Teaching Adolescents With Autism

Practical Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom

Walter G. Kaweski

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9781452269436
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Pedagogía
• Subtopic: Educación secundaria

Reaching teens with autism requires knowledge and heart

Award-winning educator Walter Kaweski offers secondary teachers practical strategies and heartfelt insights based on his extensive experience as an inclusion coordinator and father of a son with Asperger syndrome. Students with special needs often require extra support as they adjust to adolescence. This book offers hundreds of valuable ideas to help teachers:

• Understand autism
• Solve adolescent behavior challenges
• Help students adjust to social situations
• Implement academic and behavioral interventions

This unique resource takes the mystery out of autism and inspires teachers to appreciate the individuality of each student.

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Understanding Autism

Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive; it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person.

Jim Sinclair (1993)

Our first chapter will focus on understanding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for one simple reason: Informed support leads to better outcomes. Although topics related to autism are frequently in the news, the disorder is not widely understood. Many people still perceive individuals with autism based on movie depictions like Rain Man, Forrest Gump, Mozart and the Whale, and Adam. Although there is some truth to these depictions, each is really just a portrayal of one individual. To complicate matters, a student with autism may show little evidence of a disability. The student is not using a brace or walking with a guide dog. He appears typical, with no physical evidence of a challenge. Despite outward appearances, the diagnosis leaves the student disconnected from others while distorting his perceptions of the world in which he lives.

There is less tolerance in schools and society in general for disabilities that are hidden. It’s much harder for students and adults to understand differences they can’t see. The student with ASD senses things differently than his typical peers and may respond in unusual ways.

As a result, the student is frequently misunderstood. Misunderstandings can lead to mistreatment, exclusion, and perhaps even abuse. Understanding the range of potential characteristics of this disorder will empower you to be an effective advocate and teacher.

In addition to supporting students’ academic needs in the classroom, you will also need to bridge the gap of understanding between students with autism and their peers without disabilities—not always an easy task when you consider the sometimes baffling behaviors of the student with autism that at times seem far from typical. Nevertheless, with knowledge and training you can reduce misunderstandings, while increasing acceptance and even friendship.

Relationship building is the key to reaching the potential of students with ASD. Strive to establish a connection with the person. Your time and effort will be rewarded.

INTRODUCTION TO AUTISM

Autism is a neurological developmental disorder, believed to have a genetic basis, affecting the brain’s ability to process and interpret varying types of information. Deficits can occur in a constellation of behaviors, but generally fall into three broad areas:

1. Social interaction
2. Verbal and nonverbal communication
3. Restrictive patterns of interest and behavior

Autism is considered a developmental disability because symptoms of autism typically manifest before age 3 and continue throughout the life span. In fact, autism has a profound impact on a child’s development. Students with autism have significant challenges with communication development. They lack appropriate expressive language starting in early childhood. They may not engage in eye gaze when a parent approaches their crib or smile and interact as typical babies do. Later, the varieties of typical play behaviors like spontaneous make-believe play and sharing of interests with others is noticeably reduced or absent. They struggle to understand and relate to the thoughts of others. Nuanced forms of nonverbal and spoken communication, like body language, gestures, tone of voice, sarcasm, and the use of idioms, are misinterpreted or go unnoticed. Some students display “stereotypical behavior,” meaning they are drawn to narrow, atypical interests and behaviors that identify them with the disorder.

The term “autism” was first described in the 1940s by Leo Kanner, an American psychiatrist, when writing about a group of children who displayed similar patterns of behavior (Kanner, 1943). Today, more than 60 years later, autism is referred to as a pervasive developmental disorder or an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) because the range (spectrum) of potential differences varies widely from very moderate to significant and affects each person differently and to varying degrees. In fact, The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), published by the American Psychiatric Association (2000) to assist in the diagnosis of mental disorders in both children and adults, has actually identified five subgroups under the umbrella of pervasive developmental disorders: autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett’s syndrome.

To gain a better understanding of autism/autistic disorder, look over the following DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria:

DSM-IV-TR DEFINITION OF AUTISM/AUTISTIC DISORDER¹

(A)	A total of six (or more) items from (1), (2), and (3), with at least two from (1), and one each from (2) and (3):
	(1)	qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
		(a)	marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
		(b)	failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
		(c)	a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
		(d)	lack of social or emotional reciprocity
	(2)	qualitative impairments in communication as manifested by at least one of the following:
		(a)	delay in, or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of communication such as gesture or mime)
		(b)	in individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others
		(c)	stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language
		(d)	lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play appropriate to developmental level
	(3)	restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
		(a)	encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
		(b)	apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
		(c)	stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
		(d)	persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
(B)	Delays or abnormal functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 3 years: (1) social interaction, (2) language as used in social communication, (3) symbolic or imaginative play.
(c)	The disturbance is not better accounted for by Rett’s disorder or childhood disintegrative disorder.

