1. ການຈ%ແນກນ'ກຮຽນທ+ເປ'ນAutism
ໃນຫ0ອງຮຽນ
Dr. Mary Ann Winter-Messiers, Ph.D.
University of Oregon-Laos Inclusive Education
Project
July 2015
1University of Oregon – Laos Inclusion Project • 2015 ໂຄງການການສyກສາຮຽນຮ7ວມລະຫວ7າງ ມະຫາວiທະຍາໄລໂອເຣກອນ ແລະ ລາວ
Identifying Students with Autism in the Classroom
Identifying Students with Autism in the Classroom
Dr. Mary Ann Winter-Messiers, Ph.D.
University of Oregon-Laos Inclusive Education Project
July 2015
What can teachers look for to identify students who may have autism?
Remember…
View each child as an individual.
Think about the behaviors you see in the child.
Do not find a reason to continually justify behavior that is not typical.
Take action to find out what is really going on.
Review: What is Autism?
Autism is a group of disorders that originate in brain development, affecting the brain and the body, and primarily recognized by social difficulties, communication challenges, and narrow, repeated behavior patterns.
Six Potential Areas of Challenge in Students Who May Have Autism
Social Skills
Communication Skills
Uncontrolled Emotion
Theory of Mind
Sensory Sensitivity
Special Interest Areas
Area #1: Social Skills
The abilities people use to interact successfully with other people, including knowing how to: be polite and respectful, speak and behave in a variety of social situations, show care for others; and share thoughts and opinions appropriately.
Individuals with autism must be taught social skills.
The student does not play with other children as expected. He or she may not appear interested in playing and may not know how to join in the games.
The student uses actions or words to initiate socially that are not appropriate for his or her age or intellectual abilities in other areas.
The student will play alone or in a parallel style (instead of interactively with other children) when it is no longer age-appropriate.
The student has difficulty with unexpected changes in the environment,
This is true even when changes are explained to the student in advance.
Examples:
Teacher is absent, a stranger is teaching
School schedule changes
The student may be unable to look at other people in the eyes.
Area #2: Communication Skills
The ability to express needs, desires, thoughts, feelings, and opinions to others through verbal (or other type) and body language.
Students with autism may or may not be able to speak with their voices.
The student does not seem to have natural, conversational social turn-taking, especially with children his or her own age.
The student does not seem to understand subtle, social cues such as time to end a conversation or time for someone else to talk.
The student is more comfortable talking with adults or youth than children his or her own age.
Area #3: Uncontrolled Emotion
Difficulty managing one's own strong emotions, such as happiness, anger, excitement, fear, and sadness. People with autism often have difficulty controlling their emotional expression to communicate their feelings appropriately and not be overwhelmed by them.
Students with autism must be taught how to do this.
The student may not be able to control his or her emotions, positive or negative, such as excitement, fear, anger, happiness, or sadness.
The student appears to others to be centered on him or herself, not caring about others.
This is often NOT true of children with autism!
Area #4: Theory of Mind
The ability of people to understand that they each have their own thoughts, beliefs, feelings, knowledge, desires, and opinions, while also understanding that their thoughts, beliefs, feelings, knowledge, desires, and opinions may be different from other people's.
Individuals with autism often think that other people have the same thoughts, beliefs, feelings, knowledge, etc., that they do.
The student has difficulty with Theory of Mind
Taking the perspective of other students is quite challenging for these children, even if the situation is explained.
What if the student’s
Special Interest Area
is sinks?
The student may not understand the impact of his or her words and actions on other students or teacher.
Area #5: Sensory Sensitivity
Vulnerability to sensory input, either too much or too little. This sensitivity can affect how people experience information taken in through sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and balance.
Some people with autism need more sensory input while others need less.
The student
is especially sensitive to sensory input affecting the senses: light, sound, taste, smell, touch, or balance.
may want more or less of certain sensory input, such as more or less light, or more or less noise level.
seems to hear selectively, sometimes appearing Deaf.
Area #6: Special Areas of Interest
Those passions that capture the mind, heart, time, and attention of individuals with autism, providing the lens through which they view the world.
Not hobbies!
Especially true for students with higher-functioning autism.
The student's interests seem restricted and repetitive.
The student chooses certain objects or activities to the exclusion of all others.
It Can Be Done
It can be difficult to identify a child who may have autism among many other students.
Looking for these signs in a cluster and over time will help you to identify students who may have autism.
Important!
Do not allow a student who may have special needs to move from one grade to the next without evaluation and support.
“Waiting” does NOT work.
Take action right away to learn what is going on with the student
Provide special support for the student