The classroom can be a very overwhelming environment for someone with ASD. It is important understand what stress might look like for a student and what adults/teachers can do to support and encourage self-reg. Without self-regulation a student will be unable to learn. Shanker Self-Reg aims improve how people understand self-regulation, stress, and responses to stress (The MEHRIT Centre, n.d.).
The five steps to regulation include (The MEHRIT Centre, 2017)
Reframing the behaviour by learning what stress is and how it impacts behaviours.
Recognizing the stressors by learning about stressors in biological, emotion, cognitive, social, and prosocial domains.
Reducing the stress by removing or lessening personal stressors,
Reflecting and improving stress-awareness by learning to be aware of internal feelings.
5. Responding with resilience and restoration by learning to use strategies to adapt.
There are many students with ASD that do not need academic adaptions. Some students with ASD may benefit from academic adaptations. These curriculum adaptions might help support a student with ASD academically. (Wright 2005, cited DeSchenes et al., 1994)
- Quantity: reduce the number of activities or items for the student to learn and add more practice to build mastery of concepts
- Time: give additional time for learning, task completion, and testing by individualizing timelines for tasks and pacing learning
- Level of Support: increase one-on-one assistance to keep student on task or reinforce/prompt use of skills (ex.peer buddy, teaching assistant, peer tutor)
- Input: change how instruction is presented (ex. visual aids, concrete examples, hands-on activities, cooperative groupings, pre-teach concepts or terms, break tasks into smaller parts)-
- Difficulty: adapt skill level or how the learner approaches work (ex. calculator, simplified instructions)
- Output: adapt how the learner responds to instruction (allow alternate ways to show understanding of concepts like pictures, hands-on materials, or discussion
- Participation: adapt how the student engages with tasks (give specific roles and responsibilities for tasks)
- Alternate Goals: adapt the goals and expectations, but use the same materials
- Substitute Curriculum: adapt the instruction and materials to meet individual goals
Curricular:
Chunk assignments: Getting a huge assignment can be overwhelming for any learner. The task can feel like too much before the student has even started. Helping the student break down an assignment into smaller parts is scaffolding and helps manage anxiety.
Make Worksheets and Readings Less Busy Looking: Students with autism think in pictures and can be overwhelmed by lots of unorganized information. Organized and simplified worksheets that increase spaces, use bold font, bullet points, and cover unimportant information are helpful.
Chunk Time: Routine and schedule is very important. Using a timer and setting a time to work on an activity or “first” “then” helps the student know what will come next and when. This helps reduce anxiety and having to process the unknown.
Model New Activities: New and unfamiliar things are anxiety inducing for students with autism. Modelling helps students start to process the new concepts and supports their learning style.
Visual Supports: Graphic organizers, reminders of tools needed for a task, labels for easy access. Some students may need a "first/then" visual reminder to help them do a less preferred task before a preferred task.
Give Choices: Choice gives students a feeling of control in their lives, and an opportunity to learn about themselves as workers and learners. Students can choose which assessments to complete, what tools they want to use to complete a task, which role to take in a cooperative group, and how to receive personal assistance and supports.
Student’s Interest: Student's have their own nterests that can be incorporated into the curriculum to engage them. Capitalize on their interests in activities by giving them opportunities to share their interests with their class.
Technology: The use of technology can be a tool to help students communicate and represent their learning. Students can use devices to take or find pictures, sketch or use speech to text programs to support their output.
Peers Reminders: Students with ASD are more likely to model peer behaviours.Peers support is a great way for students with ASD to develop independence away from EA/teacher/adult support and can create bonds and empathy within the class community. Students with ASD are more likely to model peer behaviours.
References:
ABC Therapy Clinics. (2022). Creating a Cool Down Room. Retrieved from:
Autism Association of Western Australia. (2018). How to Adjust the Curriculum for a Student with Autism. Retrieved from: https://juiceboxcreative-autismwa.s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/03160413/2.-Curriculum-Adjustments.pdf (Aug. 2022).
Autism Routine and Structure. Steps to Progress. Retrieved from https://www.stepstoprogress.com/blog/steps-to-progress/4-autism-routine-and-structure-tips/
Autism Speaks. (2018). Adapting Your Environment. Retrieved from:
https://www.autismspeaks.org/tool-kit-excerpt/adapting-your-environment (Aug. 2022).
Bernier, R. (2014). Assessment of the Core Features of ASD. Handbook of early intervention for autism spectrum disorders: Research, policy, and practice. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://onq.queensu.ca/content/enforced/691777- CONT912001S22/Readings/Handbook%20of%20Early%20Intervention%20for%20Autis m%20Spectrum_2014_CHAP%204__CONT912.pdf?ou=691777
Children's Autism Services of Edmonton. (n.d.). First-then board: Tip sheet. https://childrensautism.ca. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://childrensautism.ca/wp- content/uploads/2018/04/first-then.pdf
Eredics, N. (2013). Make the classroom sensory-friendly today. Reading Rockets. Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/make-classroom-sensory- friendly-today
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/uncertainty-drives-anxiety-sensory-issues-in-autism/ (Aug. 2022)
Organization for Autism Research (OAR), & The Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (CSESA). (n.d.). Understanding autism: A guide for secondary school teachers. https://csesa.fpg.unc.edu. Retrieved from: https://csesa.fpg.unc.edu/sites/csesa.fpg.unc.edu/files/UnderstandingAutismSecondaryTeac hersGuide.pdf
Province of Nova Scotia. (2016). Adaptations: Strategies and resources. https://studentservices.ednet.ns.ca. Retrieved from: https://studentservices.ednet.ns.ca/sites/default/files/Adaptations_WEB.pdf
Quigley, A. (2014, March 27). Edu-quote: Graham Nuthall on adapting our teaching #1. The Confident Teacher. Retrieved from: https://www.theconfidentteacher.com/2014/03/edu-quote-graham-nuthall-adapting- teaching/
Supporting Students with Autism: 10 Ideas for Inclusive Classrooms. Reading Rockets. Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/supporting-students-autism-10-ideas-inclusive-classrooms
Texas Statewide Leadership for Austin. (2013). Visual environment supports. https://www.unl.edu. Retrieved from: https://www.unl.edu/asdnetwork/images/VisualSupports.pdf
Tobik, A. (2020, November 7). Social Stories for Kids With Autism - The Ultimate Guide. Autism Parenting Magazine. Retrieved from: https:// www.autismparentingmagazine.com/social-stories-for-autistic-children/