Issue two- Difficulty understanding other people's communication
What does the research say about this issue?Dixon, Tarbox, & Najdowski (2009) state that significant limitations in verbal and non-verbal communication is a defining characteristic of autism. It is well documented that students with autism process information differently to their typically developing peers and often experience difficulty comprehending and concentrating on large amounts of verbal communication (Pierce, Spriggs, Gast & Luscre, 2013). Classroom environments are often noisy and usually involve a large amount of verbal communication. Conditions such as these can be
problematic for students with autism because they commonly attach little or no meaning to verbal language nor do they pay sufficient attention to a speaker in order to understand what they say. Therefore, visual supports are ideal to aid communication for students with autism because the student is able to create meaning through visual images rather than sound (Pierce, Spriggs, Gast & Luscre, 2013). |
How does this issue affect Christopher?
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Suggested strategy to assist this issue - Daily visual schedule
There is a huge body of research that suggests the use of visual activity schedules in classrooms is an effective tool teachers can use to support understanding verbal explanations of classroom routines and schedules (Dixon, Tarbox, & Najdowski, 2009; Pierce, Spriggs, Gast & Luscre, 2013; Westling & Fox, 2009). A visual activity schedule is a set of pictures used to depict a sequence of events and can be used as a non-intrusive prompt to enhance comprehension of language, prepare for environmental changes, and assist with the completion of specific tasks (Meadan, Ostrosky, Triplett, Michna,& Fettig, 2011). It is crucial the student is taught how to use the visual support until they fully understand it so they are provided with multiple opportunities to practice making the connection between images and routines (Meadan, Ostrosky, Triplett, Michna, & Fettig, 2011).
The following considerations have been made for Christopher -
The following considerations have been made for Christopher -
- The goal for the visual activity schedule is to help Christopher anticipate what classroom activity was coming next and thus increase independence, decrease anxiety and decrease instances of impulsivity. Having a goal for using the visual schedule can allow the teacher to evaluate Christopher’s progress and modify the system as needed.
- Using a mobile application such as the First-Then Visual Schedule (Good Karma Applications, 2013) is an efficient way the teacher can produce a daily visual schedule on an iPad or iPhone. It can emailed to a computer then printed for display on the classroom wall.
- First-Then Visual Schedules can be created using a variety of image sources and can be created to show the steps within specific daily events, or as a reminder of events throughout the day.
- If Christopher progresses to using an iPad or iPod the First-Then Visual Schedule can be used in various ways such as full screen, split screen, and a checklist. For information on all the other features of this application click on the link below.
- For success to be achieved it is important Christopher is taught how to use the visual activity schedule, rather than assume he will learn it incidentally.
- Before the beginning of each day, the teacher can place the schedule of the day’s activities on the pin board in front of Christopher’s desk. Christopher has a need for sameness therefore it is important the schedule is displayed in the same place every day.
- When Christopher enters the classroom he can use the visual support to easily see what is going to take place during the day.
- Throughout the day the teacher can use the schedule combined with a verbal and non-verbal cue to signal to Christopher (and the rest of the class) an upcoming transition making sure she allows time to prepare for the transition.
- At any time during the day, if Christopher is confused and does not know where he needs to be, he can use the schedule to tell him where to go.
- It can also be used to show Christopher when an activity is going to end by adding times to the schedule.
- The effectiveness of the visual support should be assessed, adjusted or modified according to Christopher’s progress and individual needs.
- If changes need to be made to the support it is important Christopher is encouraged to be part of the decision making process.