W3_Teaching English to ASD learners

WEBINAR SERIES

Teaching English to SEN learners

Webinar 3

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University

Skovoroda Hub

Регіональний центр змішаної освіти на базі ХНПУ імені Г.С.Сковороди

Speakers

Olena Chekhratova PhD in Education

Olena Chukhno PhD in Education

Teaching English to learners with ASD

ASD

1. Notion
2. Symbols
3. Key features
4. Teaching tips
5. Online tools (by Olena Chekhratova)

01

ASD Notion

+ info

ASD

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a diverse group of conditions. They are characterized by some degree of difficulty with social interaction and communication. Other characteristics are atypical patterns of activities and behaviours, such as difficulty with transition from one activity to another, a focus on details, and unusual reactions to sensations.

Statistics on ASD

• About 1 in 36 children has been identified with ASD according to estimates from CDC's Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. In Ukraine, 1 in 88 children is autistic, and every year this number increases by 30%.
• ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups.
• ASD is nearly 4 times more common among boys than among girls.
• About 1 in 6 (17%) children aged 3–17 years were diagnosed with a developmental disability, as reported by parents, during a study period of 2009–2017. These included autism, ADHD, blindness, and cerebral palsy, among others.

02

ASD Symbols

+ info

The symbol of the autism community has gone through many changes in shape, color, and societal interpretations.

Why does it matter?

The origin of the puzzle piece symbol for autism came from the UK organization, the National Autistic Society, in 1963. It was created by Gerald Gasson, a non-autistic board member of the organisation. He believed that autistic people suffered from a “puzzling” condition, so they adopted a logo of a puzzle piece with a weeping child, displaying the notion that autism is a tragedy that children suffer from. This visualization of autism has led to decades of autistic people receiving unwanted treatments and therapies to treat a disease that they don’t have.

In 1999, the Autism Society of America created the puzzle piece ribbon. They stated, “The puzzle piece pattern reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope – hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and access to appropriate services/supports, people with autism will lead full lives able to interact with the world on their own terms.”

Autistic people reject the puzzle piece symbol:

• it promotes the mentality that autistic people are incomplete or are missing puzzle pieces
• it treats autism as a disease that needs to be “treated” or “cured.”

People, not puzzles

Nothing about us without us

I am not a missing piece

Alternative symbols for autism

also used to represent neurodivergent people

• are inclusive
• stand for the fact that autism is not a disease and autistic people don't need to be cured or 'fixed'

represents autistic people specifically

03

ASD Key features

+ info

ASD

Social communication deficits

Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors

• hand and finger movements – finger-flicking and hand-flapping
• body movements – rocking back and forth while sitting or standing
• posturing – holding hands or fingers out at an angle or arching the back while sitting
• visual stimulation – looking at something sideways, watching an object spin, or fluttering fingers near the eyes
• repetitive behaviour – opening and closing doors, flicking switches
• vocal stimulation – humming, whistling, grunting, repeating words or phrases
• chewing or mouthing objects
• listening to the same song or noise over and over.

Autism and stimming

• repetitive movements or noises
• helps a child cope with strong emotions like anxiety, anger, fear and excitement (helps to calm down because it focuses one's attention on the stim or produces a calming change in the body)
• might reduce sensory overload because it focuses one's attention on just one thing

Autism strengths

Living with “High Functioning” Autism (Connor's Experience)

Fact or Myth?

Fact or Myth?

Fact or Myth?

Fact or Myth?

Fact or Myth?

04

ASD Teaching tips

ASD Teaching tips

• maintain a structured learning environment and stick to a routine
• use timers
• wait until the student is ready and paying attention before providing instructions
• focus and build on strengths
• take notes about when meltdowns happen; identify triggers and patterns
• determine if learner also has another learning difficulty, like dyslexia
• incorporate a strong interest in the learning
• require your student to communicate
• use modelling
• pair with a student who is mature and can act like a teacher
• use a set seating plan
• use visual support for instructions and schedules
• provide large spaces and comfortable seating that allows moving around
• provide instructions in both languages
• prepare for a longer silent period
• watch for bullying

Thanks!

• Decreased sharing of interests with others.
• Difficulty appreciating their own & others' emotions.
• Aversion to maintaining eye contact.
• Lack of proficiency with use of non-verbal gestures.
• Stilted or scripted speech.
• Interpreting abstract ideas literally.
• Difficulty making friends or keeping them.

• Inflexibility of behavior, extreme difficulty coping with change.
• Being overly focused on niche subjects to the exclusion of others.
• Expecting others to be equally interested in those subjects.
• Difficulty tolerating changes in routine and new experiences.
• Sensory hypersensitivity, e.g., aversion to loud noises.
• Stereotypical movements (stimming) such as hand flapping, rocking, spinning, tiptoeing
• Arranging things, often toys, in a very particular manner.