Linda Hodgdon’s Autism Blog

I get many questions from people who are frustrated.  They are dealing with behavior problems that are not easy for them to solve.   Here’s the question I ask.  “Why do you think he does that?” That question generally starts a discussion that reveals how well the person really knows the student. The better we know our students, the more likely we will be able to discover why they do what they do. 

Here are some thoughts. .

 If only people understood. . .   Autism can be a mystery. . .a puzzle. . . It can leave us perplexed. . .bewildered. . . confused. 

Here is our challenge.  We need to be detectives. 

Colombo and Sherlock Holmes were observers of details.  And that is what we need to do.   Watch.  Pay attention.  Look at the bigger picture.

And this is what I find Those who really try to “learn” these students do.  They figure out a lot about how individual students think and reason and understand. 

Answering questions at a workshop

We were discussing how to deal with behavior problems.  And we were talking about looking at the world from the student’s point of view.  Answering questions like, “What could the student be thinking?”  Or “What did the situation look like from the student’s point of view?”  Good questions. 

Then I asked one more question

I encouraged the participants to fill in the blank.  They needed to think of a student they worked with and then finish the sentence from that student’s point of view.   The question:  If only people understood ___________.  

Here are some of the answers:

• It takes me a long time to process what you are telling me
• How exhausting it is for me to focus for any length of time
• How hard I try to do my best
• How sensitive I am to all sensory stimulation
• I scream because I don’t know what else to do
• I want to please you

• I want something and I don’t know how to ask for it
• I want something and I don’t know how to ask for it
• How hard it is to sit still & attend
• How I learn best
• That I am trying my best
• How I feel when I can’t tell you something
• Why I act the way I do
• What I want
• Why I don’t get off the bus
• Why I hit subs and teachers
• How stressful life is
• That I need breaks
• I don’t want to do that
• I know if you like me
• I know if you are afraid of me
• I am standing right here when you are talking about me

So here’s another question

Trying to understand what other people are thinking is a skill that students with Autism Spectrum Disorders are likely to have difficulty with.  Do those of us who live with them and teach them have the ability to understand what they are thinking? 

And one last question. . . If we understand what our students think, how do we respond? © 2009 Linda Hodgdon, M.Ed., CCC-SLPwww.AutismFamilyOnline.com

From a reader…There have been lots of successes with using visuals. But, for two older, high functioning girls who also struggle with mental health issues, using a “FIRST calm down, THEN we can talk” really worked for them and made a difference for the family.

A visual strategies success story from a reader…”Even though my son is a teenager, he was still “climbing” into the car - putting his knees on the seat first, and then turning himself around and sitting down. We took pictures of him getting in the car “the right way” and the “the wrong way” and now he gets in the car “the right way” 99% of the time.”

I gave a workshop recently where one of the participants asked a really important question.  “What are social skills?”  That question promoted some discussion that demonstrated we don’t all have the same ideas about the social skill needs and challenges of our students. One attendee suggested teaching social skills meant focusing on teaching conversation skills.  Others shared a broader view. 

What ARE Social Skills?

Learning social skills is challenging for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).  Social skills are identified as a prime area for educational intervention.  But what are social skills?    

Before determining HOW to teach, it is critical to decide WHAT to teach.  What areas need to be considered?   

Core areas of social development are skills that lay a foundation for social relationships.  These skills are essential tools to become an interactive part of social relationships.  The core skills are necessary for participating in social environments with ease.    

Think of the foundation of a house.  A strong foundation provides support for what is built on top.  Having strong core social skills will prepare students for learning more ways to have relationships and engage in social opportunities. 

Core Skills for Social Development

Here are three core skills that are essential for successful social development.  These are basics.  It is important for students to have competence in these core areas.  

Establishing a Social Connection

By definition, students with ASD demonstrate challenge attending to people and responding to them.  In the first weeks and months of life, that bond between mother and child is the beginning of social development.  It is the giggle and coo and peek-a-boo of babies. 

We talk about developing a bond between the student and other people.  It incorporates paying attention to people and responding to them.  High-level language is not a factor here.  Paying attention and responding is the goal. 

