Autism and Inclusion Betty Krygsheld EDSP 6644 Seattle

Autism and Inclusion Betty Krygsheld EDSP 6644 Seattle Pacific University Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher

What is autism? Autism is one of 5 disabilities classified Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher as the Autism Spectrum Disorders. (ASD) • Autism • Asperger syndrome • Rett syndrome • Childhood disintegrative disorder • Pervasive developmental disorder These disorders involve varying degrees of problems with communication skills, social interactions, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior.

Autism is characterized by : 1. Social withdrawal symptoms such as • Showing little interest in making friends • Preferring to spend time alone Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher • Having difficulty showing empathy • Showing little response to smiles or eye contact 2. Impairment in communication symptoms such as • Speech developing slowly or not at all • Inability to initiate or sustain conversation • Repeating words or phrases (echolalia) • Inability to generalize. Speech is interpreted literally • Having unusual intonation, rate and volume of speech

3. Often but not always have unusual behavior patterns such as • Repetitive body movements—such as twirling, hand-flapping, rocking • Restricted range of interest. Attachment to objects • Resistance to change in routine 4. Low scores on IQ tests • Some researchers suggest that individuals with autism display cognitive deficits. (Hallahan, Kauffman, Pullen, 2009) • Other researchers suggest that individuals with autism achieve average or even superior scores on a test that taps a person's ability to infer rules and to think abstractly about geometric patterns. “Intelligence has been underestimated in autistics. Autistic people solve problems and deploy neural resources in unusual ways, which are poorly understood and might contribute to problems with IQ tests. ” (Mottron, 2007)

Inclusion and Autism Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher Students with autism are increasingly being placed in general education “inclusion” settings (Boutot, Bryant 2005) Proponents of full inclusion suggest that the least restrictive environment, as mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997), is always the general classroom for all children and youth with disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Proponents for full inclusion suggest that • Students receive a better, or at least no worse, score on cognitive tests if they stay in the general classroom ((Vaughnn, Moody, & Schrumm, 1998).

• Inclusive education for children with autism increases social integration • Having reciprocal relationships with peers is key to a child’ social emotional and even cognitive development. (Scheuermann & Webber 2002) • Research suggests that students with autism in inclusive settings are accepted, visible, and members of peer groups (Boutot, Bryant 2005) • The presence of typically developing children was significantly associated with decreased autistic behavior as compared with the presence of other children with autism (Levy, Kim, Olive 2006) Cautions concerning inclusion and students with autism • Research with students with autism in inclusive contexts has found that there are positive outcomes for many students with autism in inclusive settings if the required supports are in place. (Harrower and Dunlap, 2001) If a school fails to provide adequate support, the outcomes may be detrimental to student with autism.

Caution regarding inclusion • Full inclusion as a policy, explicitly and implicitly discourages the development of specialized approaches, while the unique characteristics of students with autism make some level of specialization essential. Transition is particularly difficult for students with autism and must be proactively managed. (Mesibov and Shea, 1996) • Autism is a largely heterogeneous disability with regard to function. (Dunlap & Burton-Pierce 1999) The characteristics of the individual student would determine the level and intensity of the support he needs.

Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher Students with autism need a variety of interventions to be successful in the inclusive classroom • Social interventions • Communication interventions • Behavioral interventions • Academic intervention

Social Skill Interventions Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher • Social Stories are relatively short, straightforward descriptions of social situations, specifically detailing what an individual might expect from the situation and what may be expected of him. However, there is substantial variation in their use, and research into their effectiveness has been limited. [ It is not known whether they are effective. [ • Example— Lining Up At school, we sometimes line up. We line up to go to the gym, to go to the library, and to go out to recess. Sometimes my friends and I get excited when we line up, because we’re going someplace fun, like out to recess. It is okay to get excited, but it is important to try to walk to the line. Running can cause accidents, and my friends or I could get hurt. I will try to walk to the line.

• Because of a wide variance in the way social stories are used, the research on the effectiveness of social stories is limited. (Frederickson, 2006). • A recent review article found that the limited studies available showed generally positive results, and concluded that the approach is promising. (Healing Thresholds, 2008) • Social stories is an intervention recommended by the National Education Association (2006). • The goal of social stories is to help students identify their most difficult stressors and appropriate strategies for reducing their stress or anxiety levels. • Social stories encourage self-monitoring of and reducing students’ levels of stress, anxiety, or sensory stimulation. Click on the link below to access information on availability of social

Inclusion-friendly strategies to facilitate social skill achievement (National Education Association, 2006). • Rehearse skills needed for appropriate social behavior such as conversations. • focus should include maintaining eye contact during conversations, learning social greetings, and maintaining conversation. • Practice newly learned social skills with puppets or adults before encouraging students to use them in unstructured environments such as recess. • Provide explicit instruction about conversation etiquette. • Teach students to self- monitor their stress and anxiety level. • Use a tension gauge. Teach students to place an arrow by the level that shows how they feel. • Students become more aware of their stress level. • Students are learning to communicate the stress in an acceptable manner.

