10 Ways to Teach Autistic Children

TODO: Introduction text

1. Develop Positive Relationships – taking the time to allow a student to communicate their needs, wants, interests and emotions with you will set you up for success (especially a student with behavioural challenges). Respect their wishes as you hope they respect yours. Positive relationships are powerful in reducing anxiety for our students and precede our ability to help them to achieve academically. Having fun and being playful with students will increase the likelihood they respond positively to your guidance. Connect to have an effect!
2. Prioritize Regulation – students must be regulated before we are able to target academic goals and other skills. Helping them be physically and emotionally comfortable is our priority, even if regulation is taking up most of the day. Take cues from the student and consider offering them some time in an environment where stimuli have been reduced. You can turn down the lights and ask others around to whisper. Ultimately, we want to give the student the time, space and tools needed to return to a regulated state. Being calm and collected in your approach can also help the child by means of co-regulation. Regulation sets the stage for successful learning and skill development. Regulate to educate!
3. Offer Wait Time – students with processing delays sometimes require longer wait times (upwards of 30 seconds). It is important to avoid repeating the instruction and instead allow them the time to process, as repetition can overwhelm a child who is trying to process what you’ve said. When dysregulated, wait times can be significantly longer. As we are often in a hurry, waiting a child out may feel excessive. However, rushing them or repeating yourself will not likely save you time. Let the child know you’re there but will wait until they are ready for your help.
4. Promote Communication – student voice can get lost when the student struggles to express themselves. It is important that we make communication as accessible as possible to all children. Having the power to enact change in your world is the very beginning of the road to independence, which is likely to take longer for students facing language barriers. If a child struggles to speak, consider methods of non-verbal communication (i.e., waves, high fives, ASL, etc.) or alternative communication methods (i.e., Core Boards, ProLoQuo 2go, recorded messages, etc.). It is crucial that we promote a child’s ability to express their needs and preferences from the onset of interaction with others. Offering choice (when safe and appropriate) is a great way to give any child a sense of agency. Choice = Voice!
5. Offer Positive Reinforcement – frontloading positive reinforcement (with increased frequency and animation relative to other interactions) can really shape up a student’s behaviour. Being a little ‘extra’ when you praise can really help a student who struggles with social cues (i.e., students with autism) to understand which behaviours are desirable in a school environment. Generally, positive reinforcement immediately following a behaviour increases the likelihood it will re-occur. This should happen most frequently at the beginning and be faded out slowly until the behaviour only requires occasional reinforcement. Intermediate reinforcement of a behaviour is highly likely to maintain it.
6. Minimize Prompts – The use of direct instructions (i.e., “do this” or “say ____”) should be used with caution. When we are very directive with our students, we limit opportunities for decision-making, analyzing and problem-solving. They can even become prompt-dependent, seeing no reason to act of their own volition when someone else is constantly making their decisions. When we are less directive, we allow children the time and space to show us what they are capable of. This allows children to do their own thinking, promoting independence and reducing the likelihood of power struggles. For children with sensory issues, frequent verbal or physical prompting may be overwhelming and put them in a state of alarm. The use of physical or ‘full’ prompting should only be used when necessary (i.e., a child is unsafe or in a situation which compromises their dignity).
7. Use Declarative Language – Rather than directive language, which tells a child what to do, try using declarative language, which tells a child about their environment. Statements of this nature draw attention to important cues in a child’s environment, and do not place a demand on them. For example, instead of saying, “put on your coat,” try saying something like, “I see your friends are putting on their coats for recess.” If a child responds by getting their coat, they have analyzed the situation and effectively decided on an action which contributed to their own success.
8. Promote Independence – it is ideal for student development to allow them opportunities to perform tasks independently or alongside peers (when it is safe and appropriate to do so). Helping students to gain autonomy is the ultimate goal for the school system and is empowering and de-stigmatizing to children living with exceptionalities.
9. Strengthen Peer Connections – developing relationships between peers has the highest potential for providing long-term, consistent support for students as they transition between classes and schools. Relations with peers can also be highly motivating and bolster learning. Meaningful relationships between all students will ensure that they adopt inclusive attitudes and strategies both in school and beyond.
10. Promote Positive Roles – it is important to be cognizant of the roles we see our students occupying, as they and their peers are receptive to this. The lens through which we view students can also have a self-fulfilling effect. If we view students as capable and valuable to a community, they will have more opportunity to occupy valued roles. Occupying such roles (learner, teacher, decision-maker, self-advocate) in turn affects how capable others see us and opens the door to further opportunities.

And I know we said ten but here are a bonus three that I have to include:

1. Develop Flexible Thinking – students will be faced with highly varied situations and interactions once they leave our school (and the school system). For this reason, it is in students’ best interest to present information and approach activities in differing ways when appropriate. Although routine and predictability can ease anxiety, it is in a student’s best interest to promote flexibility and resilience so students can handle the inevitable interruptions to their schedule. You can begin to promote flexible thinking as early as your child begins to engage in people-based play (i.e., peek-a-boo, tickles, chase) by changing things up. Using different language and playing in different environments – variations in their play supports variations in their day!
2. Understand Challenging Behaviour – some incidents of challenging behaviour can be resolved by reducing stimuli (low-arousal) and offering the necessary wait time. Although wait times may seem excessive, they are preferable to more invasive approaches as they allow students to regulate. Prompting students (either physically or verbally) while they are in a dysregulated state may cause more behaviour (i.e., they may be feeling the way you do immediately after stubbing your toe… not ready for instructions!)
3. Capitalize on Teamwork – collaboration among team members is highly encouraged as it increases productivity, reduces the likelihood of burnout and sets an excellent example for students. However, it is also important to check in with staff who may have specific information on a student plan. For example, please check with student’s primary staff before intervening if a child is engaging in challenging behaviour (unless student safety is a concern). A student may appear in distress, however staff may be in the process of waiting them out or following through with an instruction.