ASPERGER SYNDROME

Complicating the autism spectrum further is a group of individuals who do not fit the “classic” autism profile. Students diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS) share many of the same challenges as students with ASD; however, their cognitive and linguistic profile is closer to typically developing students.

In 1944, Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician, described children seen in his Vienna pediatric clinic who tended to have average to above-average intellectual functioning with less apparent communication and social interaction challenges than children with more classic autism. In four boys, Asperger identified a pattern of behavior and abilities that he called “autistic psychopathy,” meaning autism (self) and psychopathy (personality disease). The pattern included “a lack of empathy, little ability to form friendships, one-sided conversation, intense absorption in a special interest, and clumsy movements” (Asperger, 1944). Asperger noticed that these children could talk about their favorite subject in great detail. While they talked in a more typical manner compared with children with classic autism, they appeared very eccentric and socially awkward.

Students with Asperger syndrome tend to appear more typical in early childhood (i.e., more typical parental attachment patterns and the seeking of adult and peer social interaction). Because they seem to interact like typically developing babies and toddlers and to have no evident cognitive delay, they may remain undiagnosed longer than children with autistic disorder. From the perspective of many diagnosticians, typical early language development and social and adaptive behavior coupled with the age of onset disqualify these children from the diagnostic label of autism (Attwood, 2008; Volkmar & Lord, 2007).

Confounding their profile further, as these children with Asperger syndrome mature, they tend to speak with grammatical form and content in a more mature manner than children without disabilities. As they enter the highly social world of elementary school, their communication challenges become more apparent. Conversational topics center on their narrow, unusual interests without regard for or apparent awareness of the listener’s level of interest or engagement. Although their speech seems mature, in actuality these students are simply displaying more nuanced forms of a social-communication challenge. Not surprisingly, children with Asperger syndrome may not be diagnosed until they start elementary school, with mean age of diagnosis being 11 years (Howlin & Asgharian, 1999).

There is some controversy over the diagnostic criteria for Asperger syndrome. The validity of Asperger syndrome as a diagnosis separate and distinct from autism is currently under review (Tryon, Mayes, Rhodes, & Waldo, 2006). It is anticipated that Asperger syndrome will be eliminated as a distinct disability subcategory of autism when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) publishes the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-V) in 2012 (Swedo, 2009). Despite the anticipated official elimination of this diagnostic label, you will most likely encounter students and parents who identify with Asperger syndrome. It therefore seems appropriate to include the diagnosis as a subcategory of autism until the change occurs and for you to familiarize yourself with the following DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria:

DSM-IV DEFINITION OF ASPERGER SYNDROME

A.	Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
	1.	marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
	2.	failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
	3.	a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests or achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
	4.	lack of social or emotional reciprocity
B.	Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
	1.	encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
	2.	apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
	3.	stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
	4.	persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
C.	The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D.	There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).
E.	There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction) and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
F.	Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.

As previously mentioned, along with autism and Asperger syndrome, there are three other diagnostic labels that fall under the umbrella of pervasive developmental disorders: pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett’s syndrome. Each will be described in brief. PDD-NOS is a condition in which there is marked impairment of social interaction and communication and/ or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest, but when full features for autism or another explicitly defined autism spectrum disorder are not met (Volkmar & Lord, 2007). Rett’s syndrome is an X chromosome–linked dominant disorder that primarily affects girls. It is characterized by normal early growth and development followed by a progressive slowing of development, loss of purposeful use of the hands, distinctive hand movements, slowed brain and head growth, problems with walking, seizures, and intellectual disability (Ellaway & Christodoulou, 1999; Volkmar & Lord, 2007). Childhood disintegrative disorder is considered a rare condition and occurs more frequently with boys than girls. A child with this disorder shows typical development of verbal and nonverbal communication; social relationships; and motor, play, and self-care skills until about 2 to 5 years of age. Then, over several months, the child will dramatically deteriorate or regress in the areas of intellectual, social, language, play, and self-care (e.g., bladder and bowel control) abilities and may resemble a child with a severe form of autistic disorder (Attwood, 2008; Volkmar & Lord, 2007).

FUNCTIONING ALONG THE SPECTRUM

No two individuals on the autism spectrum share exactly the same characteristics, strengths, and challenges. Each individual experiences autism uniquely, in both form and degree of symptoms. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of autism is often divided along an arbitrary co...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• About the Author
• Introduction
• 1. Understanding Autism
• 2. Understanding Inclusive Education
• 3. Promoting Positive Behavior
• 4. Communication: Building Competence
• 5. Friendship and Belonging
• 6. Understanding Support: Successful Strategies for Supporting Diverse Learning Needs
• 7. Classroom Instruction: Effective Strategies for Whole-Class Instruction
• 8. Organization
• Appendix 1: Glossary of Frequently Used Terms
• Appendix 2: Special Education Acronyms
• Resources Part I: Inclusion Support Resources
• Resources Part II: Behavior Support Resources
• References
• Index