Top Tips For Helping AUTISTIC

STUDENTS to Learn

© The National Autistic Society 2015 Schools’ Autism Awareness Week: www.autism.org.uk/saaw

• Get the student’s attention before you give out instructions.

You could call their name or go closer to them, but also stay aware of any issues they may have with being in close proximity to others.

• Use clear and consistent language.

Try using visual clues or symbols along with words as this may make your instructions easier to follow. People on the autism spectrum often find visual information extremely helpful.

• Give the child time to process information.

Try using the six second rule: Count to six in your mind after giving an instruction.

• Make sure that you say what you mean.

Avoid non-literal language such as metaphor, sarcasm and idioms without also giving a clear explanation of your meaning. You could spend some time teaching a student some common idioms and metaphors, explaining them in literal terms. They may like to compile a list of common terms they struggle with.

• Try to include demonstrations, activities and pictures in your lessons.

People on the autism spectrum learn better when they see things. Use realistic pictures as they might not be able to relate to unrealistic ones. Visual supports are very helpful in preparing for changes and explaining information.

• Make the lesson more explicit by relating to the child’s experience.

Or try to give the child such an experience – after all, it’s easier to understand happiness when you’re feeling it. The golden rule is to proceed from concrete (what the child knows) to abstract (what you are asking them to imagine).

• Try to teach a new topic in as many situations as possible.

Children on the autism spectrum might find it difficult to ‘generalise’ a learnt skill or to apply a skill in a new way when in differing contexts. For example, if you are teaching addition, teach the child to add up using objects, numbers and finger counting. Don’t expect an autistic student to simply pick these things up, or to intuitively understand that horizontal and vertical additions are two ways of carrying out the same task.

• Keep things calm and simple. Autistic students will benefit from a quiet, distraction-free learning area.

Because of their perceptual differences, too much noise, movement, bright colours and pictures will be difficult for most autistic students to cope with. Similarly if you are using pictures to teach, try to avoid complicated pictures or pictures with too much information.

• Have consistent classroom rules and routines. It’s important your autistic students understand what you expect of them.

Make sure rules are explained explicitly using visual supports and that rules set are followed by staff (there is little more damaging to trust and rapport than staff not working by the rules that they set for others!).

• Have clear consequences for rule-breaking.

These should apply to the whole class (and staff – see above).

• Use ‘time-outs’.

Having ‘time-out’ from a class can help a student recover from a stressful experience. Time-outs should be seen as meeting a need, not used as a reward for compliance or punishment.

• Use visual timetables.

These help to provide structure and therefore reduce uncertainty and anxiety, helping the student to focus on their learning.

 

To get more free teacher guidance about autism sent straight to your inbox, sign up to My World at www.autism.org.uk/myworld.

Autism Awareness Month

Support for Learning are recognising Autism Awareness month next week by having a few different activities taking place:

• All PSHE classes will have an Autism lesson to help raise awareness
• Support for Learning are hosting a coffee morning on Friday 27^th April to both raise awareness and raise money for Scottish Autism society.
• Finally, all staff have been issued with 2 information sheets on:
  • Top tips for helping Autistic students learn
  • What you need to know about Autism

• There is also an opportunity to access to a free online module focusing on woman and girls with ASD. Information is given below:

Woman and Girls Module

This module aims to give a better understanding of autistic female characteristics and provide you with the skills and knowledge to be aware of more subtle characteristics.

Link to module:

https://www.autism.org.uk/professionals/training-consultancy/online/women-and-girls.aspx?utm_source=The%20National%20Autistic%20Society&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=9229058_Women%20and%20Girls%20module%20launch&dm_i=YA3,5HT6Q,DZ8JX1,LAYF5,1

April is the Scottish Autism Awareness month.

Support for Learning promoted this by leading the following the activities:

• Interactive lesson for all pupils during PHSE
• Coffee Morning for staff

 

Mrs McLeish has written a very helpful ASD booklet which can be found by clicking on the Autism page under Parent Zone.  Links to external organisations are on the right hand side and we have a range of books available in the department.

We aim to keep our resources as up to date as possible.

 

Microsoft is seeking to recruit more autistic workers in a pilot project in the U.S.A.

In a blog written by Senior executive Mary Ellen Smith “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft.”

The move has been welcomed by the National Autistic Society as it highlights some of the strengths that people with autism may have. For example, “Many may have strengths such as accuracy, a good eye for detail and reliability, which can benefit all sorts of businesses, not just the technology industry.”

For the BBC article, click here

The One Stop Shop in Motherwell publishes a quarterly calendar of events in the local area. What’s on April-June 2015 final