Asd Learning Tips And Insight From An Expert
Patrick Dwyer
Patrick Dwyer is an autistic PhD student at UC Davis whose research focuses on autism. His research uses methods like electrophysiology, eye-tracking and questionnaires, and he is particularly interested in sensory processing and attention in autism. Patrick also facilitates a peer-support group for autistic students at his university. If you are interested in more of Patricks thoughts on all things autism and neurodiversity, check out his blog at autisticscholar.com.
How can college students advocate for themselves and ensure their learning rights are met?
How can parents of autistic adults ensure their college students can exercise their rights?
What advice do you have for postsecondary schools and educators in terms of creating learning environments that are both effective and inclusive?
Schools should remember that their systems and structures are designed with the needs of neurotypical students in mind and that these systems and structures dont necessarily work well for autistic people. The design of campus buildings can be an issue many of us have sensory sensitivities that can make it difficult to function in crowded hallways and lecture halls, and universities should keep sensory needs in mind when designing new buildings.
Finally, if at all possible, regular meetings with a university staff mentor who could help autistic students with time management and planning would be very useful.
What roles do family and educators play in this transition?
Accommodations Services And Supports Provided To Students With Autism
Some youth, particularly those with disabilities, need supports and interventions beyond the traditional classroom experiences to be successful at school . Secondary-school-age students with autism began receiving services as young children parents report that, on average, youth were 4 years old when they first received disability-related services from a professional . By the time they are in secondary school, according to teachers, 97 percent of students with autism receive some type of accommodation or modification, learning support, technology aid, or related service to enhance their performance in school.
More than 9 out of 10 secondary students with autism receive accommodations and modifications. Additional time to complete assignments or tests are among the more frequent types of accommodations . Tests and assignments also are modified 49 percent of secondary students with autism receive alternative tests, 33 percent are given modified tests, 25 percent have tests read to them, and 38 percent are given shorter or different assignments than the rest of the class. Approximately 2 out of 5 receive slower-paced instruction. Almost one-third have teachers who modify grading criteria. Physical aspects of the classroom are modified for 16 percent of students with autism.
Try A Smart Goal Challenge
If a student with autism is having a hard time with school, sit down with them and pick a SMART goal to work on over the next month or semester. SMART goals are an effective way to help children with autism reach their potential, and they are:
Suppose, for example, that your student with autism is having trouble learning how to recognize emotions. You could make a goal with them to practice flash cards with emotions on them every day for five minutes and for the student to recognize each card by the end of the month. As long as the SMART goal hits all of the criteria, it can help your student focus on ways to make progress.
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Offers A Wide Range Of Educational Resources
Another advantage of online learning is the vast array of educational resources that are available online. Autistic high school students can often benefit from having access to a variety of different resources, as this can help them learn in a way that best suits their needs.
Online learning platforms often have various instructional materials, including text, audio, and video resources.
Kindergarten Through 5th Grade
Entering elementary school is the first of many significant social and academic shifts autistic students will navigate. Development in these years lays the groundwork for success in adolescence and adulthood, so good support is crucial.
5 ways teachers can support younger students with ASD
Provide very specific, literal instructions for assignments and policies.
Be willing to alter procedures or offer alternate modes of lesson delivery to students. Providing students with a written or recorded version of the lecture or class, for instance, can be helpful without patronizing or underestimating the student.
Allow for breaks. Theyre good for all students, but reliable breaks can help students with ASD avoid overstimulation and excessive fatigue.
Be available to answer questions, explain aspects of lessons that may need extra coverage and offer advice if appropriate. For example, you may see a students strengths and be able to suggest specific classes, professors or work study opportunities.
Consult with your Disability Services office for guidance and ideas. They can provide valuable insights and point you to additional resources.
What schools can do to support students with ASD
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Visual Cues For Common Requests
You stand in front of your class, give a verbal request one time, and expect your students to follow that command until you give another. Does this sound familiar?
As Temple Grandin famously explains, people with autism often think in pictures. They hear the words, and the phrases morph into photographs in their minds. Your spoken command could bypass this system and become meaningless. Your autistic student could be left wondering what you want and why.
Create flashcards for your students containing common classroom commands, such as:
- Listen carefully. Use this card when youre explaining a difficult concept and dont want an interruption.
- Ask or answer questions. Use this card to entice students to raise their hands to speak with you.
- Sit at your desk and write. This card can encourage students to stay seated while completing assignments or homework.
- Take a break. Use this card to release students from their desks for unstructured time.
