Regional Autism Advisory Council of Southwest Ohio (RAAC-SWO) RAAC Training Committee 2011

Regional Autism Advisory Council of

Southwest Ohio (RAAC-SWO)

RAAC Training Committee 2011

The Basics of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Training Series

Training Series ModulesModule One: Autism Defined, Autism

Prevalence and Primary CharacteristicsModule Two: Physical Characteristics of AutismModule Three: Cognition and Learning in

AutismModule Four: Getting the Student Ready

to LearnModule Five: Structuring the Classroom

EnvironmentModule Six: Using Reinforcement in the

Classroom

Training Series ModulesModule Seven: Autism and Sensory

DifferencesModule Eight: Sensory in the ClassroomModule Nine: Communication and AutismModule Ten: Communication in the ClassroomModule Eleven: Behavior Challenges and

AutismModule Twelve: Understanding Behavior in

Students with Autism

Training Series ModulesModule Thirteen: Social Skills in the School

EnvironmentModule Fourteen: Functional Behavior

AssessmentModule Fifteen: Working Together as a TeamModule Sixteen: Autism and Leisure Skills to

TeachModule Seventeen: Special Issues of

Adolescence Module Eighteen: Safety and AutismModule Nineteen: Special Issues: High School,

Transition, and Job Readiness

Training Series ModulesModule Twenty: Asperger Syndrome: Managing

and Organizing the EnvironmentModule Twenty-One: Asperger Syndrome:

Addressing Social Skills

The Importance of Engagement in Learning

Students with autism and intensive needs may miss opportunities for engagement from infancy because of the underlying characteristics of their autism (difficulty imitating actions or words of others, poor eye contact, shows little interest in response to praise, prefers alone activities).

Research has shown that active engagement is the best predictor of academic outcomes for students with disabilities. (Bulgren & Carta, 1993; Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber & Kincaid, 2003)

Big Idea

Active engagement in meaningful learning experiences

is crucial to student success.

What is Engagement? Some Examples of Engagement:Eye contactReaching to othersPointing to desired objectHanding someone a book with desire to readClapping in response to an echo gameSays “moo” when singing Old MacDonald in

response to “a cow says…”

Strategies for Building Engagement

Floor play

One on one structured table work

Using demand fade

Floor Play: Building Social Interactions

This is about building a relationship with a student and beginning where the student is:

• Sit near the student to build his/her comfort• Positively comment on his/her activities• Gradually join the activity• Seize opportunities to build on his/her activities

(introduce new ways of playing with the toy)• Gradually increase length of interaction and

expand

More Social Interaction Strategies for Engagement

Engage in fun play routines several times, then PAUSE and wait for the student to reinitiate the routine.

Use repetitive phrases or songs and have the student anticipate what is going to happen.

Attempt to entice the child with motivating items.

“Play dumb” and have the child take the lead and show you.

Floor Play Helps to Build Social Interactions

Set-up the classroom to provide lots of opportunities for the student to have to communicate to you for them to get what they want/need. For example:

- favorite toys are on a high shelf- cups for juice are kept in the closet, out of

sightBuild in many opportunities during the day to

build reciprocal, or back and forth social skills.- games of imitation- structured turn-taking games

Big Idea

Engagement starts with developing a relationship with

the student, on his or her terms, meeting the student where he

or she is.

Structured Table WorkUse Visual Supports (activity schedules,

first/then and token boards)Use heavy reinforcement for activities and

reinforce frequently, especially when it is new.Develop activities that are highly structured

(known beginning, middle, end, and time to every activity).

Make sure everyone in classroom is doing the exact same thing with student (write it down).

Make sure to write down when a student has success or difficulty with the activity (keep data).

Structured Table WorkFirst Skills to Teach:- Joint Attention

(Student is looking at the activity/task along with you.)

- Imitation (Repeating your visual or physical actions.)

- Play (Includes back and forth social interaction or mutual play)

- Appropriate protesting/rejecting (activities that are not liked or

preferred)

Joint Attention StrategiesTeach responding to gestures, head turns and

eye gazePrompt getting an objectTeach use of gestures, head turns and eye gazeFollow another’s focus of attention (“look at

that”)Use gestures to bring attention to objectsUse gestures to comment on something

unexpected (look at that monkey dancing)

Big Idea

Initially respond to all communication attempts and then increase expectations to more specific or appropriate

communication.

Basic Play and Interaction Skills

Play Skills to Teach:Attending to play activityAppropriate sittingHow to move objects (object manipulation)Matching (pictures and objects)Open-ended activities (non-structured play)Imitation with objectsMotor imitation (touch toes, run in place)Simple direction following

Basic Play and Interaction Skills

Teach Appropriate Ways to Protest/Reject“All done”“Stop”“No”“Take a break”

Teaching “Break”Introduce and teach the steps to take a break.Teach and use a “break” card, especially for

students who do not have verbal communicationDemonstrate the steps to take a break.Decide on a “Break Area” and set the amount of

time for a break.Student must come back to the activity/task

after the break is overUse lots of reinforcement when student follows

the steps.

Teaching “Wait”Introduce and teach the steps to “wait”.Teach and use a “wait” card, especially for

students who do not have verbal communication.

Start with VERY short periods of time and gradually increase

Practice “wait” with student, gradually increasing time for waiting.

Use a token board and high rates of reinforcement, especially when first teaching and practicing “wait”

Importance of ImitationTeaching imitation relies on the fact that the

student can do what you do.If a child does not have social attention, then

imitation will not occur. You must then work on joint attention more.

Teaching students to watch others and do as they do helps them to learn to use objects and toys for functional (and meaningful) purposes, imitate facial movement needed to make sounds, and follow along with the group. (Wetherby & Prizant, 1992)

Teaching ImitationStep One: -Simple actions (i.e. block in bucket, ring on stacker) - Complex actions (i.e. roll car on table, stack blocks)

Step Two: -Related actions (i.e. put man in car and roll, put baby in cradle and rock) - Unrelated actions (i.e. put block in bucket and ring on stacker)

Step Three: - Related action with theme-based toy (i.e. farm,

doll house)

Generalization or Extension of Imitation -Pretend play with props (i.e. kitchen play)

- Peer imitation - Learning by watching

(Harris & Weiss, 1998)

Teaching Motor ImitationOne-Step Commands:

-Large or gross motor in chair (i.e. clap hands, stomp feet) - Gross motor out of chair (i.e. jump) - Small or fine motor (i.e. point, make a fist) - Facial (i.e. stick out tongue, shut eyes)

Two-Step Commands: -Related commands (i.e. stand up and jump)

- Unrelated commands (i.e. clap and touch nose)

Three-Step Commands: - (i.e. stand up, jump and clap hands)

Peer Imitation

Generalization or Extension of Imitation - Actions to songs, obstacle course, imitation

games such as “Simon Says” (Harris & Weiss, 1998)

Demand Fade: Definition

Demand Fade is a behavioral approach on working with a student to learn a new skill,

a skill that has not been mastered and needs practice, or a task that is not

liked/preferred by the student.

Steps in Using Demand Fade

1. Break the task into its smallest parts2. Using a visual support, show the “first work,

then break” framework3. Use high levels of reinforcement4. Gradually develop the student’s capacity and

stamina for work5. Reinforcement gradually be lessened as the

student progresses6. This method should be used for new or difficult

tasks for the student.

Big Idea

It is very important to find what motivates the student, use high

levels of reinforcement when skills are being taught, and then

lessen the frequency of the reinforcement as the skill is used independently by the

student.