Re: Sam

Dear Amy,


                  We understand that you have a student, Sam, in your class that has Asperger’s Syndrome. Most teachers, in your situation will be asking themselves ‘What is Asperger’s Syndrome and how can I cater for it in my classroom?’ Well don’t worry if you share these concerns as we will hopefully be able to provide you with those answers in this letter. Asperger’s syndrome is a neuro-developmental disorder that is characterised by social impairments, circumscribed interests and a rigid adherence to routines (APA, 2000 cited in Hinton, Sofronoff & Sheffield, 2008). According to Adreon & Stella (2001 cited in Hinton, Sofronoff & Sheffield, 2008), students with Asperger’s Syndrome will often exhibit developmentally inappropriate social skills and poor social relatedness. Having a student in your classroom with Asperger’s can be challenging. They require extra attention and a different approach to teaching which may or may not always be possible for you to provide.

 

Academic performance usually ranges from adequate to exceptional, but children and youth with Asperger’s are likely to flounder and fail in possibly more important ways. With increasing emphasis on teaching methods that favour social interaction (e.g., cooperative learning), the child with poor interpersonal skills and inability to read social cues will continuously test the patience of teachers and peers and be admitted to groups last, if at all (Safran, 2002). Students with Asperger’s will also often have poor coordination skills, lack of social imaginative play, egocentricity, a strict routine that they don’t waver from, difficulty with transitions, obsessive compulsive tendencies and exaggerated response to sensory stimuli. Right now Amy, we’re expecting you to be panicking thinking of all the problems you may face with Sam, however we are merely describing what characteristics a child with Asperger’s may exhibit so that you can be prepared in your classroom. Now we’re also going to tell you what you can do to overcome many of these issues.

 

Social skills are an important part of any classroom and an important feature for every child to have. One way that you can help to teach social skills to a child with Asperger’s is through social stories. Gray (1995 cited in Safran, 2002) recommended using social stories to help high-functioning individuals with autism gain an accurate understanding of social situations. Social stories include four to six sentences that describe factual information regarding a social situation, possible reactions of others in that social situation, and directive statements of appropriate or desired social responses. Social stories target one particular social skill and can benefit not only a child with Asperger’s or Autism but the whole class.

 

Students with Asperger’s don’t deal well with changes to their routine if they haven’t had any pre-warning. Amy, I am sure you know how flexible you have to be as a teacher in order to account for changes to the school and classroom schedule, so having a student in your class who doesn’t react well to change can be challenging. Here are a few things you can do to help Sam deal with the changes and transitions that occur within the classroom. The first thing you can do is create is a visual timetable. This way Sam is able to clearly see what is coming next and can prepare himself for the next activity before the transition occurs. The visual timetable can be a whole class one, as all students benefit from the use of it; however you may also need to create a personal one for Sam, to sit on his desk. The timetables can also be colour coded for easy identification of the activity. 

 

Students with Asperger’s syndrome have a preference for visual rather than aural stimuli. Visual supports have been used successfully as an assistive tool to complement oral instructions from the teacher. (MAC:SWD, 2006). Barnhill (2001) suggests that due to the difficulty children with Asperger’s have in processing auditory input, visual cues of what is being taught could help them be more successful in taking in the new information and remembering it. They may still require more time to process all the information; however, by providing instruction both verbally and visually, you offer students with AS a better opportunity to learn the material. Visual cue cards can be used as prompts of expected behaviours of the child in various settings however, children must be taught how to use these cards. They cannot simply be posted in the room in hopes that the child will understand what their purpose is. They must be shown how to use them and be allowed time to practice using them (CEC, 2002).

 

It is to our understanding that there has been a dramatic change in Sam’s home environment. As Sam’s teacher it is important for you to be aware of how these changes will affect Sam’s behaviour in the classroom. In this instance we suggest that you consult with his parents about who Sam is spending his time with and where he is living. We are aware that he is currently living with his mother, who has full custody of him, so you need to find out how this arrangement is impacting Sam. Emphasise the importance of stability in Sam’s routine. We understand that often it isn’t our place to get involved in family issues however in this instance it is important for the parents and you to work together to create a routine that has Sam’s best interests at heart. The parents have to learn to put their feelings aside and focus on Sam’s needs. It is not realistic however to expect parents to separate their personal problems from Sam’s life, so therefore it is important for you to provide Sam with the support he needs. If Sam becomes stressed, anxious, upset or overstimulated at school it is important to establish a “safe space” in the classroom where he can go to calm down. Students with Asperger’s are highly sensitive to feelings, noises and are naturally anxious people so it is important to make sure that you implement these things in the classroom.

 

One of the most effective things you can do as a teacher is to promote positive peer interaction. Direct the child towards participation in well-structured activities or clubs, where their abilities might neutralise their social deficiencies. Another way to do this is to create an official peer buddy system that emphasises friendship, respect for difference, and social interaction (Safran, 2002). Everything that we have suggested in this letter provides you with all of the information you need to cater for a child with Asperger’s in the classroom. However we do recognise that in the case of Sam, his behaviour in the classroom is getting worse. You identified that his obsessive behaviour is becoming more frequent and you aren’t sure how to manage it. In this instance we believe that Sam needs more help than you can give him. It may seem like the advice we’re offering you is suggesting you take the easy way out however sometimes as a teacher we need to acknowledge that we can’t fix every child’s problems and that sometimes there is someone more equipped to deal with the situation than us. Sam should be referred to a school counsellor and even, with the consent of his parents, a specialist who is trained to deal with Asperger’s Syndrome. Refer to our earlier letter about ‘Understanding the schooling context’ for where to go and who to go to in the school to seek help. For further information on Quality Education Practices for children with Asperger’s Syndrome, I recommend that you read the following report: http://www.macswd.sa.gov.au/files/links/Asperger_report_771KB_PDF.pdf or visit the website Austism Behavioural Intervention NSW http://www.abinsw.org.au/ 

We hope that we have been able to provide you with some assistance and we wish you the best of luck with Sam.


 Regards,
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Project BEAM