Think hard, and you probably have many more commands you give your students regularly. Each one could be a flashcard cue for your classroom.
Speak your instruction, and place the card in a prominent spot, such as the upper corner of your chalkboard or whiteboard. Replace it when you give another command.
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Its Not Political Its Access: The Disability Community Supports Easier Voting Access
Tuesday, November 8, 2022, 10:05 AM
While selfishly Ive always thought people with disabilities the community of which I identify w
While selfishly Ive always thought people with disabilities the community of which I identify were more thoughtful, specifically in our opinion of access, now I can proclaim our thoughtfulness as fact!
As a Project Manager for Change for Balance, a boutique strategic communications company, and as a self-proclaimed connector, I brought together our client, Easterseals, with my friends at AARP with the idea of commissioning a voter survey among our two shared constituencies people with disabilities and older Americans aged 50+.
And guess what? We did it! You can check out the full results of the Easterseals and AARP survey here.
But, if youll allow me to get straight to the results this connector found interesting, stick with me.
With strong bipartisan support I just knew this would be true people with disabilities aged 50+ support expanding voting access, including voting by mail, voting absentee, and ballot drop boxes.
While much of the media pits the major parties at odds on many issues, fundamental access to voting is a united issue for people with disabilities 50 and older. For a very diverse and intersectional population, thats nice. Simply put, its not political its all about access!
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Eastern Illinois University Il
Again, at Eastern Illinois University, you can choose to live alone rather than with a roommate. Whats more, you can move onto campus earlier than the rest of the student body. Their STEP program, or Students with Autism Transitional Education, will help you to understand the academic focus needed to pass your classes, whilst helping you develop important daily skills and improve your socialization skills. They only take on around 20 students each year, so apply early and consider attending one of their interviews to make your face familiar.
Monitor The Students Progress And Offer Support As Needed
It is important to monitor the progress of autistic students pursuing an online education. Parents and educators should check in with the student regularly to see how they are doing and to offer support as needed. It is crucial to be available to answer any questions the student may have about the material or the online learning process.
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Kelly Law Team Autism Scholarship
Students who are successful in applying for a scholarship from this fund will receive $1,000 towards their education costs, with an application deadline of June. To apply, youll need to be age 16-30 with a confirmed ASD diagnosis, and the funds go toward the fees for enrollment in a college-level program. Alongside your application, you will need to write an essay of 650 to 800 words centered around your disability and how you overcame a challenge.
What Is The Ged Test Like
The computer-based test is made up of a series of four tests:
- Reasoning through Language Arts
- Mathematical Reasoning The math test has 5 computation problems at the beginning, and test-takers cant use a calculator for these problems. A calculator is permitted for the rest of the math test . Test-takers are not allowed to go back to the 1st five problems once they begin the 2nd part of the math test with the calculator.
The new test forms do not specify numbers of test questions they are based on raw score points instead, since all items are no longer worth just one point each. The maximum final raw score point totals are as follows:
- Reasoning Through Language Arts 65 raw score points
- Mathematical Reasoning 49 raw score points
- Science 40 raw score points
- Social Studies 44 raw score points
- Total raw points.198
Scores from the 2014 GED® test range from 100 to 200, with 145 scaled score points as the Passing Standard for high school equivalency and 165 scaled score points as the GED®College Ready score, reflective of readiness for college-level courses.
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‘drugged Up To The Gills’
The Judge Rotenberg Center has been controversial since its start in the 1970s. It was established, under a different name in neighboring Rhode Island, to take the most difficult cases and use aversive, or negative, consequences to modify behavior from slaps with paddles to pinches, white noise helmets, and noxious smells like ammonia. The controversy grew after the center created the GED in the early 1990s, generating national media attention and a slew of lawsuits.
The school said the GED worked in cases where other treatments did not, but it also found that over time the efficacy of the device declined for some students. So the institution created a second version of the device with a stronger electric current, which JRC’s founding director Matthew Israel told NBC News is “much more powerful” and “much more effective.”
JRC has long defended its practices as the most humane approach for the most challenging-to-treat cases. The shock device “has no detrimental effects whatsoever,” Israel told ABC News in 2007. In a conversation at the time with correspondent Cynthia McFadden, now with NBC News, he said the GED had to hurt to work and pushed back against allegations that the device was torture.
“The real torture,” Israel said, “is what these children are subjected to if they don’t have this program. They’re drugged up to the gills with drugs that cause them to be so sedated that they essentially sleep all day.”