Joint attention refers to making a connection with people and paying attention to the same things they are attending to.   

Establishing a social connection has to do with developing that ‘give and take’ relationship with another person that the rest of social interaction is based on. 

Communication Basics

Communication is what connects us to the rest of the world.  It is a complex process that encompasses understanding and expression and more.  Developing an effective communication system will give students the tools for social participation. 

Understanding the environment is critical.  Comprehending the communication of other people is necessary for a student to participate in activities and interact appropriately with others.  

Effectively expressing wants and needs, giving information, expressing emotion in appropriate ways and sharing experiences are important social communication goals.   

Self-Regulation

Children need to develop the ability to manage their behavior and their emotions.  As they acquire an interest in the world around them they need to learn to modulate how they respond.   

In the beginning, parents and other caregivers provide children with external controls.  They provide the structure so the student’s behavior will be acceptable in the environment.  Gradually, children learn to manage their own behaviors and emotions so they will be appropriate for the environment they are in. 

Children can become active participants in social environments when they learn to modify their behavior for the situation. 

What comes next?

Foundation skills prepare students for further learning.  Establishing a social connection, developing effective communication skills (both understanding and expression) and being able to manage and modulate behavior are the beginning. 

When those foundation skills are present, students will have the tools they need to participate in more social activities.  The core skills enable students to benefit more from social opportunities. 

Keep this in mind. . .

These core skills are some of the first skills to address in early intervention.  But here is a caution.  Just because students are older, don’t be fooled into thinking it is not important to pay attention to the core skills. Some older students still need to strengthen their core skills.  These are important skills to teach if the student needs to learn them. 

This is just the beginning. . .

Identifying what skills students need to learn is the critical beginning for social development.  When students have gained competence in these basic skills, they will be more responsive to social opportunities.  Strength in these core social skill areas will help students prosper in social environments and social relationships.    

© 2009 Linda Hodgdon, M.ED., CCC-SLP

www.AutismFamilyOnline.com

www.usevisualstrategies.com

One of my newsletter readers wrote to me about their success with visual strategies…

“The most profound experiences that I have had using visual strategies is when a new child comes to me and his/her parents are so frustrated that their child not only does not talk, but also has behavior problems. I introduce the child (and parents) to visual strategies and the parents are always amazed at how quickly their child understands how to communicate. I then give the parents a few visual strategies (pictures, signs/gestures, etc.) to use at home and they come back the next session with a report of how well the visual strategies are working at home and in such a short time. Then it’s just a process of building on what works for that child.”

This is a great example that I hope can inspire others!

I have been working for awhile on updating my website, and it is finally done!  Please visit my new updated site www.usevisualstrategies.com and take a look around.

I also recently purchased the new iPhone, and am excited to learn more about this technology.  I’m especially interested in seeing the possibilities it has for people with autism.

With technology being the theme lately, I’m also on Twitter (http://twitter.com/lindahodgdon) and Facebook.  I look forward to making new “friends” in these social media sites.

I get lots of emails from people asking questions about their students.  Unfortunately I can’t give them information in the detail that I would like.  I am hoping to use this blog to as a way to facilitate some information sharing.

 Here’s an example: 

Wondering if you have a suggestion for a visual cue for a nonverbal, low functioning autistic girl to say she needs a break?  We are still in the training stage of associating pictures and activity.

Here is a short answer.  “Break” is a very abstract concept.  Considering this student is low functioning and at a very concrete stage of associating pictures with activities, I think another approach may be more effective. 

Consider choosing an activity that would be a desirable break choice. . .for example, going for a walk or playing with a favorite toy.  Then present her with a visual cue that teaches her to pick one of those choices.  This would be teaching her to make a choice of something concrete that she may understand better.

Please share your thoughts about this question and anything else I write about in this blog.

Are you looking for information and inspiration for teaching students with Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and related learning and communication needs?  This blog will explore using visual strategies to improve communication, behavior & social skills, . . .   Plus lots more…… Practical solutions to common challenges.

This is a test of an FLV file at www.LindaHodgdonBlog.com