BEST EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES Autism

BEST EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES  Autism

Psychotherapy, medication, and parent training potentially work better when supplemented with appropriate changes and methods in the school environment as well. Research has highlighted 12 components of a successful special education system for children with autism, which includes the following aspects.

1. Supportive and structured learning environments: These allow for task analysis where goals are specific and broken down into smaller sequential tasks, as well as applying specific social rules and skills (e.g. turn-taking and social distance) and allowing a child fewer choices.

2. Family involvement: As much as possible, the family and caretaker(s) should be involved in the child’s intervention and receive additional training and guidance to make better accommodations and develop an improved understanding of their child’s condition and abilities.

3. Early intervention: As mentioned before, identifying autism symptoms as early as possible allows for intervention at a young age when the child can most benefit from it and prevent possible secondary effects from developing, such as depression, anxiety, and aggression.

4. Specialized curricula focusing on communication and social interaction: These are the skills lacking by definition among autistic children and should be developed as much as possible by reinforcing positive and prosocial behavior, teaching emotional and social cues, alerting the child to the perspective of and consequences for another person, and cultivating empathy.

5. Integration with typical peers: While protecting the child from teasing or bullying, and providing peers with some awareness of his or her particular needs, as much interaction should be encouraged as possible with appropriate monitoring and support.

6. Predictability and routine: The child should be made aware of a plan or schedule and given advance warning of any impending change or switch of activity. Goals and activities should be divided to ensure that the beginning and completion thereof is clear. The daily structure should be clear, including time for play.

7. Functional approach to problem behaviors: While recognizing that some behaviors and changes therein may reflect anxiety or frustration, and that the target of a child’s anger might not be the real source thereof, address him or her individually by making sure that the undesired behavior is clear and positive behavior rewarded.

8. Planned transitions between preschool and first-grade: Any change in school and/or teacher should be planned with a proper needs assessment and handover so that staff in the new environment is aware of any special requirements.

9. Individualization of supports and services: The skills, needs, and preferences of children with autism vary significantly and requires a thorough assessment of the educational and other requirements of each individual child. The child’s abilities, home circumstances, and family structure should form part of such an evaluation and plan.

10. Systematic, carefully planned instruction: All instructions have to be delivered in clear language, free of complexities, ambiguities, idioms, and abstract concepts. Choices must be kept to the minimum and straightforward. Make sure the child has understood an instruction. Ask for confirmation and reword your sentence if necessary. Avoid using sarcasm and open-ended questions. Repeat information and check whether the child understands. Use various means of presentation, including visual, auditory, tactile, and physical demonstration.

11. Intensity of engagement: A child with autism, and many other developmental conditions, requires additional attention and engagement. While avoiding overstimulation, removing as many distractions as possible, and providing access to an individual work area, aim to link tasks to the child’s particular interests and vary the level of engagement and emotional content according to his or her emotional state and attention at any time.

12. Developmentally appropriate practices: Build an understanding of the child’s abilities and preferences and know what s/he does not like or does not understand. Be accommodating in this regard as far as possible, while distinguishing between areas that can be avoided and important abilities and skills that have to be developed.

These are only a few areas and ideas of the educational approaches that can be implemented to help a child with autism develop optimally. Many extensive resources have been developed to assist in the education of students with autism spectrum disorders, such the manuals by the Virginia Department of Education (see https://bit.ly/1WfteIv) and the Ontario Ministry of Education (see https://bit.ly/29QEmfY).

This article is in no way a replacement for any prescribed medication; nor is it intended to contraindicate or supersede any medically diagnosed conditions or designed to treat anyone or make any recommendation's learners deploy techniques as part of any treatment plan. The article  is for educational purposes