How Autism Spectrum Disorder Can Affect Learning
School poses unique challenges for all students, but certain characteristics of autism can make learning more difficult for students with ASD. ASD is indeed a spectrum, and its facets can manifest differently in each student and impact them to vastly different degrees throughout their lives. Getting familiar with ASD can help students, teachers, and parents understand effective ways to approach academic and social learning in school.
Adaptability
Adaptability means taking responsibility for daily tasks and performing them independently, even when circumstances vary. The inability to react and respond to change can impede this performance, and make social interaction and self-advocacy more difficult. Students with ASD may struggle with adaptability, even high functioning, high IQ students.
How this affects learning in K-12 students with ASD
Adaptive skills typically arent taught until autistic students reach adolescence, which limits their opportunities to develop essential skills in responsibility, accountability, social interaction, and appropriate response to the unexpected. Adaptive skills become increasingly important as autistic students progress through the school system, so starting early can make transitions less stressful.
How this affects learning in college students with ASD
Focus
How this affects learning in K-12 students with ASD
How this affects learning in college students with ASD
Language Development
How this affects learning in K-12 students with ASD
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Allows For Greater Parental Involvement
Another benefit of online learning is that it allows for greater parental involvement. In traditional educational settings, parents often have limited involvement in their childs education. Online learning platforms allow parents to be more involved in their childs education, as they can monitor their progress and offer support as needed.
Bmo Capital Markets Lime Connect Equity Through Education Scholarship
Available to either undergraduates or graduates, the Lime Connect Equity Through Education award offers $5,000 to successful, Canadian applicants, or $10,000 to students within the U.S. To apply, youll need to have a diagnosed visible or invisible learning disability, and there are other restrictions, too. You must be enrolled in a program that relates to business, physics or engineering, statistics, or math. Whats more, if you plan on a career in financial services, then you may be at a greater chance of being accepted for the award. You must submit an application by October.
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Western Michigan University Mi
This is another institution that offers students with autism the ability to move into their campus accommodations early, so you can get familiar with the new environment before the other students arrive. Their Autism Services Center lets you start a number of weeks before the semester begins, and youll even get the chance to take part in activities during this time. You will, however, be expected to spend some time working part-time in a work-study role to develop your skills.
Eastern Michigan University Mi
Eastern Michigan Universitys autism support program is the College Supports Program and it teaches all the same important skills listed above, as well as time management, planning and organization. If you need additional help with personal skills like healthy eating and personal hygiene, these are also an option. Counselors are also available, plus you can get support from senior students with autism who have been through the same transition to campus life.
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How Do I Apply For Accommodations
For most types of accommodations, you’ll need to apply for approval. Accommodations can include:
- Extra time A separate room
- Audio, large print, or braille tests
- Screen magnification for computer tests
- A calculator or talking calculator
- A scribe or aide for keyboard entry
- Additional breaks Sign language interpretation
Each request is unique. You will need to ask for specific accommodations based on your disability.
All three HSE tests have processes for applying for accommodations. A qualified professional, such as your doctor, will need to provide documentation of your diagnosis and needs.
Identify Recognize And Encourage Special Interests
Autistic children often have an area or specific topic of interest that they enjoy learning and talking about.
Kaye-OConnor points out, Special interests are one of the great joys of autistic life. Support and encourage your childs interest in their favorite topics, and join them in their enthusiasm.
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Attending College With Autism
To understand how autism could impact you and your studies at college, we looked at some first-hand reports of students with autism who have studied for a degree or another course at the same level. The general consensus was that its a challenge compared to high school and general life for several reasons. Some students talked about their self-awareness around being slower with certain activities, like getting ready in the morning, moving from one activity to another, and writing lengthy assignments.
Autism can make different activities harder for you than they would be for somebody without the disability. The mental processing involved in things like planning, organizing, multitasking, and time management can all be more draining for you. As youll know, its easy to miss social cues and encounter misunderstandings, and to struggle with communication.
When you take into account that these are all common occurrences and skills that youll need at college, its easy to see why it can be a daunting experience. Thankfully, there are so many colleges across the U.S. offering support structures on and off campus that can make the adjustment period easier on you.
The University Of Idaho Id
The Raven Scholars Program is home to the Autism Spectrum Alliance,which is an organization that arranges many social events and volunteering opportunities centered on autism support and awareness. They set up study groups for members of the program, as well as one-to-one mentoring that focuses on the issues you need support with. You can also meet other members of the faculty for more tailored support in particular areas.
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