3 Strategies Educators Can Use to Teach Students With Autism

With the increasing number of students in America’s schools affected by autism, it is highly likely you’ve taught a student on the autism spectrum. It is more important now than ever before that all school personnel learn some of the best practices for working with students who have autism. The most beneficial teaching strategies will result in a decrease in undesirable behavior and an increase in independence and success at school.

Students affected by autism are likely to have a difficult time both in and out of the classroom. Many will have trouble with organization, impacting their ability to manage time and keep track of school items such as notebooks, personal supplies, and homework. They may also have a hard time understanding verbal directions, staying on-task, transitioning between tasks/activities, and completing assignments.

With so many teaching techniques specific to autism, it’s hard to know where to start. Below are three strategies guaranteed to help all educators earn an A+ for providing outstanding support to their students with autism.

Visual Supports

People with autism are often visual learners. It is highly recommended that visual aids be incorporated into their individual support plan. These aids will help to reduce the students’ stress and anxiety and decrease the potential for severe behavior problems while also greatly increasing independence.

Visual schedules are probably the most widely used support system for students with autism. They help students understand the plan for their day by seeing it all laid out together. A daily schedule is a great way to help your students know where to go, what the next activity will be, and when each activity is over.

Mini schedules can provide extra support when needed and are very versatile. This type of schedule can let your students know what tasks to work on during a class period and in what order. They are also a great way to break a task or assignment into smaller steps, encouraging students to complete it independently.

Task Modification

A common challenge that a student with autism can face in a classroom is to know when to start or stop working on a task. Or to keep track of the different steps required to complete an assignment. There are many ways that you, as their teacher, can modify the assignments or tasks to make them easier for your students to manage on their own.

Your number one priority is to set your students up for success. This may mean modifying or reducing the requirements of the assignment to ensure students can successfully complete it within the given amount of time. Your students may be more agreeable to complete an assignment if you are able to give them a choice between two or more options. You can also allow them to choose the order of assigned tasks to be completed.

Make sure the requirements for the task are clearly outlined. Try to quantify instructions as much as possible. For example, you can give them a specific number of worksheets to complete, the number of sentences that need to be written, or the number of math problems to solve. Using a timer may also be helpful so the student can see how much time they have left.

Positive Reinforcement

Many people with autism are not motivated by social rewards such as a smile or verbal praise. For this reason, it is imperative each student has a unique reward system in place. Reward systems can target specific behavior, task completion, or skill acquisition.

These students will need to know how and when they will earn a reward. This can be accomplished using a token system, earning points, or completing everything on a checklist. It’s important to give as many rewards throughout the day as the child needs to stay motivated and stay on task. Some students may work all day for one reward, while others may need reinforcement every 10-15 minutes throughout the day.

Conclusion

Knowing a few key strategies for teaching students with autism will not only help ease your stress but the stress of the students as well. Using these strategies daily will result in fewer challenging behaviors, more on-task behavior, and an increase in independence.

Visual supports have a big impact as those with autism are strong visual learners. Modifying tasks and assignments to match the student’s skill level will ensure their success and keep them working. Lastly, having a reward system in place will help to maintain motivation and increase cooperation.

With every staff member on board and knowledgeable of these basic strategies, all students on the spectrum will get the targeted help they need. If you would like to invite a behavior analyst to make a presentation at your school, or for further information on teaching students with autism, we invite you to contact us at 121learningworks.com.