Autism Spectrum Disorders: Part 1 - Considerations for Teaching and Learning

(Workshop summary- Autism Spectrum Disorders: Therapies to Consider, by Tina K. Veale, Ph.D. Eastern Illinois University; September 28, 2007)

Let’s start with the question; what is an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? ASD is a spectrum of disorders involving social, communicative, and behavioral symptoms that manifest from neurobiological and/or genetic origins. The communication and social interaction components of ASD have the most notable impact on daily activities and relationships in all environments (school, home, community). Autism Disorder and Asperger Disorder are examples of ASD’s.

Autism Learner Characteristics:
In order to teach a child with Autism, it’s helpful to think the way a person with Autism would think. Individuals with Autism have several unique learner characteristics. These learners:
• Prefer a fast pace - when the flow of information is interrupted, mental engagement or attention is lost.
• Do not like repetition.
• Respond best to Visual Directions, auditory directions are harder to follow. Combine verbal instructions with a visual representation or gesture. For readers, write directions and highlight.
• Attend to one sensory stimulus at a time, and use only one sensory receptor (hearing, vision, touch, etc) at a time (mono channel or mono processing). Classic multi-sensory teaching is confusing to these learners.

• Present visual information first
• Add auditory next
• Demonstrate
• Use a sequential process to present information

• Respond well to encouragement, “Show me”

• Cognitive inferences are very difficult – help the learner make the inference through specific feedback: “you did this one right; this one is wrong. Lets see how you did this one; now do this one the same way”.

• Need sit well supported. Full contact with their seat (seat & back support) gives them good sensory input through their body and feet making them more ready to learn: sitting straight, legs quiet. Rifton chairs are excellent seats to accomplish this. (http://www.rifton.com/products/sitting/seatingsystem/index.html)
Learners can distract themselves with moving body parts, and not sitting up straight.
• Have an intelligence and aptitude for learning new material.
• Are detailed focused – not big picture oriented – and they may not choose the same details that the teacher is interested in.
• Are good sequential learners – doing one step at a time. They are not good simultaneous learners (process many things at same time). Language & social skills are examples of simultaneous functions while dismantling the radio is a sequential function.
• Respond to timing and rhythm
• Have good rote, phonological (sound) memory, and can file words by first sound.
• Are highly motivated to finish tasks – sequential learners.
• Are motivated to be successful – and by successful learning experiences.

Individuals with Autism Disorder experience the following challenges to learning:
• Attention deficit - impulsivity
• Can process only one stimulus at a time
• Cognitive Inflexibility. (“Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adapt cognitive processing strategies to face new and unexpected conditions in the environment. Cognitive Inflexibility occurs in situations where a person needs to be flexible in order to deal with changes in the environment, but fails to do so. An example of this inflexibility occurs when actions that have shown to be effective in previous situations are insistently carried out in new situations where they are ineffective.”) [Source: José J. Cañas, http://www.ugr.es/~ergocogn/articulos/cognitive_flexibility1.pdf. ]
• Narrow range of interests – ideational perseveration (one thought repeating)
{Strategy – help them interrupt the repeating idea sequentially – say: "you are thinking about cars" > redirect> “I need you to switch”, or > “I played with cars too, first the car zoomed, then beeped, then crashed, and finally went home – good-bye”.}
• Nonverbal messaging
• Executive function disorder – it’s difficult to plan and carry out daily routine activities.
• Emotional regulation

Asperger Disorder (AD) Learner Characteristics
Difficulty with social skills and change (or transitions) are features of AD, and individuals with AD prefer sameness & routine. They may develop obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and the individual with AD may have difficulty estimating personal body space. Individuals with AD may be overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, or may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to know that the person with AD perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior. Individuals with Asperger Disorder also have unique learner characteristics.
These learners:
• Do NOT like a fast pace
• Are not good with time, space, amount, timing & rhythm. Awareness of the passage of time, and estimation of time are poor.
• Tend to be Disorganized - Executive function disorder – which affects the ability to complete tasks; individuals with AD may need support throughout life to stay organized.


There are several different types of therapies for children with ASD’s and Associated Conditions. In part 2, I’ll summarize those presented by Tina Veale, in “Autism Spectrum Disorders: Therapies to Consider”.