally returns and the child with AS is

asked, “Where will Sally look for the object?”

3. This requires thinking about others’ thoughts & understanding that others can believe something that is contradictory to reality.

Sally and Anne cont…NT child: points to the spot where

Sally originally placed the objectChild with AS: Unable to inhibit the

knowledge that Anne has moved the object without Sally’s knowledge, s/he points to the spot where Anne has moved the object

This perspective taking ability develops between 3-41/2 years of age in NT children

And so we will operate from the fact that …….HFA/AS are neurological disorders and

thus….

We need to accept that these students think differently than most of us because their brains are structured differently

And that these are students whoHave strong cognitive skills

Are able to access the general ed curriculum

Are able with instruction can learn to take the perspective of others

Today we will look at how HFA and AS impact the skills of :

Flexible thinking

Social communication

Organization

Social problem solving

The ability to think in a variety of ways.

Flexibility: What is it?

oAccept how others do things.oManage our moods.oTransition oSee the world through someone else’s eyesoTalk about a variety of topicsoDemonstrate empathy

FlexibilityIt enables us to:

Flexibility: What we may seeDifficulty with takingperspective of others

Extremely rulebound

Homework issues

Literal thinking

Narrow interests

Difficult to motivate

Rigidity

Difficulty withtransitions

Michelle Garcia WinnerSuper FlexSocial Detective

Kari Dunn Buron & Mitzi Curtis5 Point Scale

Mind the Gap

Flexibility…Resources

Let’s take one of the resources and talk about how we would apply itWhat we teach

How we teach

How we reinforce

How we generalize

Resources: Flexibility

MIND THE GAP

FIVE POINT SCALE

It is the ability to effectively use and adjust communication messages for a variety of purposes with an array of communication partners within diverse circumstances (IRCA-Beverly Vicker)

Social Communication: What is it?

◦Repair our communication breakdowns◦Clarify what we mean◦Use our language to express emotions◦Know how to match what we say to who we

are talking to (social role recognition)◦Demonstrate intent◦Demonstrate appropriate reciprocity◦Demonstrate appropriate conversational

turn taking◦Demonstrate appropriate topic

maintenance◦Interpret meaning…jokes, infer…

Social Communication It enables us to:

Social Communication: What we may see

Sounds rude orinterrupts

Lectures people

Physical proximity

May be verbose

May appear manipulative

Odd eye gaze

Ineffective greetings

Trouble initiating conversation

Michelle Garcia Winner Inside Out Thinking About You, Thinking About Me Think Social Worksheets!Carol Gray Social Stories Comic Strip ConversationsScott Bellini Building Social Relationships Video modelingJed Baker Social Skills Picture BookOther Use of Social Scripts

Social Communication…Resources

Let’s take one of the resources and talk about how we would apply itWhat we teach

How we teach

How we reinforce

How we generalize

Resource: Social Communication

MICHELLE GARCIA WINNER’S

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR MAP

Being able to see the whole picture and how everything needs to work together to complete a project, or organize a physical space , or manage a group of people

Organizational Skills: What is it?

◦Follow directions◦Keep our facts straight◦Know what’s relevant and what’s not◦Save time◦Not be so anxious◦Complete assignments◦Know how to get started◦Locate things/Know where they are

Organizational Skills:They enable us to

Organizational Skills: What we may see

Messy desks and papers

Doesn’t know howto start a project

Can’t make a plan

Poor note taking

Homework issues

Difficulty sequencing

Teach Me Language

Software to facilitate graphic organizers

Websites for free graphic organizers ( but pick one and use consistently )

Resources found at www.curriculumconnection4sped.pbworks.com

Organization…Resources

Let’s take one of the resources and talk about how we would apply itWhat we teach

How we teach

How we reinforce

How we generalize

Resource: Organization

TEACH ME LANGUAGE

The ability to apply social rules when trying to solve a problem

that involves others.

Social Problem Solving: What is it?

Apply our understanding of social rules and roles.

Generate solutions for interactions.

Resolve conflict.It allows us to think about others

perspectives.Keep and maintain friendships

&/or intimate relationships.

Social Problem Solving It enables us to:

Social Problem Solving: We May See

Acting out

Refusing/Arguing

Literal interpretations

Impaired perspectivetaking

Recites rules but doesn’t apply to themselves

May see withdraw

May look like theyare lying

Don’t pick upon social nuances

Carol GrayComic strippingMichelle Garcia WinnerBehavior Mapping I LAUGH curriculum for perspective takingKari Dunn Buron & Mitzi Curtis5 point ScaleA 5 Could Make Me Lose ControlWhen My Worries/Autism Gets Too BigOtherSOCCSS processing toolThe Way from A-Z

Social Problem Solving…Resources:

Let’s take one of the resources and talk about how we would apply itWhat we teach

How we teach

How we reinforce

How we generalize

Resource: Social Problem SolvingSITUATION /OPTIONS/ CONSEQUENCES/

CHOICE/STRATEGIES/SIMULATION

SOCCSS

Some closing thoughtsStudents with autism think

differently than the “typical” student

The key to our success in working with students with autism is in presenting information in a manner that makes sense to them

Remember- they want to be effective communicators and problem solvers but they simply don’t always know how.

Resources

www.curriculumconnection4sped.pbworks.com