Educating Children with Autism in Head Start Classrooms

1. Educating Children with Autism in Head Start Classrooms Ilene Schwartz Head Start Center for Inclusion Ilene@u.washington.edu

2. Head Start Center for Inclusion • Overarching goal: • To increase the competence, confidence, and effectiveness of personnel in Head Start programs to include children with disabilities. • Guiding Principals: • The success of inclusion depends on everyone realizing that it involves much more than children "just being there". • Inclusion refers to the full and active participation of young children with disabilities in everyday settings.

3. Autism is a collection of overlapping groups of symptoms that vary from child to childSiegel, 1996, p.301

4. What is Autism? • Issues in three areas: social interaction, communication, ritualistic behavior • A spectrum disorder: different children affected to different degrees in each area

5. Social Deficits (DSM-IV) • Impairment in nonverbal communication (gestures, eye gaze, etc.) • Failure in developing peer relationships • Lack of spontaneous sharing of enjoyment, interests, etc. • Lack of social or emotional reciprocity

6. What You Might See • Complete lack of interest in others • Very attached to certain adults, but no interest in peers. • Inappropriate interest in others • Wants friends, but doesn’t “get it.” • Lack of understanding of facial expression (sometimes with disastrous results). • Behavior problems related to lack of interest in social praise or social consequences.

7. Communication (DSM-IV) • Delay in or total lack of spoken language. • Impairment in ability to initiate or sustain conversation. • Stereotyped use of language. • Lack of make-believe play.

8. What You Might See • Use of augmentative communication systems or no communication system. • Children with very good language, but odd uses: pronoun reversals, strange uses of words. • Children with odd sounding language. • “Scripting” • Repetitive, unimaginative play or no play. • Behavior problems because of limited language.

9. Restricted, Repetitive and Sterotyped Patterns of Behavior (DSM-IV) • Abnormally obsessive interests • Rigid adherence to routines • Sterotyped motor movements • Preoccupation with parts of objects

10. What You Might See • Obsessions with trains, maps, letters, etc. • Hand flapping, vocalizing, spinning, self-injurious behavior. • Lack of interest in “normal” childhood activities. • Tantrums and other behavior problems around routine changes. • Behavior problems around obsessions.

11. Other factors in autism • Prevalence = 1 in 150 • Many children with autism also have cognitive impairments • The prevalence of autism is increasing dramatically • Genetic factors seem to play a role. Higher incidence in twins. It seems to run in families.

12. NO ONE WAY TO EDUCATE CHILDREN WITH AUTISM!!!

13. There are no instructional strategies that are autism-specific

14. Children with ASD require • Instruction to be more explicit • Reinforcement to be more explicit and perhaps extrinsic to start • More opportunities to practice with feedback • Planned instruction to facilitate generalization

15. Three important questions • What are you going to teach? • How are you going to teach those skills and behaviors? • How will you know that your teaching has been effective?

16. Educating Children with Autism • National Research Council, 2001 • Report was developed at OSEP’s request

17. Characteristics of Effective Programs • Entry into program as soon as ASD is seriously considered • Active programming 25 hours a week, year round • Small group and 1:1 programming • Family component • Low student/teacher ratios (no more than 2 children with ASD per adult in classroom) • Program evaluation and assessment

18. Content of Programs should include • Social skills • Expressive, receptive, and non verbal communication skills • Functional communication system • Engagement and flexibility in developmentally appropriate activities • Fine and gross motor skills

19. Content (continued) • Cognitive skills, including play • Replacement of problem behaviors with socially acceptable alternatives • Independent organizational skills and other behaviors that support participation in general education settings

20. So, what does this mean for Head Start Classrooms • Examine the classroom environment • Consider activities • Use clear instructions • Make expectations clear and consistent • Use effective and frequent reinforcement, praise, and encouragement

21. Classroom Environment • A physical set up that delineates activity areas • Clear, consistent schedule • Materials that are interesting to students • Materials to promote communication • Minimal transitions • Visual supports as necessary

25. Game Board/Play Script

26. Classroom Activities • Help children feel successful • Clear beginnings and clear ends • Teach imitation, communication, play skills • Teach expectations • Teach to mastery

27. Clear instructions • Tell children what to do using simple, direct language • Tell children what to do, not what not to do • Provide children with an opportunity to respond • Show children what to do, do not let them make lots of mistakes

28. Clear and consistent expectations • The educational team needs to decide what the rules are and teach them • If children do not follow the rules -- teach them how to • The more consistent the team is, the more quickly children will learn • Start simple, keep raising expectations

29. Reinforcement • Children with autism often do not respond to social praise or group expectations • We need to make rewards and reinforcement individual and immediate • Reinforcers follow the behaviors that we want to occur again • Teacher attention is a reinforcer

30. More resources • Head Start Center on Inclusion -- www.headstartinclusion.org • Autism Speaks -- autismspeaks.org • PDA Center -- www.pdacenter.org • Polyxo.com (a good resource for instructional programs, data sheets, etc.) • Firstsigns.org