Before starting work with a child with autism, it is important to look after yourself. The child with autism requires the adults around him to have a great deal of patience, understanding and energy to work effectively. Ensure that you:
• have had sufficient sleep
• are not feeling frustrated or on edge.
At the least, it is critical that you can behave in a calm and relaxed manner. This does not mean that you cannot express your feelings and emotions. They must, however, be related to the child and task at hand and not something extraneous to the situation.
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Earlier, itwas stated that children with autism have a desire to learn. Some would likely dispute that statement if they have worked with ‘difficult to motivate’ children with autism. Research into ways to appeal to and interest people with Introversion-Sensing-Thinking-Judging (ISTJ) preferences, conducted by Quenk (1993, 2000), provides us with some insight into motivating children with autism.
Things that motivate and energize children with autism closely follow their Learning Preferences and Strengths. Think about Introverts and their need for warm-up time, Sensers and their preference for gathering detailed information through their senses, Thinkers and their valuing logic and analytical approaches to making decisions, and Judgers and their preference for predictable settings and finishing tasks. Visual-Spatial learners are energized by use of visual images that are clear and precise. Musical-Rhythmic learners are motivated by songs, melodies and rhythms.
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The Learning Preferences and Strengths (LPS) model is comprised of three key components: structure, content and process. Excellent teaching is the fine art of connecting and integrating these key components for each child.
The individual child’s preferences and strengths are at the heart of this model, guiding the structure, content and processes of his program. When there is a match between Learning Preferences and Strengths and program structure, process and content, a synergy is created that is greater than the sum of the parts. When the child’s Learning Preferences and Strengths are engaged, his learning can be optimized and used in tandem to enhance other areas of preference and strength.
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The most important way to begin to understand a child with autism is to observe him. This should always be your first step. Watching him in everyday life helps you see how he tries to understand and make sense of the world, events and
people around him.
Before you start, set aside all information you may have heard or read about the child. Do not think about him in terms of impairments or delays. Think about him in terms of how he may be trying to make sense of his world and make it more tolerable.
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