- Discover how teachers can stay up to date with the latest innovative and effective strategies for engaging students with autism and their unique needs.
- Consider the impact that the characteristics of autism has on learning and participation in the classroom, and how to use this information to guide and inform the most effective strategies and supports.
- Examine environmental, instructional and curriculum areas from the lens of a classroom teacher, with real examples that include strategies and guidance for teachers.
In this session, Lee Casuscelli helps us to answer the question: how do we ensure classroom experiences are positive for students on the autism spectrum?
First, Lee walks us through some of the challenges in communication skills that may occur for students with autism. Understanding these potential issues is the first step towards supporting students. However, she also points out that we should be moving away from focusing on student deficits to focus instead on student strengths.
“Strength-based approaches are the key to success.”
Effective strategies for students with autism begin with adjustments, but these are extensions of good teaching practice, and can benefit a diverse range of students in the classroom.
Adjustments should be meaningful and functional:
- Curriculum - Adapt what is taught (in preference/interest or difficulty)
- Instructional - Adapt how it is taught (modality/format of both student response and instructional presentation)
- Evironmental - Adapt the setting (where, when, or who)
Lee tells us that the environment is often the easiest to adjust, but also the most often overlooked. She suggests doing an audit of your own space as part of an ongoing effective strategy: Survey the environment for sensory overload.
The session then includes a brilliant video on what works best for students with autism from those who know best - students and educators with autism. It’s important to centre changes to classrooms on lived experience and knowledge, or “nothing about us without us”.
To do this, Lee shares lists of questions (curriculum, instructional, and environmental) that should guide classroom strategies to support students with autism and all students: by placing their strengths and needs first.
Some of Lee’s final tips for teaching students on the autism spectrum include:
- Provide a structured routine.
- Give warnings about changes ahead of time where possible to build confidence and develop trust.
- Use visuals wherever possible.
- Pause for processing time.
- Use concrete wording.
“If a child can’t learn the way we teach, we should teach the way they learn.” - Estrada (n.d)