Issue Four - Inappropriate calling out in the classroom
What does the research say about this issue?Children with an autism spectrum disorder can find it hard to relate to and communicate with other people. A common characteristic of children with autism is qualitative impairments in expressive verbal and nonverbal communication (Westling & Fox, 2009). Children with autism often lack an understanding that communication is a process through which people can share ideas and emotions, and attempt to impact the behaviour of communicative partners (Heward, 2013). Communication is intertwined with many other aspects of education and development, including socialization, behaviour, and academics. Children with autism need specific support because they usually lack effective communication and social skills to know how
and when to use language to communicate with other people. They might also communicate mostly to ask for something or protest about an issue, rather than for social reasons, such as getting to know someone. |
How does this issue affect Christopher?
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Suggested strategy to assist this issue - Power Card
Recent research indicates that, in children with ASD, one of the most efficient ways to improve their communication is to provide opportunities for them to communicate using desired communication skills when the child is motivated to communicate (Koegel, Matos-Fredeen, Lang, & Koegel, 2012). Jenkins (2009) suggests using Power Cards as an effective way to prompt and instruct communication skills because it involves including a student’s special interest with a visual
aid to teach a desired skill and guide their behaviour. They discuss that Power Cards can be effective for: increasing student’s motivation and learning by incorporating their special interest/preferred character; assisting with generalization; capitalizing on a child’s visual learning style; assisting with understanding complex ideas and concepts; and for teaching a variety of skills. The following Power Card was designed to use Christopher’s special interest in Spiderman to help him make sense of how to raise his hand in order to ask for help.
The following elements have been considered for Christopher in the design -
aid to teach a desired skill and guide their behaviour. They discuss that Power Cards can be effective for: increasing student’s motivation and learning by incorporating their special interest/preferred character; assisting with generalization; capitalizing on a child’s visual learning style; assisting with understanding complex ideas and concepts; and for teaching a variety of skills. The following Power Card was designed to use Christopher’s special interest in Spiderman to help him make sense of how to raise his hand in order to ask for help.
The following elements have been considered for Christopher in the design -
- A short script is presented on a sheet of paper that is written from the perspective of Spiderman.
- A small Power Card is then used to reinforce how Christopher can use the same strategy as Spiderman to solve a similar problem.
- It is written at Christopher’s comprehension level and includes a picture of Spiderman.
- Initially, the script can be read to Christopher on a scheduled basis by the classroom teacher so he can learn to use the Power Card.
- The target behaviour can be demonstrated by the teacher and role-played with Christopher.
- The Power Card includes a small picture of Spiderman and the solution to the problem situation is broken into 5 steps.
- The Power Card is created from the script and is stuck on Christopher's desk.
- It can easily be shown to other teachers and support staff so that they can also support the strategy.
- The teacher can made modifications to the story as needed to improve its effectiveness (e.g., more/fewer words; additional images; change of setting).
Example of Power Card Script |
Example of Power Card |
Source - Jenkins, 2009