 
|
|
Back to Lise Fox page
Lise Fox, Ph.D.
Topic: Autism
What are some suggestions for teaching an 11 year old student
with autism to answer yes and no questions? The student is able to
recognize pictures, but does not always verbalize the name. We want him
to be able to answer yes or no to "Is this a ____?"
I have a student that is in 3rd grade and he is autistic. He
is fairly high functioning. He does third grade math, reading and rote
grammer skills. He can also write a paragraph about concrete things (ie.
types of games). Aside from doing an alternative assessment, do you have
a suggestion for teaching the student to write a persuasive essay? As
you know, students with autism have difficulty coming up with reasons why
for anything.
Is autism and pervasive
development disorder the same thing?
Our school-based team has
been arguing over whether we can diagnose a child as autistic or not. Can we? Should we?
What causes autism? Is it
something you're born with?
My almost 4 yr. old
PDD NOS son is resisting potty training. Any suggestions?
Q. What are some suggestions for teaching an 11 year old student
with autism to answer yes and no questions? The student is able to
recognize pictures, but does not always verbalize the name. We want him
to be able to answer yes or no to "Is this a ____?"
A.If the student has not demonstrated a reliable yes/no response in any
context, I would recommend starting instruction within a more concrete
activity. For example, within snack you could ask the student if he or
she
would like another cracker (make sure to only give 1 or 2 initially to
create a need to say "yes"). Prompt the student using a mand/model
prompt
sequence. For example, "Kris, want more cracker?" wait 4 seconds for
response, if no response then follow with "Say yes" (mand). Wait 4
seconds
for response, if no response follow with model. Follow with "yes"
(model).
Wait 4 seconds. Provide cracker and model "yes, more cracker". To teach
"no" you offer the student a nonpreferred activity or object.
Another
way
to teach "yes"/"no" is the use of silly situations. For example, you
could
announce to the student "I'm going to turn on the computer" and then pick
up
the t.v. remote control and point it at the computer. Then ask the
student
"Is this how you turn on the computer". Prompt the student to
say
"no". Touch the power switch and ask "Is this how you turn on the
computer?" If the student is using yes/no in concrete contexts, then
you
may want to do yes/no for picture identification. Again, try to make
that
activity a little more meaningful or interesting. For example, you
could
go through a set of animal cards the student can label and together say
the
label, "Dog" with dog picture, "Cat" with cat picture, and then "Rabbit"
with picture of a car. After you say "Rabbit" and note the student's
interest in your mistake, provide the cue "Is this a rabbit?"; then
provide
the prompts if the student does not answer correctly.
Q. I have a student that is in 3rd grade and he is autistic. He is fairly high functioning. He does third grade math, reading and rote grammer skills. He can also write a paragraph about concrete things (ie.
types of games). Aside from doing an alternative assessment, do you have
a suggestion for teaching the student to write a persuasive essay? As
you know, students with autism have difficulty coming up with reasons why
for anything.
A. The challenge for you will be to communicate to the student with
autism why and how a persuasive essay would be developed in terms that
are
concrete. You may want to provide the student with a visual that
portrays
persuasion.
For example, if the essay will be about "Why trains are
important" (or some other favorite topic), you can guide the student
through
a visual of how persuasion works. Sketch out a simple story, like a
comic
strip, that shows a stick figure listing the reasons why trains are
important to another person. Include a drawing of the train and create
the drawing so that it is apparent that one stick figure is persuading
the
other. Show the student the visual and provide a script similar to this
"This is John. He loves trains. He knows trains are important. He
wants
to tell his friend Jim why trains are important. Tell me 5 reasons (this
is
an arbitrary number) why trains are important and we will write them
down."
Draw the five lines on the paper and then list the student's reasons.
Then
explain to the student that this is how you develop ideas for how to
write a
persuasive essay (you may want to describe persuasive essay with more
concrete terms, "reasons why essay"). Direct the student to develop an
essay and give the student a criteria for how many sentences to devote to
each reason.
