Autism Spectrum Disorder - Resources

The presentation on Autism Spectrum Disorder presented an array of fabulous and well organised resources I had never heard of before! In addition to this, I learned several facts about autism including: it is four times higher in males than females, students with ASD may display challenging behaviours that are different to their peers and a few characteristics of a child with autism are impaired social function and impaired communication. I learned that the pattern of behaviours that students with autism can exhibit are intensified and persist beyond the typical age of the child.

In the presentation we participated in a rotational exercise in which each group  focused on a different topic - literature, manipulatives, visual aids and assistive technologies. My group explored manipulatives and made a stress ball. I would use this activity in the classroom and have students create their own stress balls as this would allow all students to feel included, as well as provide a stimulant for a student with ASD. The speakers stated that sensory items can be used to help desensitise the child's nervous system to touch, and, can generally calm the students, reduce stress and reduce distractions. In order to ensure a student with ASD is comfortable in the classroom I learned the following:

• Aim to stick to routines, and if change is necessary notify the student with ASD in advance to avoid stress and change in their routine.
• Use literature to assist students in coping with problems in their life, for example the book All Cats have Asperger Syndrome. This will allow students to understand how to cope with issues they are facing without singling out the student and involving the whole class.
• Use visual aids to support learning for students with ASD including timetables, cue cards, lists and so on.
• Use assistive technologies to assist students with ASD in an educational, social and physical way. Some applications could include PopMath, Touch and learn emotions and Action Timer. There are several other applications and assistive technologies that can be utilised in the classroom but I found these most interesting.
• Collaboration with the parents and specialists associated with the student with ASD is vital in ensuring the best learning experience for the child.

Overall, the presentation allowed me to understand how a student with ASD might act and behave in the classroom and what resources I can use to assist their learning. An example on of the speakers gave that has stayed with me is, her cousin who is autistic relies heavily on a vibrating pencil as a stimulant and will not attend school without it. He once missed a full week of school due to not having a vibrating pencil available to him. This reiterates the intensified behaviour of a student with ASD and further allows me to grasp the idea that all students are different, and in order to provide an inclusive education to all, each individual students needs have to be met to ensure maximised learning opportunities in the classroom.