Asperger Syndrome in Elementary Students

Asperger Syndrome is a mild form of autism. Individuals with Asperger Syndrome often show eccentric behavior and a lack of social skills in childhood. The onset of Asperger Syndrome is usually later than the onset of Autism, and the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome is considered more positive than a diagnosis of Autism (Ozbayrek, 1996).

Jackel (1996) defines Asperger Syndrome as a pervasive developmental disorder which falls typically within the high functioning area of the Autism spectrum. Asperger Syndrome meets the following criteria:

1. Severe impairment in reciprocal social interaction.

2. Circumscribed interests to the exclusion of other interests, often involving rote memory.

3. Routines.

4. Delayed language development, formal language, and concrete misinterpretations.

5. Poor non-verbal expression.

Statistics show that rates of Autism and Asperger Syndrome are increasing. It is estimated that there has been a 120 percent increase in the number of students diagnosed with these disorders in a short time period(Fondacaro, 2001). It is estimated that 36-48 per 10,000 people have Asperger Syndrome. It is more common in males than it is in females(Hallahan, Kauffman, 2006).

Asperger Syndrome was originally described by Hans Asperger in the 1940's. He studied a group of people that had very little social ability. Although these people wanted to participate socially, they lacked the skills needed to communicate. They also showed intense interest in a particular subject and found it difficult to direct attention elsewhere (Woodbury-Smith, Klin, & Volkmar, 2005).

Students with Asperger Syndrome will have difficulties in the following areas: language development, social interaction, sensory integration, motor function, and cognitive processing(Moore, 2002). The classroom teacher must find ways to handle each of these areas of difficulty to ensure a positive learning environment for the child with Asperger Syndrome.

Language development is affected by AS on several levels. Students with AS may fool people with a large vocabulary and ability to correctly pronounce difficult words, but these students still have difficulty in this area. These students need work in phonemic, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic language. The teacher must be very aware of a student's actual comprehension. This can be done by various observations. Then the information should be used to determine an appropriate method of language instruction. It is very important that the teacher does not use sarcasm, gives clear directions in small pieces, and reinforces directions by writing them down to ensure the student will understand what is being said (Moore, 2002). Also, because students with AS fixate on one subject, they often will try to talk about that topic without regard for who is listening. To combat this the teacher can allow the student reward time for good behavior in which the student may talk about his or her favorite topic (Laurent, Rubin, 2004).

Social interaction is an area of extreme difficulty for students with AS. These students are unable to engage in conversation and do not understand the social code of conduct that other children naturally understand. These skills must be taught (Moore, 2002). Because these children want to actively participate in social interaction but cannot, they are often left with feelings of loneliness and are open to bullying. One study found that students with AS are four times more likely to be bullied than the average student (Attwood, 2004). In classrooms with older children, the teacher should explain the child's odd social behaviors to the students as a disability. Children should receive praise when they treat the student with AS with compassion to encourage this positive behavior. The teacher should place emphasis on the student's academic abilities by creating a learning situation in which the other students will see him or her as an asset to the classroom. This will encourage the students to accept the child with AS (Williams, 1995).

In addition to creating a positive social environment, the teacher should ensure that the child with AS is receiving proper training in social skills. Programs such as Social Stories, I Can Say, and Friends For Me use direct instruction to develop the social skills that students with AS desperately need (Moore, 2002).

Most children with AS are either hyper- or hypo- sensitive. They may be sensitive to light, sounds, touch, and smells (Moore 2002). Even light touches or changes in temperature can effect a child with AS, sometimes causing headaches (Whitenstall, 2004). These heightened senses can cause the child to have negative behaviors or even outbursts. In the classroom the teacher should place the child at the end of a row to allow him or her space. The teacher should always give warning that he or she is approaching the child and should model appropriate responses to touch. Also, the teacher should be very conscious of noise levels and distracting work areas. Sensory distractions must be limited(Griffin, Griffin, Fitch, Albera, & Gingras, 2006).

Poor motor skills is another issue that many children with AS experience. They are often clumsy and are not able to write neatly. In many cases a student with AS should be working with an occupational therapist. If the impairment of gross-motor skills is an issue then a goal for physical education may need to be written into the IEP (Moore, 2002). Poor fine-motor skills can make assignments in the classroom very difficult for the child with AS. This may cause the student to fall behind in class, even if he or she is mentally able to complete the assignments. Classroom teachers should be willing to shorten writing assignments or allow students an alternative to writing such as typing or answering orally (Moore). Allow students with AS more time to take written exams (Williams, 1995).

The impairment of cognitive processing depends greatly on the individual child, but many of the characteristics associated with Asperger Syndrome are very similar in each case. Students have very rigid thinking, become intensely interested in one topic, are very impulsive, have trouble with memory, and have poor attention (Moore, 2002).

Planning and organization are greatly effected by AS. Providing graphic organizers and outlines to help students follow instruction is very beneficial. Also, the use of a daily planner can help students and parents know what is expected of the child. A notebook or card that travels between classes can help teachers understand other teachers' instructions or remind students of materials that should be brought to class (Griffin, et al., 2006).

Poor concentration and impulsive behavior also make it challenging to have a child with AS in the classroom. These students need extreme structure in the classroom. Assignments should be broken into small units to hold the student's focus. Assignments may be time to keep the child on task. The teacher should give immediate feedback to the child. The student should be seated at the front of the room and the teacher should create a nonverbal signal to direct the student's attention back to the task at hand. The teacher should always encourage the child to avoid fantasies and focus on the classroom (Williams, 1995.)