Communication Interventions Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher For students who are nonverbal or have little verbal ability • Augmentative and Alternative Communication –This is a form of communication used in place of (to augment) speech —With autistic individuals, a picture board is often used. The goal of AAC is to teach individuals to initiate speech using an alternative to vocal speech • The research for this intervention has not proven to be valid since the scope of individuals used in the research is too narrow to be generalized (Randle (2005) • Students appeared to know how to use the AAC methods for communicating , appear to make significant improvements in communication, but fail to use it outside the training setting. • In a general education classroom a special education teacher would need to facilitate its use.

Inclusion-friendly strategies to facilitate communication National Education Association (2002). • Pair verbal instructions with visual cues. Visual instructions can be pictures, or if the student is verbal and literate they can be written down • Identify verbally and visually when transitions will occur. Write the schedule for the day out. If the student is nonverbal, use pictures. • Provide visual supports for the lesson’s essential questions. Many people with autism are visual thinkers. (Temple Grandin 2002) • Avoid long strings of verbal instructions. Give only 1 -2 instructions at a time. If the student is verbal and reads, the steps can be written down. Highlight each step. If the student is nonverbal, use pictures. “People with autism have problems with remembering the sequence. If the child can read, write the instructions down on a piece of paper. I am unable to remember sequences. ”(Temple Grandin 2002)

More inclusion-friendly strategies for communication • Model procedures, expectations, thinking strategies, or directions. • Pre-teach new concepts and content vocabulary to students. This step helps reduce the anxiety that students with autism feel when a transition must be made instruction. • If possible tell a student before an unusual occurrence in the classroom. Autistic children do not like change. In addition many individuals are extremely sensitive auditory. Sirens, bells, and assemblies may all cause stressful reactions in students with auditory sensitivities.

Behavior Interventions • ABA—Applied Behavior Analysis Applied behavior analysis is characterized by discrete presentation of stimuli with responses followed by immediate feedback, an intense schedule of reinforcement, data collection, and systematic trials of instruction. (Schoen 2003) Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher • Researchers have found ABA to be clearly affective for people with autism (Matson et al. , 1996; Smith, 1996)—ABA is a highly structured format that appears to work well with students who respond well to routine. • ABA requires specific training. • Functional behavior analysis—FBA • An observer assesses the student’s behavior—noting frequency, triggers of the behavior, and setting of the behavior. This allows the teacher to be proactive in behavior management. • Remove or minimize environmental stressors that trigger behavior problems.

Inclusion-friendly strategies to facilitate behavior (National Education Association 2002) • Give the individual a koosh ball to squeeze or a weighted blanket to wear. Pressure from the object calms the nervous system and relieves stress. • Rehearse appropriate social interactions. • Reward appropriate behaviors. • Use overt positive feedback—Negative feedback does not work since the student focuses on the negative consequences rather than on the behavior that precipitated it. • Have a visual schedule—written or pictorial. Students often respond poorly to unpredictability and may engage inattention-getting behaviors.

Interventions for academic concerns The importance of academics for students with autism: “Children with Autism are able to learn, function productively in society and show positive gains with appropriate education and treatment plans in place. Without appropriate support, the child may never realize his full potential. ” (Igafo-Te’o 2006) • Use direct instruction skills. Instruction for autistic students must be highly structured, with teacher-led lessons. Instruction should include teacher feedback, reinforcement and practice. (Hallahan, Lloyd, Kauffman, Weiss & Martinex 2005) • Use the Autism Spectrum Inclusion model. If autistic children are to learn, it will require a coordinated effort of general education teacher using appropriate strategies, coordinated communication and decision making with trained support personnel, meaningful home participation, and consistent and frequent evaluation of practices. (Simpson, de. Boer-On, & smith-Myles, 2003

Inclusion-friendly strategies to facilitate instruction Teaching tips from Temple Grandin (2002) • Use concrete visual methods to teach number concepts. Many autistic individuals think in pictures. • Letters can be taught by letting students feel plastic letters. Touch is often an autistic individual’s most reliable sense. • Children with a great deal of echolalia often learn best by memorizing sight words displayed on flash cards with both a picture and the word. They learn that the word is associated with the picture. • Allow students to type if possible. Motor skills are often poor and handwriting is poor. Fine

More inclusion-friendly instructional strategies Teaching tips from National Education Association (2002) • Highlighting directions on worksheets, numbering steps for more complex tasks. Encourage one or two sentence knowledge summaries from a book chapter or unit. Don’t assume understanding. • Use strong interest areas as motivators to assist students in engaging with new and/or difficult material. • Provide examples of finished products and writing assignments.

Putting the Pieces Together Perhaps the most important thing to know about autism is that is is a heterogeneous disability. Each individual with autisms is truly a unique puzzle piece. To make academic recommendations for an autistic student in general is a very difficult thing. Copyright (c) 1999 -2005 Design By Cher The most popular placement for children with autism is in the regular classroom. Using the more naturalistic context of the general classroom, these students seem to develop social skills more quickly. General recommendations for including an individual with autism in the regular education classroom: • The most successful work with students who are autistic is done when the general education teacher and the special education teacher work together in the classroom.

• The greatest area of needed instruction are communication skills. • Functional behavior assessments and positive behavioral support are a needed element in the classroom. • Direct instruction is needed for social instruction as well as academics. • Involve the parents in educational decisions made for the students. If possible introduce the parent to new interventions used with their child. • Hold high expectations for every child including the child with autism.

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