This document discusses identifying students with autism in the classroom. It outlines six potential areas of challenge for students who may have autism: social skills, communication skills, uncontrolled emotion, theory of mind, sensory sensitivity, and special interest areas. For each area, it provides examples of behaviors teachers can look for to help identify students on the autism spectrum so they can receive appropriate support.

1. Identifying Students with Autism
in the Classroom
Dr. Mary Ann Winter-Messiers, Ph.D.
University of Oregon-Laos Inclusive Education
Project
July 2015
1University of Oregon – Laos Inclusion Project • 2015 ໂຄງການການສຶກສາຮຽນຮ່ວມລະຫວ່າງ ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ ໂອເຣກອນ
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Identifying Students with Autism in the Classroom

2. What can teachers look for to identify
students who may have autism?
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3. 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.
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4. 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.
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5. 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
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6. 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.
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7. 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.
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8. The student uses actions or words to
initiate socially that are not appropriate
for his or her age or intellectual abilities
in other areas.
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9. The student will play alone or in a
parallel style (instead of interactively with
other children) when it is no longer age-
appropriate.
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10. 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
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11. The student may be unable to look at
other people in the eyes.
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12. 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.
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13. The student does not seem to have
natural, conversational social turn-
taking, especially with children his or her
own age.
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14. The student does not seem to
understand subtle, social cues such as
time to end a conversation or time for
someone else to talk.
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15. The student is more comfortable talking
with adults or youth than children his or
her own age.
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16. 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.
16University of Oregon – Laos Inclusion Project • 2015 ໂຄງການການສຶກສາຮຽນຮ່ວມລະຫວ່າງ ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ ໂອເຣກອນ
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17. The student may not be able to control
his or her emotions, positive or negative,
such as excitement, fear, anger,
happiness, or sadness.
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18. 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!
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19. 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.
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20. 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?
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21. The student may not understand the
impact of his or her words and actions
on other students or teacher.
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22. 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.
22University of Oregon – Laos Inclusion Project • 2015 ໂຄງການການສຶກສາຮຽນຮ່ວມລະຫວ່າງ ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ ໂອເຣກອນ
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23.  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.
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24. 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.
24University of Oregon – Laos Inclusion Project • 2015 ໂຄງການການສຶກສາຮຽນຮ່ວມລະຫວ່າງ ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ ໂອເຣກອນ
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25. The student's
interests seem
restricted and
repetitive.
The student
chooses certain
objects or activities
to the exclusion of
all others.
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26. It Can Be Done
26
 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.
University of Oregon – Laos Inclusion Project • 2015 ໂຄງການການສຶກສາຮຽນຮ່ວມລະຫວ່າງ ມະຫາວິທະຍາໄລ ໂອເຣກອນ
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27. 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
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28. These children depend on us to speak
for them.
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