Monday, March 24, 2014

Students with Autism



In the last few blogs I discussed using AT devices for students who have IEP’s. I now want to take a look at students who have Autism. Many people don’t know what Autism is, and what some challenges that come with having it are.

Autism is defined by the Autism Speaks website as, “Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.”

Some challenges that Autistic children face are weak motor coordination, intellectual delays, and mostly communication difficulties.

“About 25 percent of individuals with ASD are nonverbal but can learn to communicate using other means” (Autism Speaks).

Some teaching strategies that I have found to be useful are the use of communication boards, so that students have a means of expressing themselves through the use of pictures and voice output devices. Also, the use of break cards, choice cards, and event cards help these students communicate with others.

Here is a video of a teaching strategy used in classrooms to help accommodate students with autism.  I think this a great video and I look forward to trying in my own experience.





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