Autism and How It Affects Learning

8/11/2019 Autism and How It Affects Learning

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Running Head: AUTISM 1

Autism and How it Affects Learning

Andrew Smith

ESE 370

Instructor Hall

September 24, 2014


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Autism and How it Affects Learning 2

Autism and How it Affects Learning

Introduction

Autism affects many areas of development, which make social interactions and

communicating with others a difficult task (New, 2012). It also makes learning a tedious

process, and educators need to spend extra time with students with autism so that their learning is

successful. This disorder spans a large area of developmental disorders, on a spectrum from high

functioning, with average or above average intelligence, to low functioning, with severe

intellectual disabilities. Because the range is so wide, some of these students may only need a

little extra help, mostly with behavior therapy, while others require a special program developed

to meet their individual needs. Brain based research has helped educators develop new teaching

and learning strategies more congruent to how the brain naturally learns, it also examines the

effects of development on learning, as well as finding ways to improve the cognitive processes,

all of which are essential in teaching students with autism.

As scientists discover more about the cognitive processes through brain research, they

can develop new teaching strategies that will help students with autism by improving their

learning and help them to be more successful in school. The overall goal ofbrain-based

education is to attempt to bring insights from brain research into the arena of education to

enhance teaching and learning [. . .] [T]he current state of this work can inform educational

practice in meaningful ways, (McCandliss, n.d., Par. 1). Education researchers examine the

findings and develop ways of incorporating them into lesson plans and activities for use in the

classroom to increase learning. As new research is conducted, scientists are gaining a deeper

understanding of what parts of the brain are affected by learning disabilities, such as autism.


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With this understanding, scientists and educators can work together towards developing new

teaching strategies and ways to help these students learn (McCandliss, n.d.).

Educators can use their knowledge of the cognitive processes to develop new and more

effective teaching strategies for students with autism. With an understanding of how the brain of

a person with autism functions, which is possible with fMRI and other imaging tools, education

specialists can work towards creating different therapies and strategies to help these learners

process material in different ways that are more congruent with their learning ability. Because

all cases of autism are different, the methods and strategies used must be individualized per the

learners abilities(Flynn, 2010). Educators can use this knowledge and alter their lessons

accordingly, so that all students, even the ones with autism can have an effective learning

experience. Understanding the deficits that can be caused by autism, such as information

processing deficits, fine-motor skill deficits, attention deficits, and others, can help instructors

effectively modify their teaching strategies.

How Autism Affects Human Development

Early childhood development is a critical period, because this is when people develop the

skills they use throughout their lives, such as interacting with others, communicating, fine- and

gross-motor skills, as well as other skills like reasoning (Busch, 2009). In the case of children

with autism, there can be certain developmental delays, which can lead to problems with

emotional development and physical development, as well as sensory experience issues.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and assess emotions in oneself or others, and in

the case of a person with Autism, they often have difficulty reading emotions. Some of the

sensory-perceptual abnormalities include hyper- and hyposensitivity, sensory distortion and

overload, and multichannel receptivity and processing difficulties, (ONeill and Jones, 1997,


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Par. 1). Problems during physical development associated with autism, can include fine- and

gross-motor skills, including writing, typing, balance, and coordination.

A typical child will exhibit signs of empathy and can see things from another persons

perspective; however, many children with autism have emotional deficits that affect these

abilities. [E]motions and emotional interactions affect intelligence and its related cognitive and

language capacities as well as many complex social and self-regulation capacities, (Greenspan,

2001, P. 2). Other concerns stemming from a lack of emotional development, found in many

cases of autism, are problems in abstract thinking, complex problem-solving abilities, functional

language, and higher-level emotional and intellectual processes. Emotional development also

contributes to the ability to engage in a continuous flow of reciprocal affective interactions

[which] enables the child to modulate mood and behavior, functional preverbal and verbal

communication, and thinking (Greenspan, 2001, P. 3-4). With the emotional development

delays or deficits, many children with autism have, trouble in these areas (Greenspan, 2001).

Those with autism often experience a delay in their physical development, as well, and

there are a number of reasons. Children learn mostly through play and benefit from daily

opportunities to explore, stretch, climb, jump and run. Not only does play promote healthy

physical development, but it also helps children learn problem-solving and social skills,

(Murphy, 2010, Par. 1). However, interaction, play, and engagement with others are some issues

involved in autism. Because many children with autism prefer to play by themselves, in

isolation, they do not develop the interactions important to a healthy development. When they

play by themselves, their play is mostly self-stimulatory activities, such as rocking, swaying,

tapping, or other repetitive behaviors, which do not contribute to development (Hooper and

Umansky, n.d.). Professionals, working with these children can use different physical therapies


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to strengthen their fine- and gross-motor skills, as well as engaging them in play, which aid in

development.