An additional activity to help the student understand the
concept could be to provide sample essays and have the student highlight
the
topic sentence with one color marker and the reasons with another color.
Make sure that you offer repeated practice with all of the strategies you
use. It may take many trials before that concept becomes clear.
Q. Is autism and pervasive development
disorder the same thing?
A. Autism is
diagnosed using either the 4th edition of the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual on Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) or the 10th edition of the World
Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). In both these
manuals a classification of pervasive developmental disorders includes the diagnoses of
autism, Rett's Syndrome, Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, and Pervasive
Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). PDD-NOS is used to describe
children who do not meet the criteria for autism, but who exhibit a pattern of
developmental and behavioral delays that is similar to that observed in autism.
Q. Our
school-based team has been arguing over whether we can diagnose a child as autistic or
not. Can we? Should we?
A. A diagnosis of
autism should only be made by a trained psychiatrist or psychologist. There are important
reasons for obtaining a diagnosis if your team suspects that a child has autism, although
many professionals feel a reluctance to "label" a student. Once a diagnosis of
autism is confirmed, the family and educator will be able to access important information
about the disability and intervention approaches.
Q. What
causes autism? Is it something you're born with?
A. Our understanding
of autism is incomplete. Professionals cannot identify the cause of autism. Currently,
scientists believe that there is genetic base to autism that may be triggered by a variety
of epigenetic or environmental factors. For example, subsequent siblings are slightly more
likely (than the general population) to have autism and identical twins have a high
likelihood of both having autism. But researchers have found identical twins who did not
both have autism or who had different levels of symptom severity. Thus, we know genetics
is a factor but not the sole cause of the disability. What we do know about autism is that
it is a neurological disorder that is diagnosed by behavioral symptomatology.
Q.
My almost 4 yr. old PDD NOS son is resisting potty training. Any suggestions?
A. Toilet
training can be tough with any preschooler and is often a real battleground for children
who are PDD. The first step for toilet
training is to determine readiness. Readiness is a function of age or development
(usually 2 1/2 or 3 years) and evidence that the child can hold urine and bowel movements
(this is determined by checking to see if the child can go a length of time and stay dry
or unsoiled). The next step I would recommend is to use schedule training. In
schedule training, you check your child every 15 minutes to determine when they are likely
to urinate or have bowel movements over a several day period. Make sure you also
have meals, snacks, and liquids at regular times. After several days of writing down
when the child is wet or soiled, you should see a pattern. These reliable times are
the times to focus on for toilet training. When you do schedule training, you must
be sure to put the child in underwear during the day. Not pull-ups! You must
also be ready for accidents (cleaning materials and a deodorizer). If the child has
an accident, treat it with a neutral affect (i.e., don't get upset) and change your child
into dry pants immediately.
Prompt your child to go to the bathroom
during the predictable times you determined from identifying your child's pattern.
You may want to use a visual for prompting the child to go to the toilet. If
your child resists, Say "time for potty" while pointing to the visual, and then
"I'll help you" while physically assisting your child in moving toward the
bathroom. Don't cajole your child or talk about other things. State simply the
behavior you want. Have your child sit on the potty for 5-10 minutes or longer if he
is not resisting. Supply your child with a book, magazine, or toy if it helps with
sitting. Stay in the bathroom with your child. If he goes, give a reward and
be really happy. If your child does not eliminate, let him leave the bathroom. You
may want to say "When you need to pee-pee, go potty" as a reminder or show him
the visual of the toilet and pair it with a tactile cue of touching the child's underwear
and then pointing to the picture. When your child is not on the potty, check his
pants every 15 minutes. Praise him for having dry pants using simple language.
If you have done these steps and what you are now experiencing is tantrums about
going to the bathroom, try using a visual schedule that is posted in the bathroom that
shows the steps for using the bathroom and maybe a reward for completion of the sequence.
Some parents have constructed personal story books (social stories) about using the
potty that they can read to their child during the day to remind them about toileting.
A story book could be "Kenny Uses the Potty" and include pictures of your
child doing each step including pages that say "When Kenny uses the potty, Mommy and
Daddy are happy".
|
|
