Stressors are those things that push the child from optimal arousal with high levels of performance and learning to distress and decreasing performance. Optimal arousal is the state in which the child’s alertness and focus are such that learning is more effective and efficient. Distress is the state at which the child becomes over-stimulated and/or overwhelmed.
For people with Introversion-Sensing-Thinking-Judging (ISTJ) preferences, like children with autism, stressors tend to be those things that violate their need for clarity, precision, planfulness, logical decision-making and time to warm up to a situation. Strikingly, the stressors Quenk found for ISTJs parallel what I have observed repeatedly in children with autism.
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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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Lets find out the relation between learning preferences with Introversion-Sensing-Thinking-Judging (ISTJ) type and
the key characteristics of autism. Examination of each preference is presented below and examples within the realm of autism will be highlighted.
A person with an Introversion preference, as an energy source:
• is slow to warm up to new settings, people, information, and activities
• feels more comfortable receiving input than initiating contact and is generally selective about sharing thoughts Read the rest of this entry »
As I promised in earlier articles, lets continue with the rest of learner preferences, which is decision making.
Decision making is set of preferences dealing with how the way people interact and make some decision with the information they gather previously.
Thinking
The learner with a Thinking preference values logic, fairness and truthfulness for making decisions. He is naturally quite brief, businesslike and to the point. The Thinker makes decisions based on what is fair and truthful. Read the rest of this entry »