Clinical studies have shown unusual sensory responses in a majority of children with

autism. The range of severity in sensory abnormalities in children with autism is wide, from

mild to severe. When educators know, and are aware of the different types of sensory issues,

they can work towards providing a learning environment that is appropriate for these students.

Hyposensitivity results from under-stimulation where the senses, like touch, vision, taste, and

smell can be diminished to a point where it causes trouble processing sensory information.

Hypersensitivity is when the senses are over-stimulated, so even a light touch can be painful, a

whisper can seem loud, and odors or tastes can be overwhelming. Sensory overload can also

cause problems in a classroom, making it so students can only attend to one sense at a time, for

instance turning down music so they can read, or closing their eyes so they can focus on a person

talking (ONeill and Jones, 1997).

How Autism Affects Cognitive Processes

There are many ways that autism can affect learning; autism affects many of the

cognitive processes, such as attention, memory, thought processes, language, decision making,

and problem solving. These areas are especially important in the learning process, so educators

must find and/or develop teaching strategies that help to improve these cognitive functions, or at

least find alternate methods of teaching that focus on their stronger cognitive abilities. All cases

of autism are different, so each child will have a different level of ability. However, with the

help of different early intervention therapies, these cognitive abilities can be strengthened, so that

they pose fewer difficulties in learning. Strategies to improve attention, memory, thought,


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language, decision making, and problem solving in these children will help them lead a more

normal and successful life, because these cognitive abilities are used in everything.

Children with attentional impairments often have difficulties in forming social, cognitive,

and language skills. Attention impairments are well documented in children with autism

spectrum disorders (ASD) [. . .] [and] the attention impairments in children with ASD preclude

them from developing effective learning strategies,(Bean, 2010, P. 1). Studies have shown that

attention plays a key role in learning, and when there are attentional difficulties, they can affect

learning, as well as other areas of development. People learn what they pay attention to, so if a

child does not direct their attention towards social interactions, communicating with others, and

instead directs it inward and obsesses over repetitive behaviors, all attentional patterns observed

in many with autism, there can be detrimental effects on their learning. However, with attention

directing cues, it is possible to divert attention back to the task at hand (Bean, 2010).

Studies comparing children and adolescents with autism to a control group, found that

those with autism performed significantly worse than comparison subjects on measures of

temporal order memory, source memory, supraspan free recall, working memory, and [executive

functions], but not on short- and long-term recognition, cued recall, or new learning ability,

(Bennetto and Pennington, 1996, P. 1816). Educators should be aware of these memory deficits,

which can greatly influence learning, and tailor their teaching strategies to teaching material in

ways that help these students to retain the information. Children with autism have been found to

have poor memory for complex visual and verbal stimuli. Many of these children do not develop

organizational strategies to help memory function, so educators must convey material in

meaningful ways to help recollection. Information must be broken down into smaller chunks


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and spread out, so that they can transfer the information into long-term memory (Williams,

Goldstein, and Minshew, 2006).

Language plays an important role in learning. Nearly half of the children with autism

will experience some degree of impairment. The acquisition process of autistic children differs

from that of normal children (acquisition by immersion) in that they need speech therapy

support. Additionally, only half of autistic patients speak as adults and their linguistic level

remains lower than that of normal subjects, (Foudon, Reboul, and Manificat, 2007, P. 72).

Therefore, language development and/or comprehension are two areas educators should work

towards improving. Because language is how people interact with others, giving voice to wants

and needs, it is important to strengthen language abilities. Without language, people can only

learn by seeing and doing. The deeper learning comes from asking questions, which involves

language. Students who have limited language ability, like many with autism, will not be able to

communicate their needs, or gain a deeper understanding of content, as well as those without

language deficits.

Decision making is also important to successful learning. A press release discussed how

people with autism tend to make more rational choices than others because of their lack of

emotional development. Most people make decisions based on a number of factors, like intuition

and analysis. However, one of the common deficits in autism is emotional development, so most

do not tend to associate their gut instincts with their actions. "People with autism tended to be

more consistent in their pattern of choices, their greater attention to detail perhaps helping them

avoid being swayed by their emotions," (Harrison, as cited in Brierley, 2008, Par. 9). A reduced

influence of emotion can pose a problem in every day decision making. In school, there is a

multitude of stimuli vying for attention, and most people choose to pay attention to the ones that


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they feel strongly about. Because some of those with autism may have attentional difficulties,

these stimuli can be overwhelming, making it difficult to direct their attention.

Problem solving is another major part of learning. Children with autism can have

difficulties in this area because problem solving involves complex thought, and many times,

emotional input, both of which are problem areas for those with autism. Observational reports

conclude that children with autism show fascination and increased learning through videos and

appropriately developed computer programs. Therefore, a computer program, designed with

problem-solving skills and the impairments of autism in mind, may be a good strategy to help

teach and improve important problem-solving skills. Although real-life practice remains the

most important part of social problem solving, computer-based simulations might be a

nonthreatening starting point for individuals with autism, contributing to the facilitation of better

social and communicative competence, (Bernard-Opitz, Sriram, and Nakhoda-Sapuan, 2001, P.

