Teaching Strategies for Autistic Children
A Teacher's Advice
These strategies can be implemented both in a classroom and at home.
1) Create an environment that is not over stimulating. The child will do better if there is no loud music playing in the background, as it distracts an autistic child from concentrating.
2) Create a structured environment with predictable routines. This is where the picture schedule so often used in autistic classrooms comes into play. The daily routine should be the same from day t day, only differing for special occasions. At such times, an appropriate picture representing that event should be placed on the child's schedule.
3) Give fewer choices. If a child is asked to pick a color, say red, only give him two to three choices to pick from. The more choices, the more confused an autistic child will become.
4) Select repetitive motions when working on projects. Most autistic classrooms have an area for work box tasks, such as putting erasers on pencils or sorting colors into colored cups.
5) Keep voice low and clear when teaching. Autistic children become agitated and confused if a speaking voice is too loud. Excess talking between staff members should be kept to a minimum.
6) Limit physical contact. While this is a good strategy for all children, autistic children can not properly interpret body language and touch, so minimal body physical contact is best
7) Allow students to stand instead of sit around a table for a class demonstration or for morning or evening meeting. Many children do better when allowed to stand. Many rock back and forth and this allows them to repeat those movements while still listening to teacher instruction.
8) Encourage and promote one to one interactions with students to promote social skills. Since autistic children have a problem with social skills and appropriates social behavior this is very important. Opportunities for social interaction might have to be structured at first, but with practice, they will start to understand social interactions.
9) Eliminate stress. Again, the autistic child needs to learn in a calm and quiet classroom. IF staff members are experiencing too much stress, leave the classroom until you feel better. Autistic children pick up on emotions very easily.
10) For visual learners, be sure to use signs and pictures, such as the pictures from the Board maker program. This is the beginning of communication skills for these children.
These ten suggestions should help in educating the autistic child with less stress and in a more focused environment taking into account their limitations.
Published by Dahloan Hembree
Ms Hembree is a certified Special Education, Reading and Pre K through 3rd grade teacher. She has taught for ten years. Prior to that, she was a Youth Counselor for six years with a non profit agency. Mrs. H... View profile
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15 Comments
Post a Commentnice,you gave me an idea.thanks
Thank you for the information. I have an interview for a job teaching children with autism tomorrow. This really refreshed my memory. Great article. I like the way you kept it packed with knowledge, but an easy read.
I am mom of a 6yr old boy with autisim and boy i am never bored. I thank people like you that share your knowledge. It helps so many alot! I thank you for helping help my awesome son!
As a special education teacher and a parent of a child with autism, I was saddend by the labeling used. As edcuation professionals we should be modeling 'people first language." Children are not autistic. They are children first who have been diagnosed with a developmeal disabilty, in this case, autim. Just as you would not label a child cancerous, we should place the child before their disability
As someone who has worked with "Children with Autism" for a little more than three years I have to tell you not everything in this article is best practice for these children. I have worked in poor programs that follow rules like these. I am glad to say that there are better programs out there! Thankfully I now work in a program that deals with more real life and teaching the children how to adapt and be successful in real life situations. # 4 is a total insult to all "children with autism." As a teacher I am ashamed that people with so little experience would put up a post. Please do more research!!
Putting the word disabled before a person when writing, or speaking, puts a label on them and tends to make the audience focus on the fact that the person is disabled. It puts the disability first and a disability does not define who a person is. It's politically correct and less offensive to some.
You cant do anything without someone having something to say. This article was very helpful to me. What is the difference between saying autistic children and children who are autistic?
excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've noticed that you put the disability before the person when you write. This is offensive to some people with disabilities and you may want to reconsider writing in this fashion in the future.
very well written article.