EDUCATING Visual Supports for Visual Thinkers: DIVERSE Practical Ideas for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Special Needs LEARNERS Education Service Center, Region 10 AGENDA Check when Topic finished Lisa Rogers, M.A. [email protected] 210 867-6826 www.educatingdiverselearners.org Characteristics of Autism Fredda Brown, Ph.D., and Sima Gerber, Ph.D. City University of New York - Queens College Children with autism may display some or many of the characteristics noted below. They may have severe forms of one or more of the characteristics, or may have only mild impairments related to these characteristics. Behavior Social Communication Show interest in very few Have difficulty making eye Have difficulty communicating objects or activities and play contact with others with speech or with gestures with them in repetitive ways Show little body language or Have difficulty starting or Perform repetitive routines and facial expressions when continuing a conversation resist changes in these interacting routines Have difficulty using his own Have difficulty developing sentences, and instead, may Spend time in repetitive relationships with peers repeat what others say (referred movements (such as waving a to as echolalia) hand in front of his face) Seem uninterested in sharing experiences Lack make-believe or pretend- play skills Engage less in give-and-take social interaction with caregivers, siblings and other close relations Additional Characteristics Neurological Findings The brain of an individual with autism is, on average, larger and heavier than a typical brain. Repetitive Behavior Repetitive Behavior: What's going on in the brain? Repetitive and stereotyped behavior, sometimes called “stimming”, is one of the key features of autism. Behavior-based autism therapies may focus on trying to alter the behavior of the autistic child -- by distracting them, offering rewards for 'good' behavior and so on. For example, some therapists have suggested substituting full-blown self stimulatory behaviors, like hand-flapping, with less obvious repetitive actions like tapping the fingers. Healthcare providers who adopt the biomedical approach to autism, however, have always contended that repetitive behavior, as well as other typical symptoms of autism, have a biological basis. In other words, that there is something different in the neurological functioning of the individual with autism. A new study published in the 15 May 2008 issue of the Journal of Biological Psychiatry lends further support to this viewpoint. It shows that individuals with autism spectrum disorders with repetitive behavior have reduced brain activity in certain regions of the brain. The results of this study suggest that it would be helpful to investigate and correct these biological differences, rather than just attempt to modify the behavior of the child. The Neural Circuitry Mediating Shifts in Behavioural Response and Cognitive Set in Autism Keith M. Shafritz, Gabriel S. Dichter, Grace T. Baranek, Aysenil Bslger Journal of Biological Psychiatry Vol 63 (10) 974-980 15 May 2008 IDEA 2004 says: Statement of Philosophy “The IEP team will…in the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child’s learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies “The concept of positive behavioral interventions to address that behavior.” and supports represents a theoretical, scientific, and legal attempt to bring all aspects of these successful, Defining Autism Spectrum Disorders positive interventions to bear on resolving behavior "It's a behaviorally defined syndrome, characterized by deficiencies problems in children with in social ability, language and imagination, and rigidity and repetitive autism or other disorders. behaviors. It has a very broad range of severity from catastrophic to extremely mild, where you can argue that it overlaps with normality." The expected outcomes Isabelle Rapin, from positive behavioral Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York interventions and supports are increases in positive behavior, decreases in Emerging Themes from Research problem behavior, and improvements in life-style Individuals with autism act differently because they think (Horner et al., 1990). This differently: includes the expectation of systems change, including They have an enhanced awareness of details changes in the behaviors of They have a reduced understanding of meaning and others in the environment reduced capacity for conceptual reasoning in all areas and broad environmental They can only handle small amounts of new information reorganization and restructuring.” They can only think so fast They may use different cognitive skills to compensate If the information or task is visual, they are able to understand more The brain is wired differently to cause these differences Nancy Minshew, MD Educating Children with Autism, University of Pittsburgh 2001 The Brain and Play: Professor Knudsen said learning new skills very early in life prompts neurons in the brain to build new connections that still work into Competent social skills are adulthood. essential for effective inclusion of children with autism in He said toys that beep, crinkle or need prodding and poking are all likely mainstreamed classes. Children to shape a child's brain for future tasks. with Autism Spectrum Disorders, even when they possess normal intellectual Professor Janet Eyre, a specialist in pediatric neuroscience at the ability, have grave problems University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, said stimulating toys are vital to help understanding the social the brain wire itself properly during childhood, when it has the capacity transactions of childhood. to change its structure. These limitations make them stand out among their peers "There is very good evidence that, in the early stages of development, and can lead to rejection by the brain is much more plastic. other children. Handleman, Harris, Martins "It has a genetic blueprint that gives it some rules on how to wire itself. But at various stages it also responds to environmental cues and it uses Handbook of Autism and PDD, its experiences to shape itself for the future. Volume II "Toys provide motivation and boost learning. It's important to spend time playing with them when the brain is very plastic because it likes to do things so that it can learn." Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4115915.stm Play development is significantly related to cognitive, language, and social development. Among the social skills It is during play that children learn: documented to be useful for children with autism are . appropriate behavior task completion Playing games imagination Being affectionate turn taking Responding to building relationships greetings imitation Being assertive in appropriate language conversation and play tolerance to a variety of ways to play with toys Perspective taking flexibility Recognizing other people’s needs reciprocal interaction Asking for help and requesting things from peers Play has a special role for children with ASD in that . ► As play skills increase, rituals and routines tend to decrease. ► Play can provide a means of enjoyment. ► Play can develop into skills that will serve to occupy free time or break time. ► Play can provide for sensory needs. Research also suggests that high-quality pretend play is an important facilitator of perspective taking and later abstract thought. Why is this finding important? Jahr, Eldevik, and Eikeseth [2000] attempted to teach children with autism to engage in cooperative play using models but found that modeling alone was not effective. When the researchers also required the children with autism to give an oral description of the modeled activity, all six children learned to initiate and sustain episodes of cooperative play, vary their play, and transfer their skills to new play partners. Handbook of Autism and PDD, Volume II Student Profile Student: _______________________ Teacher: _____________________________ Campus: _______________________ Date: _______________________________ Student Strengths ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Student Needs ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Parent Considerations ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Student Interests Key Understanding: Once moderate to severe problem behaviors become an established part of