Autism Presentation
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Transcript of Autism Presentation
![Page 1: Autism Presentation](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062712/55d0f89dbb61ebd9428b4645/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
by Rebekah Maguire
![Page 2: Autism Presentation](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062712/55d0f89dbb61ebd9428b4645/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Contents
1. A refresher on Autism
2. Tackling the myths about Autism
3. Support needs for individuals on the Autism Spectrum
4. Practical strategies
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Autism is a spectrum condition. Individuals fall somewhere along the spectrum.
One of the best known forms of autism is Asperger syndrome. People with the condition are often of average or above-average intelligence.
Autism is much more common than most people think. There are over half a million people in the UK with autism – that’s around 1 in 100
people.
At TCS, we have 13 students on the Autism Spectrum.
![Page 4: Autism Presentation](https://reader036.fdocuments.us/reader036/viewer/2022062712/55d0f89dbb61ebd9428b4645/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by a triad of impairments:
social imaginative difficulties
restrictive and repetitive interests
social & communication difficulties
Autism Spectrum Conditions
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1. Social, communicative difficulties:
• Difficulty socialising + preference for their own company.
• Problems with verbal and non-verbal language.
• Can be inclined to take things literally.
• Socially ‘odd’ behaviours.
• Have difficulty with humour.
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2. Social Imagination Difficulties:
• Find it difficult to see situations from others’ points of view.
• Have difficulty imagining and so preparing for situations outside their immediate routine – change is problematic.
• Rigid thought patterns + single mindedness.
• Do not know how to join in with others / find ‘games’ problematic.
MIND-BLIND-NESS
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3. Restrictive and Repetitive interests:
• Often have an overwhelming interest in a particular topic e.g. transport systems, animals, Dr. Who etc.
• Stick to specific routines or rituals i.e. always going to the shops the same way.
• Repeat the same movements / insist on the same foods.
• Be hypersensitive to certain sounds, smells or lighting.
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Executive Functions
Executive function deficit (an umbrella term for cognitive processes) means that individuals with Autism often have
difficulty with:
• Working-memory• Planning• Organising• Shifting attention / multi-tasking• Regulating their emotion.
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Have you noticed any of these characteristics / behaviours in the
ASD students that you teach?
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True or False?
• Most individuals on the Autism Spectrum are male.
• Individuals on the Autism Spectrum find school one of the toughest environments.
• Those on the Autism Spectrum do not particularly want friendships.
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• Most individuals on the Autism Spectrum are male;
(False)
• Many individuals on the Autism Spectrum find school one of the toughest environments to be in;
(True)
• Those on the Autism Spectrum do not particularly want friendships;
(False)
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Prevailing Stereotypes?
SHERLOCK
Myth: Most individuals on the Autism Spectrum are male.
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Girls with Autism: The forgotten part?
• Undiagnosed / misdiagnosed due to different presentation.
• Judged against the male profile of Autism.
• Girls are better at mimicking socially acceptable behaviors and so go unrecognised. Linked to how girls are socialised.
• Tony Atwood, a leading clinician, has challenged the prevailing gender ratio of 1 in 4.
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Research on Belonging
• Involved 15 girls on the Autism Spectrum (aged 11-17) and their families;
• Focused on their sense of belonging in an “out of school”, community context;
• Not directly focused on the schooling environment but there were huge ramifications for scholastic context.
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• All girls found belonging at the groups but this was defined against an absence of belonging in mainstream schools.
• In schools, they felt that they had no friends----at most, a single male friend.
• School was where they had to ‘hold in’ or conform to the norms manufactured in mainstream school.
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‘……always wandering around the playground
alone’ (11)
‘The people at school think that Asperger’s is a disease which
they’d catch…..so no-one wants to be my friend anymore.’
This made her feel like: ‘an endangered animal in a zoo….’
(12)
‘I think that you will find that a lot of people with Autism won’t
be themselves at school. You are there for quite a long time and people judge you; people
are mean’ (15)
‘The people at school don’t understand when
I say that I have Asperger’s and don’t
know how to play games…’ (11)
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Lack of Belonging suggested: ‘Normalstream/ Mainstream’?
Inclusion?
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The National Curriculum
BUT ALSO
The Hidden Curriculum? (Aston-Smith)
She didn’t know how to ‘deal with the ebb
and flow of conversation’ (15)
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The girls were highly motivated to socialise but under particular conditions:
• Restricted time frame;
• Environmental features such as low-lighting and reduced noise;
• Small-group settings;
• Structured activities, where ‘special interests’ where harnessed. A ‘doing’ rather than a ‘talking’ group structure;
• Sought to be part of a group but not working as one.
• Meeting other girls with Autism meant that they no longer felt isolated as Autistic girls.
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Practical Strategies
How can we implement strategies to help individuals with ASD in the classroom?
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Strategies to promote a greater sense of school belonging:
• Great attentiveness to peer relationships and the potential for bullying (all girls in my project had been bullied, and were aware of being judged socially by peers);
• Being attentive to who their friends are, and being aware that individuals with Autism are more likely to have a single friend;
• The need for schools to raise the profile of Autism generally.
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• Finding out what students’ special topics / interests are.
• To increase social participation, special interest clubs could be set up during school lunch-breaks.
• Challenging our own ideas of what it is to be social.
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• To be aware that group work can be a significant barrier to curriculum access / belonging for this demographic.
• Parents in my research project corroborated that group work in school caused anxiety for their children.
• Could try letting the young person work ‘for’ the group on a task rather than with them;
• Being sensitive to environmental features of the classroom such as noise levels.
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• Providing retreat spaces for individuals with Autism to account for social saturation points.
• Being sensitive to how tiring school can be for individuals with Autism (i.e. can lead to melt-downs at home……)
• Structured, rather than open-ended tasks are best. Individuals with Autism can find it hard to tell what it is demanded of them. Explicit instructions are best.
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• P.E and Drama can provoke anxiety because they involve open-ended tasks / group-work. Individuals with Autism struggle with ‘getting’ the rules.
• Change can provoke extreme anxiety. Change in routine must be managed carefully. Talk them through why the change has to happen / what it will look like.
• Can have poor self-help skills – check in with them on tasks.
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• Inappropriate social behaviours can be sensitively challenged. What individuals with Autism cannot intuit, they can be taught.
For example: Talking at length about their interests……..
• Visual learners?
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Resources:A documentary by a teenager with Autism): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpWWP1HNGQ
A upcoming TV documentary on girls with Autism: Wednesday 15th July 10: 40pm.
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Questions