Students With Autism - Thom

Students with Autism - Thom Briefing Paper - Team Love Dragon Our case study was about Thom - a student with Autism. Thom enjoys gym and recess. Recently, there have been some changes in the schedule that have confused and frustrated him. First there were a couple of indoor recesses and then gym class was cancelled. Thom has begun to ask about gym and recess constantly. Everyone is growing tired of his endless questions. Currently, Thom is experiencing difficulty focusing on the other activities in his school day because of his perseveration on this topic. As a group, we decided to look at two questions to help Thom with this issue: 1. How can we create a more structured class for Thom? 2. How can we prepare Thom for possible classroom changes in routine? To answer these questions, we focused around the idea of creating routine and structure, preparing Thom for change, and using visuals to enhance motivation and interest. Social stories are also a great way to help Thom work through change. Our poster ideas are presented through the visual of a train as Thom loves trains. On our poster, we outlined some specific recommendations and options to use in the classroom that could be used to answer the specific questions listed above. Daily schedules are a useful way to create some structure in the classroom for students who rely on routine. In Thom's case, he focuses on times of the day that are his favourite activities, such as gym and recess. Having a daily schedule will help him to go through each period of the day knowing what and when to expect everything. As stated by MECY (2005), visual support is typically the most effective vehicle to communicate structure, routine, and predictability because it offers the student a permanent reminder of expectations. On the poster, we have included both a personal schedule for Thom to keep for his own use as well as a class schedule for everyone in the class to follow. With his personal schedule, there are visuals to help him work on what he is expected to do and what sort of materials he may need to complete the required task. There is also no time on his schedule, as he may focus too much on timing if something does not happen exactly as it is stated on the schedule. For the schedules, we have posted only half of the daily plan, as too much information at once may be overwhelming for Thom. We included the class schedule to keep the classroom community strong, being inclusive of every student in the class. This would be available at the front of the room for each students benefit, however we would have Thom practice using his own personal schedule when he has any questions about what we will be working on that day. You will also notice our poster has incorporated somewhat of an early warning system for Thom with regards to upcoming changes. Another visual has been included. This one being of “Today’s’ Weather” , an area on the daily schedule. This enables him to see what the outlook is for today’s weather. This way, if he sees a sun for today’s weather, he knows that it will be outside recess for the day and he can prepare for that. If Thom sees rain or snow in the outlook for today’s weather then he can prepare himself for the possibility of an indoor recess. We have also created a few other symbols that can be used to give Thom a visual display of the changes in a day. If gym class is cancelled one day, then a ‘no smoking’ type symbol can be placed over Phys. Ed. on the visual schedule and on his personal one. This way, if Thom feels anxiety over whether or not there is gym today, then he can see that symbol on the schedule and perhaps refer to on of his social stories to see how he needs to react and prepare. Social stories help students to prepare for change. They can be used in any context and should be created with the student in mind. A social story should always be written in the student’s perspective. The US Department of Education (2000) infer that integrating social stories into the classroom setting can

help a child with autism prepare for the introduction of changes and new routines in the classroom. So by use of social stories in the classroom, MECY (2005) understands that they direct the student with autism to apply the appropriate behaviour before disruption occurs in the class while facilitating the inclusion of students and helping them feel safe in a variety of classroom environments. It would also be a good idea for Thom to have a peer buddy or someone to help him work through various daily activities such as during unstructured time and special events. These peer buddies can then be taught how to cue Thom during schedule changes and show him where he can look to get the answers for himself ( a daily class schedule or Thom’s personal schedule) rather than repeatedly asking others infers Alberta Learning (2003). Thom will be informed who his buddies are and be told to ask them if he is confused or needs help. MECY (2005) suggest that peer buddies should also be encouraged to incorporate visuals when communicating with Thom as students with ASD may respond better to visual representations rather than strictly auditory information and directions. Alberta Learning. (2003). Teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Alberta: Author. Healing Thresholds. (2009). Social story therapy for children with Autism. Retrieved from http://autism.healththreshold.com/therapy/social-storieslds Jill. (2006-2009). Teaching flexibility for the Autistic child. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/magazine/article/flexibility_autism/ http://www.education.com/magazine/article/flexibility_autism/ Manitoba Education, Citizenship, and Youth. (2005). Supporting inclusive schools: A handbook for developing and implementing programming for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Winnipeg, MB: Author. Plumey, Karen. (2009). Autism and classroom transitions: The stress of change and refocusing Autistic students. Retrieved from http://autisticstudents.suite101.com/article.cfm/autism_and_classroom_transitions US Department of Education. (2000). What is a social story?. Retrieved from http://www.autismnetwork.org/modules/social/sstory/lecture01.html#topic2

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