How Students With How Students With Autism Think and Autism Think and LearnLearnUnderstanding InclusionUnderstanding Inclusion

Organize and Provide Organize and Provide StructureStructure

Students with ASD are visual vs. Students with ASD are visual vs. auditory learners. Provide pictures and auditory learners. Provide pictures and other visual cues across environments. other visual cues across environments.

Enhance understandingEnhance understanding Help organize and sequenceHelp organize and sequence Help initiate activities Help initiate activities Help motivateHelp motivate

Organize Organize EnvironmentEnvironmentFor example, structure where to turn in assignmentsFor example, structure where to turn in assignments

Provide Visual CuesProvide Visual CuesThis example is a board on the classroom door This example is a board on the classroom door displaying the required student materials that need displaying the required student materials that need to be brought to class.to be brought to class.

Provide Predictable Provide Predictable RoutinesRoutines

Concrete ThinkingConcrete Thinking

Students with ASD tend to think Students with ASD tend to think concretely.concretely.

Often confused by social situations or Often confused by social situations or conversations.conversations.

Lack understanding of ambiguous rules Lack understanding of ambiguous rules or rules that donor rules that don’’t make sense.t make sense.

Prefer familiarity (repetition, Prefer familiarity (repetition, routine, consistency.routine, consistency.

InterventionsInterventions

Visual cues for rules and Visual cues for rules and instructions.instructions.

Social Stories ™.Social Stories ™.

Learn by “doing” or role-play.Learn by “doing” or role-play.

Error Correction – “Try again” with Error Correction – “Try again” with demonstration.demonstration.

Highlighting appropriate behaviors and Highlighting appropriate behaviors and giving social praise.giving social praise.

Visual Road MapVisual Road Map

Use First/ThenUse First/Then““first do this, then get that” for directions and first do this, then get that” for directions and schedules.schedules.

Details and Narrow Details and Narrow InterestsInterests

Students with ASD see the world in a Students with ASD see the world in a more narrow way and are more intensely more narrow way and are more intensely focused on details and narrow focused on details and narrow interests.interests.

Hard to see the “big picture” which is Hard to see the “big picture” which is necessary for awareness of concepts, necessary for awareness of concepts, making connections, generalizing and making connections, generalizing and seeing things in context.seeing things in context.

InterventionsInterventions

Role play with analyzing what is Role play with analyzing what is “right and wrong”.“right and wrong”.

Road Map.Road Map.

Cause-and-Effect planned ignoring: Cause-and-Effect planned ignoring: “first get calm, then I will talk with “first get calm, then I will talk with you”.you”.

Use narrow interests to increase Use narrow interests to increase engagement.engagement.

Distractibility and Distractibility and Self RegulationSelf Regulation

Sensory stimulation can be disruptive Sensory stimulation can be disruptive to the student.to the student.

Modify environments to decrease Modify environments to decrease sensory distractions or increase sensory distractions or increase engagement.engagement.

Teach awareness and expression state Teach awareness and expression state of arousal.of arousal.

Executive Executive FunctioningFunctioning

Students with ASD have difficulty with Students with ASD have difficulty with cognitive flexibility.cognitive flexibility.

Cannot apply social rules flexibly.Cannot apply social rules flexibly.

Difficulty controlling impulses.Difficulty controlling impulses.

Difficulty with initiating activities, Difficulty with initiating activities, organizing and sequencing tasks.organizing and sequencing tasks.

Provide structured routines and Provide structured routines and scaffold with checklists.scaffold with checklists.