The structure of the class is very important when teaching a child with AS. A predictable environment with a clearly posted visual schedule will help to hold the student's attention. If there are any changes in the schedule the child must be told in advance to prevent an outburst (Jackel, 1996).

When giving directions the teacher should be very clear. It is helpful to both say and write directions for the child. The teacher should not assume that just because the child can repeat the directions they understand what is meant. What is expected should be very straight forward and consistent. Also, teach the student how to ask for help in case he or she is confused (Jackel, 1996). One way to teach a student how to ask for help is to use a help-note method. When the teacher observes that the child has lost focus she quietly places a post-it note on the student's desk asking if he or she needs help. The student then just needs to write yes or no to signal to the teacher. This eases a lot of anxiety that the student may have about asking questions (Moore, 2002).

Students with Asperger Syndrome are usually placed into the regular classroom; however, it is proven that these students work best in small group settings. Whenever possible they should be placed into groups or one-on-one situations with the teacher (Fondacaro, 2001).

Children with AS may exhibit inappropriate behaviors in the classroom. These must be addressed immediately. Studies find that a behavior modification system was most successful at maintaining student behavior. In the most successful cases the teacher used rewards to encourage and reinforce positive behaviors. An example of a reward may be time to read about or talk about the subject that most interests the student. A flexible open-minded teacher will be most successful with a student with Asperger Syndrome (Fondacaro, 2001).

Other materials that may be helpful for teachers that have a child with AS in the classroom are visual schedules, communication books to communicate between teachers and parents, and assignment books. The teacher should also have an area of the room where the child may go to calm down in stressful situations (Moore, 2002).

There are several programs that may be helpful in the classroom for these students as well. Social programs such as Social Stories and Friends For Me have been mentioned before. These programs are a crucial part of the education of a student with AS. It is necessary for these student to not only learn to read and write, but to communicate as well (Moore, 2002).

Also, assistive technologies that aid students in writing are very beneficial. AlphaSmart, Co:Writer, CoWriter SmartApplet, Write:OutLoud and Dragon Naturally Speaking are all programs that help the student get thoughts trapped inside the mind out onto paper. They use varying degrees of assistance to develop writing skills. Some programs allow students to type rather than write, while others use voice recognition for those students with extremely poor fine-motor skills (Moore, 2002).

Having a student with Asperger Syndrome in the classroom can be a very challenging experience. It requires a lot of planning and cooperation on the part of the teacher and the entire school. If handled with the best interests of the students in mind, having a student with Asperger Syndrome in the classroom can be a very exciting and interesting experience. There is a vast amount of resources for teachers to use to make the experience very positive.

Lesson Plan

Title: Using Adjectives

Materials: scarf, orange, eraser, tin foil, paper, pencil

Objectives: Student will be able to use adjectives to describe various objects.

Procedures:

1. Place students in groups of 4.

2. Explain to students they must not begin writing until the clock starts.

3. Review definition of adjective and think of examples.

4. Pass out materials to groups.

5. Start clock and have students brainstorm as many adjectives for the object as they can in two minutes.

6. At the end of two minutes have groups switch objects.

7. Students repeat until all objects are finished.

8. Total each groups number of adjectives, being sure not to count words that are not adjectives.

Assessment: Have students choose 10 adjectives and write them in a sentence.

Reflection: I used this lesson in my classroom. I do not have a student with Asperger Syndrome, but I do have several students with ADHD. These students have similar attention problems as a students with AS. This activity had clear directions and was broken into short periods that were timed to keep the students focused. If I had a student with AS in my class I believe it would have been just as successful at maintaining attention and keeping the student on task. Also, the small group would have been an opportunity for the student to work on social skills. This also would have been a situation where the student's large vocabulary would have been an asset to the group and the other students would have found have the student with AS an advantage in the group. In turn, it would have helped build the student's self-esteem and encouraged the entire class to support the student.

References

Attwood. (2004, September). Strategies to reduce the bullying of young children with Asperger Syndrome [Electronic Version]. Australian Journal of Early Childhood.

Fondacaro, D. M. (2001, February). Asperger Syndrome: A qualitative study of successful educational intervention. Paper presented at the Eastern Educational Research Conference, Hilton Head, SC. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED454658)

Griffin, H. C., Griffin, L. W., Fitch, C. W., Albera, V., & Gingras, H. (2006, January). Educational interventions for individuals with Asperger Syndrome [Electronic Version]. Intervention in School and Clinic.

Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M. (2006). Learners with autism spectrum disorders. In V. Lanigan (Ed.), Exceptional learners: An introduction to special education (pp. 394-428). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

Jackel, S. (1996). Asperger's Syndrome-educational management issues. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED422687)

Laurent, A. C., Rubin, E. (2004). Challenges in emotional regulation in Asperger Syndrome and high-functioning autism. Topics in Language Disorders.

Moore, S. T. (2002). Asperger syndrome and the elementary experience. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing.

Ozbayrek, R. K. (1996). Asperger Syndrome. Retrieved November 1, 2006 from www.aspergers.com

Williams, K. (1995, June). Understanding the student with Asperger Syndrome: Guidelines for teachers [Electronic Version]. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 10.

Woodbury-Smith, M., Klin, A., & Volkmar, F. (2005, April). Asperger's Syndrome: A comparison of clinical diagnosis and those made according to the ICD-10 and DSM-IV [Electronic Version]. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.