Difficulties with Use of Language
- The tendency to make irrelevant comments
- tendency to interrupt
- The tendency to talk on one topic and to talk over the speech of others
- difficulty understanding complex language,
- following directions, and understanding the intent of
- words with multiple meanings
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Strategies for Language Understanding
- use comic strip conversations or scripts to teach conversation skills related to specific problems to teach appropriate opening comments
- teach the student to seek assistance when confused
- teach conversational skills in small group settings
- teach rules and cues regarding turn-taking in
- conversation and when to reply, interrupt or change the topic
- use audio-taped and videotaped conversations
- explain metaphors and words with double meanings
- encourage the person to ask for an instruction to be repeated, simplified or written down if he does not understand
- pause between instructions and check for understanding
- limit oral questions to a number the student can manage
- watch videos to identify nonverbal expressions and their meanings
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| Insistence on Sameness |
Strategies for Change
- prepare the person for potential change, wherever possible
- use pictures, schedules and social stories to indicate impending changes
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Impairment in Social Interaction
- difficulty understanding the rules of social
- interaction
- maybe naive
- interprets literally what is said
- difficulty reading the emotions of others
- lacks tact
- problems with social distance
- difficulty understanding ‘unwritten rules’ and
- once learned, may apply them rigidly
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Strategies for Explaining Social Interaction
- provide clear expectations and rules for behavior
- teach (explicitly) the rules of social conduct
- teach the person how to interact through social stories, scripts, modeling and role-playing
- educate peers about how to respond to the person’s social disability in social interaction
- use other people as cues to indicate what to do
- encourage cooperative games
- provide supervision and support for the person at breaks (or recess), as required
- use a buddy system to assist the person during non-structured times
- teach the person how to start, maintain and endplay or social time
- teach flexibility, cooperation, and sharing
- teach the person how to monitor their own behavior
- structure social skills groups to provide an opportunity for direct instruction on specific skills and to practice actual events
- teach relaxation techniques and have a quiet place to go to relax
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| Restricted Range of Interests |
Strategies for Using Interests
- limit perseverative discussions and questions set firm expectations for the classroom, but also provide opportunities for the student to pursue his own interests
- incorporate and expand on interest in activities and assignments
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Poor Concentration
- often off-task
- distractible
- maybe disorganized
- difficulty sustaining attention
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Strategies for Improving Concentration
- provide frequent feedback and redirection
- break down assignments
- provide timed work sessions
- reduce work assignments
- a seat at the front of the room
- use non-verbal cues to get attention
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| Poor Organizational Skills |
Strategies to Improve Organization
- use schedules and calendars
- maintain lists of assignments
- help the person to use ‘to do’ lists and checklists
- place picture cues on containers or doors or tables
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| Poor Motor Coordination |
Strategies to Adapt to Motor Coordination Issues
- involve in fitness activities; a person may prefer fitness activities to competitive sports
- take slower writing speed into account when giving work assignments (length often needs to be reduced)
- provide extra time for tests
- consider the use of a computer for written work, as some people may be more skilled at using a keyboard than writing
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Academic Difficulties
- usually, average to above-average intelligence
- good recall of factual information
- areas of difficulty include poor problem solving,
- comprehension problems and difficulty with
- abstract concepts
- often strong in word recognition and may learn
- to read very early, but difficulty with comprehension
- may do well at math facts, but have difficulty
- with problem-solving
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Strategies to Enable Academic Participation
- do not assume that the person has understood simply because he/she can re-state the information
- be as concrete as possible in presenting new concepts and abstract material
- use activity-based learning where possible
- use graphic organizers such as semantic maps, webs
- break down tasks into smaller steps or present it another way
- provide direct instruction as well as modeling
- show examples of what is required
- use outlines to help the person take notes and organize and categorize information
- avoid verbal overload
- capitalize on strengths, e.g., memory
- do not assume that they have understood what they have read – check for comprehension, supplement instruction and use visual supports
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Emotional Vulnerability
- may have difficulties coping with the social and emotional demands of life
- easily stressed due to inflexibility
- often have low self-esteem
- may have difficulty tolerating making mistakes
- maybe prone to depression
- may have rage reactions and temper outbursts
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Strategies for Emotional Encouragement
- provide positive praise and tell the person what she/he does right or well
- teach the person to ask for help
- teach techniques for coping with difficult situations and for dealing with stress
- use rehearsal strategies
- provide experiences in which the person can make choices
- help the person to understand his/her behaviors and reactions of others
- educate other people
- use peer supports such as buddy system and peer support network
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Sensory Sensitivities
- most common sensitivities involve sound and touch, but may also include taste, light intensity, colors and aromas
- types of noises that may be perceived as extremely intense are: sudden, unexpected
- noises such as a telephone ringing, fire alarm high-pitched continuous noise
- confusing, complex or multiple sounds such as
- in shopping centers
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Strategies for Coping with Sensory Issues
- be aware that normal levels of auditory and visual input can be perceived by the person as too much or too little
- keep the level of stimulation within the person’s ability to cope
- avoid sounds that are distressing, when possible use music to camouflage certain sounds minimize background noise
- use earplugs if noise or reaction are very extreme
- teach and model relaxation strategies and diversions to reduce anxiety
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