Structuring the language environment
- Address the child by name before giving an instruction, particularly if instructing the class as a group
- Encourage and reinforce all attempts to communicate
- Use concrete, direct, explicit instructions - supported by picture prompts where possible
- If you need to give a sequence of instructions, just give one step at a time
- Give the child time to respond, then check that he has understood
- Repeat the instructions if necessary - without rewording it (or the child may think it's a different instruction)
- Teach the child a stock phrase or signal (tapping on the desk with a pencil, red (stop) or green(go) signs) to use when he doesn't understand an instruction - this may prevent frustration on both sides
- Questions often confuse children with AS. Where possible, turn then into statements, ‘The weather today is…’ rather than ‘What's the weather like today?’
- Recognise the child's intentions. They may say, ‘Do you want some crisps?’ but mean ‘I want some crisps’
- If the child has particular areas of skill or interest, use these as starting points for language work
- Help the child to become aware of the needs of the listener, learning how to vary the tone and volume of his voice according to the situation.
- Encourage eye-to-eye contact without training it.
Important Points to Remember:
Motivation - competitive motives are absent in the child with AS. He lacks both pride and shame and has no desire to 'stand out'.Imitation - although he may be able to copy what others do, he finds it hard to adjust these copied movements to his own frame of reference.
Perception - there is a possibility of inconsistent or unexpected response to sensory input.
Attention - the child's focus of attention is often narrow and/or obsessive. Stimulus characteristics may be combined with idiosyncrasies.
Memory - the child's memory is likely to be episodic, i.e. events are not stored in the context in which they occurred. Lists of facts may be stored in this way without a meaningful framework to link them.
Problem solving - the child tries to learn set responses for set situations. He may learn a set of strategies, but not be aware that he possesses them, and therefore be unable to select an appropriate strategy for a new situation.
Other deficits will be noted, for example the child might be quite skilled at reading. He can decode the words, but doesn't fully understand what he's read. This can be helped by drawing his attention to the illustrations: ‘What's happening in the picture?' 'What will the boy do now?’. Ask him/her to retell what he/she has just read. Give preference to books that offer realism rather than fantasy. Give the child ample access to non-fiction books. He will find it easier to retrieve information from these than from stories.
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Guide for Teachers
The South Australian
Government has released a very informative guide to help
teachers understand and cope better with students who
have AS. This guide explores many educational areas
including motivational strategies, subject areas, how to
improve communication etc.
Please click on the PDF Logo to
download the full guide.
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“Asperger Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers, Young People and Other Professionals” - DVD
“Asperger Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers, Young People and Other Professionals” is a two hour educational DVD, which provides an excellent introduction to a condition called Asperger Syndrome or High Functioning Autism. The development of this unique resource arises out of an on-going collaboration between staff at the School of Education in Trinity College , led by Dr. Carmel O’Sullivan, and Mr. Desmond McKernan, Honorary Secretary of aspire - The Asperger Syndrome Association of Ireland.
The DVD is divided into 6 chapters:
- Chapter 1: An introduction to Asperger Syndrome
- Chapter 2: Living with Asperger Syndrome
- Chapter 3: Issues Relating to Primary School Education
- Chapter 4: Transition to Sec. School and Related Educational Issues
- Chapter 5: Further and Higher Ed., Training and Transition to Emp.
- Chapter 6: Using Drama in the Ed. of Children and Young People with AS
The DVD features interviews with parents, young people with the syndrome, teachers, and other professionals such as the centre manager and advocacy officer of a Training Centre for young adults with Asperger Syndrome (AS), a job coach talking about supported employment schemes, a primary school teacher and a head teacher of a secondary school, both working in schools with special units for pupils with AS on site, a third level disability officer and a lecturer in Occupational Therapy offering practical advice to young people attending (and considering attending) higher education, and discussion of such topics as supporting siblings, bullying in school, building social networks, career opportunities, disclosure issues to employers, and on-site filming of drama classes ….and much more.
Please click here to purchase your copy.
Further information
Dr. Carmel O'Sullivan can be contacted at [email protected] or (01) 8963532/8961503/8961290. School of Education, Room 3090, Arts Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2, IRELAND.
The Asperger Syndrome Association of Ireland, Coleraine House, Carmichael Centre, Coleraine Street, Dublin 7, IRELAND.
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