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Assistive Technology for Students with Autism Monday March 10, 2014 Presentation to Teacher...
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Transcript of Assistive Technology for Students with Autism Monday March 10, 2014 Presentation to Teacher...
Assistive Technology for Students with
Autism
Assistive Technology for Students with
Autism
MondayMarch 10, 2014
Presentation to Teacher Consultants – Wayne RESA
Difficulties in Autism:
Usually significant tactile sensory challenges to touch with tools / hands
Often significant auditory sensory challenges to loud noises
Can have problems with the smell or taste of foods
Difficulties, cont’d
Can also have sensory defensive characteristics. . . don’t need to touch, smell, hear, taste, or see the item to have a significant reaction
Desire to self-direct
Decreased acceptance of new things, outside of sensory challenges
Difficulties, cont’d
Frequently significant feeding challenges, may decrease the possible use of food/drink in therapy activities
May need to have sensory input to assist child in processing or tolerating different sensory activities, or just to attend
Review of Sensory Input Types
Far senses - respond to external stimuli:
see, hear, smell, tastes, touch
Near senses - “hidden senses” because we are not aware of them, cannot control or observe them
Tactile sense: skin
Vestibular sense: inner ear
Proprioceptive sense: muscles, joints(Kranowitz, 1998)
Review of Sensory Input Types
Tactile: processes information about touch, received primarily through the skin
Vestibular: processes information about movement, gravity, and balance, received through the inner ear
Proprioceptive: processes information about body position and body parts, received through the muscles, ligaments, and joints
(Kranowitz, 1998)
Social Development
lacking eye contact and interaction with others
prefer being alone
passively accept such things as hugs and cuddling without reciprocating
seldom seek comfort from others
respond to parents’ displays of anger or affection
many report inventing imaginary friends, worlds, or scenarios
Indicators
Sensory Systemoversensitivity or under reactivity to touch, movement, sights, or sounds
physical clumsiness or carelessness
poor body awareness
tendency to be easily distracted
impulsive physical or verbal behavior
an activity level that is unusually high or low
difficulty learning new movements
Sensory Systemdifficulty in making transitions
social and/or emotional problems
delays in speech, language and motor skills
delays in academic achievement
obsessions or routines around foods - restricting what is eaten to certain colors, textures, or types
Sensory System
trouble hearing certain people
other people are perceived as speaking in a higher volume
unable to filter out sound in certain situations
Autistic Hearing
Communication Difficulties
high-functioning autism demonstrate advanced cognitive ability, but lack the skills or are not inclined to interact with others socially
delayed developing language
body language
odd prosody: things like a high-pitched, sing-song, or flat, robot like voice
Communication Difficulties
may scream in frustration or resort to grabbing what they want
communication difficulties may contribute to autistic people becoming socially anxious or depressed or prone to self-injurious behaviors
people with autism are being diagnosed with co-morbid mood, anxiety and compulsive disorders
Communication Difficultiesunusual repetitive movements • self-stimulation or “stimming”
repeatedly flapping their arms or wiggling their toes, others suddenly freeze in position
hours spent arranging objects in a certain way
demand consistency in their environment
Communication Difficulties
persistent, intense preoccupations•For example: child might be obsessed with learning all about computers, television programs, lighthouses or virtually any other topic
repeated words
repetitive behaviors can also extend into the spoken word
perseveration of a single word or phrase can also become part of daily routine
Effects in Education
Effects in Educationdifficulty understanding some classroom directions and instruction, along with subtle vocal and facial cues of teachers
some learn more effectively with visual aides as they are better able to understand material presented visually
Effects in Educationresearch has shown that working in pairs may be beneficial to autistic children
a paraprofessional may also be useful to student ( some argue with one-on-one aides, student may become overly dependent on help)
students with autism spectrum disorders sometimes have high levels of anxiety and stress
In autism there is a wide range of intelligence
Severely Impaired
Moderately Impaired
Average
Above average
Communicationa primary part of the handicap
A social / communciation disability
expression
understanding
Communication involves:
establishing or shifting attention
following rapid changing stimuli
taking in information
processing information
storing information
retrieving information
sending information
Summary of Communication Skills in Autism
ExpressiveInefficient
Ineffective
Idiosyncratic
Perseveration
Echolalia
ReceptiveIneffective
Poor understanding of auditory messages
inefficient
Relative skill taking in visual information compared to auditory abilities
Autism ~ Learning Styles
Gestalt learners - learn in chunks
Poor analysis & synthesis
Like rituals and routines
Difficulty learning new routines
Difficulty making changes in previously learned sequences
Lack generalization
Idiosyncratic
Autism ~ Behaviors
Range from annoying to non-compliant to aggressive to self abusive
Idiosyncratic
Frequent difficulty with:
Beginning or ending activities
Transitions
Change
Behavior problems frequently related to communication
Strategies
Sensory ItemsSensory BrushSeat DiskFidgetsTheraputic “fidget” puttyWeighted vest
•Communication Items
Picture cards (PECS)
Traveling Communication Ring
Communication Wallet
Go Talk
Sample Communication Booklet
Label Maker in container
High Tech – iPad / Dynavox / etc.
Strategies
Reading• Learning to read has many stages. A
student may have difficulty at any point along the contiuum.
Devices:• BookWorm• Talking Dictionaries• Magnetic Card Reader• Phonics / Phonemic Awareness supports• Free online resources
More reading support:
• Screen readers (Natural Reader, Read OutLoud, Kurzweil, etc.)
• Learning Ally• Bookshare• Apps
Math Help• Mathline• Math Games• Calculators• See N’ Solve Calculator• Coin Abacus• Online resources• LiveScribe Pen
Writing Support
• Mechanics of Writing• Pencil Grips• Raised-line papers• Wrist and hand weights• Reference books
Writing … cont’d• Process of writing
• NEO with word prediction• Inspiration / Kidspiration software• Talking Dictionary• Web resources• Reference Books• “Expanding Expressions” Kit
Strategies ~ Social
•BooksVarious titles
Strategies
Schedules and Routine Boards
Object Schedule Activity
What I Do in the Morning Routine
Get Ready for Work Routine Board
Schedule Activity
Choice Board
My Social Stories Book
•by Carol Gray and Abbie Leigh White
•www.thegraycenter.org