384). When children have better problem-solving skills, they are able to learn to do things on

their own, leading to more self-directed learning.

Brain-Based Teaching/Learning Strategies for Autistic Learners

With the proven effectiveness of brain-based learning, educators should work towards

implementing these teaching/learning strategies in the classroom. It will not only improve

learning in normal students, but those with developmental delays or disabilities, like autism, as

well. Jensen provides many different strategies in his book, Brain-Based Learning: The New

Paradigm of Teaching. Schools that incorporate the brain-based learning methods outlined in

this book are consistently more successful than those that dont, (Jensen, 2008, P. 246).

Varying the method of instruction is important to reach all types of learners. Giving immediate

feedback helps people to learn quicker and more efficiently, because they do not have to wait to


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find out they made a mistake, which could have caused further mistakes, especially in math.

Helping the students to create meaning from the material is another very important strategy.

When there is meaning, students are able to gain a deeper understanding (Jensen, 2008).

Another strategy that can improve learning is to keep lessons short, and to the point, or at

least break it up into smaller bits and spread out over more time. Most cases of autism affect the

attentional patterns, so it is difficult to stick to one topic or lesson for an extended amount of

time. Furthermore, this is more congruent with the brains learning ability because after learning

new material, students need downtime to think over what they have learned and to create

meaning, which encodes the information into long-term memory for later recall. Breaking up

complex activities or routines is important, as well (Schiller and Willis, 2008). Once one step is

mastered, the next can be taught. This is a strategy many behavior technicians that work with

those affected by autism implement in their tutoring to teach complicated processes such as tying

a shoe or dressing oneself. It can be applied to different topics of learning, as well. For instance,

teaching how to write starts with first learning how to write the letters, and most aspects of math

build on top of one another.

Conclusion

Overcrowded schools and inclusion classes, where the teachers do not receive needed

resources and have not received special training to teach mentally or physically disabled

students, can pose a problem because the students are not receiving the type of education that

they will need to be successful. Educators and other paraprofessionals should be taught how to

interact and educate their students in a more effective method based on brain-based research.

Many areas of learning and development are affected by autism, so these educators should know


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how autism affects the cognitive processes and human development, and implement brain-based

teaching/learning strategies that are congruent to how a child with autism will learn best.


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References

Bean, A. F. (2010). Word learning in children with autism spectrum disorders: The role of

attention(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Iowa. Retrieved from:

http://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1824&context=etd

Bennetto, L., & Pennington, B. F. (1996). Intact and Impaired Memory Functions in Autism.

Child Development, 67(4), 1816-1835. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.ep9704041063

Bernard-Opitz, V., Sriram, N. N., & Nakhoda-Sapuan, S. (2001). Enhancing Social Problem

Solving in Children with Autism and Normal Children through Computer-Assisted

Instruction.Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders, 31(4), 377-84.

Brierley, C. (2008, October 16). People with autism make more rational decisions

[Press release].

Busch, S. (2009, December 27). Early childhood development information.Retrieved from

http://www.livestrong.com/article/67870-early-childhood-development-information/

Flynn, S. (2010). Inclusion strategies for students with autism spectrum disorders. Retrieved

from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6692

Foudon, N., Reboul, A., & Manificat, S. (2007). Language acquisition in autistic children: A

longitudinal study.Proceedings of the fifth University of Cambridge postgraduate

conference in language research, pp. 72-79.

Greenspan, S. (2001). The affect diathesis hypothesis: The role of emotions in the core deficit

in autism and in the development of intelligence and social skills. The Journal of

Developmental and Learning Disorders, 5(1), 1-45.


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Hooper, S. R., & Umansky, W. (n.d.). Social and emotional development in children with

autism. Retrieved February 17, 2013, from

http://www.education.com/reference/article/social-emotional-development-children/

Jensen, E. (2008).Brain-based learning: The new paradigm of teaching(2nd ed.).

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

McCandliss, B. (n.d.). Brain-Based education. Retrieved February 11, 2013, from

http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1799/Brain-Based-Education.html

Murphy, P. (2010, September 11). Factors in childhood physical development. Retrieved from

http://www.livestrong.com/article/241287-factors-in-childhood-physical-development/

New, M. (Ed.). (2012, August). Autism. Retrieved from

http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/learning/autism.html

O'Neill, M., & Jones, R. (1997). Sensory-perceptual abnormalities in autism: A case for more

research?Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 27(3), 283-293.

Schiller, P., & Willis, C. A. (2008, July). Using brain-based teaching strategies to create

supportive early childhood environments that address learning standards. Retrieved from

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Williams, D. L., Goldstein, G., & Minshew, N. J. (2006). The profile of memory function in

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