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Creating Successful School Experiences for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum

Disorders RuthAspyPh.D.

aspy@texasau5sm.com

Proac5veProgramming

•  AdequateYearlyProgress

•  StateStandards•  Posi5veBehaviorSupports

•  ResponsetoInterven5on

•  InclusivePrac5ces•  IndividualizedEduca5onProgram

http://www.pbis.org

Educa5ngStudentswithAu5smSpectrumDisorders

SixHabitsofSuccessfulEducators

1.LinkInterven5ontoAssessment

•  Matchprogramsandstrategiestoassessmentresults[IDEA,NCLB,PBIS,RTI]

•  IEPsarebasedonevalua5onresults[IDEA,NCLB,PBIS,RTI]

IEPDevelopmentRequirements614(d)(3)(A)

•  RequirestheIEPTeamconsider:– Strengthsofthechild– Concernsoftheparents– Evalua5onresults– Academic,developmental,andfunc5onalneedsofthechild

2.InvolveParents

•  Parentsshouldbepartoftheassessmentandinterven5onprocess[IDEA,NCLB,PBIS,RTI]

•  Parentsofferinsightthateducatorsrequire[NCLB‐evidencedbased]

•  Parentsarerequiredmembersoftheteam[IDEA,NCLB,RTI]

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3.DevelopAComprehensivePlan

•  Interven5onprogramshouldbesufficienttoaddresstheiden5fiedneeds[IDEA]

•  IEPmustaddressBOTHacademicandnonacademicneeds[IDEA]

“Comprehensiveplanningbeginswithunderstandingthecharacteris5csofau5smineachchildandmatchingthechild’sneedsandstrengthstoresearch‐basedstrategiesandinterven5onsthathavebeenproventowork.”–BrendaSmithMyles(p.50)

Hann, L. (October, 2007). Addressing autism. www.DistrictAdministration.com

4.UseEmpiricallySupportedInterven5ons

•  Individualizedsupportsandservices[IDEA,NCLB,PBIS,RTI]•  Systema5cinstruc5on[NCLB]•  Comprehensibleandstructuredlearningenvironments[NCLB]

•  Specificcurriculumcontent(i.e.,languageandsocial)[NCLB]

•  Func5onalapproachtoproblembehavior[NCLB,PBIS]

•  Familyinvolvement[IDEA,NCLB,PBIS,RTI]

NCLB:IndividualizedSupportsandServices

•  Tailoredtomeetindividualneeds•  Considerfamilypreferenceswhendevelopingcurriculum

•  Programmingshouldreflectstudentpreferencesandinterests

•  Considerstudentstrengthsandweaknesseswhendeterminingthelevelofinstruc5on

Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid (2003). Effective educational practices for students with Autism Speectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 150-165.

NCLB:Systema5cInstruc5on

•  Instruc5onisbasedondesiredstudentoutcomes

•  Implementa5onofstrategiesisconsistent

Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid (2003). Effective educational practices for students with Autism Speectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 150-165.

NCLB:ComprehensibleandStructuredLearningEnvironments

•  Provideahighlypredictabledailyrou5ne•  Behavioralexpecta5onsareclear

Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid (2003). Effective educational practices for students with Autism Speectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 150-165.

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NCLB:SpecificCurriculumContent

•  Curriculummustincludelanguage•  Curriculummustincludesocialinterac5on

Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid (2003). Effective educational practices for students with Autism Speectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 150-165.

NCLB:Func5onalApproachtoProblemBehavior

•  Movementawayfrompunishment‐basedstrategies

•  Movementtowardsteachingskills

Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid (2003). Effective educational practices for students with Autism Speectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 150-165.

NCLB:FamilyInvolvement

•  Familymembersareac5vepar5cipantsindevelopingtheprogram

•  Familymembersareac5vepar5cipantsinimplemen5ngtheprogram

Iovannone, Dunlap, Huber, and Kincaid (2003). Effective educational practices for students with Autism Speectrum Disorders. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 18, 150-165.

5.StaffTraining

•  IEPteamrequiresamemberknowledgeableintheareaofASD[IDEA]

•  StaffmembersmustbeabletoIMPLEMENTtheIEP[IDEA]

“Key elements of the district’s success include its willingness to budget for experienced staff. . . ” (p. 44)

“Specialists . . . must be qualified to train and support special education and general education teachers—as well as school administrators—concerning the characteristics of autism.” (p.51)

Hann, L. (October, 2007). Addressing autism. www.DistrictAdministration.com

6.Implementa5on

•  Collectdataandrevisetheplan[IDEA,NCLB,PBIS,RTI]

•  Systema5cinstruc5on/consistentimplementa5on[NCLB,PBIS,RTI]

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WhyareweNOTfocusingonacademics?

Theyareimportant,but…

ResearchShowsThat…

•  Individualswith“sojskills”,includinggoodsocialskills,sociability,goodworkhabits,punctuality,conscien5ousnessandthosewhopar5cipatedinextracurricularac5vi5esaremorelikelytomakemoremoney,beemployed,andakainhigherlevelsofeduca5onthanthosewithgoodgradesandhighstandardizedtestscores.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2009, March 26). Social Skills, Extracurricular Activities In High School Pay Off Later In Life.

ThreeTierModel

AcademicSystem

Decisionsabout5ersofsupportaredata‐based

BehavioralSystem

1-5% Intensive Individualized Interventions

AdaptedfromOSEPEffec5veSchool‐WideInterven5ons

5-10% Targeted Interventions

80-90% School-Wide Interventions

80-90% School-Wide Interventions

5-10% Targeted Interventions

1-5% Intensive Individualized Interventions Design

Characteristics

A quality plan is DESIGNED to target the Autism comprehensively

Avoid “band-aid” plans that only partially address needs

Intervention

Implement Design Characteristics 1 2 3 4

4 Steps to Designing a Comprehensive Intervention Plan

Implement Design Characteristics 1 2 3 4

4 Steps to Designing a Comprehensive Intervention Plan

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Zigguratn:(zig∙gu∙rat)fromAssyrianziqquratu,height,pinnacle

1.  atemplehavingtheformofaterracedpyramidofsuccessivelyrecedingstories,erectedbytheancientAssyriansandBabylonians

2.  aframeworkfordesigningcomprehensiveinterven9onsforindividualswithau9smspectrumdisorders

WhywastheZigguratModelDeveloped?

•  Difficulty“SeeingtheAu5sm”•  Tendencytoapplyonestrategytoaddressallneeds

•  Tendencytoignorecri5calareaswhendesigninganinterven5on

ImpairedTheoryofMind‐Mindblindness

•  Difficultyunderstandingthethoughts,feelings,andbeliefsofothers

•  Difficultypredic5ngtheac5onsofothers

•  Difficultyusingwordstodescribeone’sownfeelings

•  Difficultyunderstandingnon‐literallanguage(e.g.,sarcasm)

WeakCentralCoherence

•  Tendencytofocusondetailsandmissthebigpicture

•  Difficultyunderstandingsocialsitua5ons

ProblemSolving

•  “Onewayofviewingaproblem”•  Stuckthinking•  Seesfactsinsteadofawhole•  Problemswithcauseandeffect

•  Doesnotseeproblemsashavingmorethanoneop5on

•  Problemsolvingisojenliteral

Interventions Characteristics

©RuthAspy,Ph.D.,BarryG.Grossman,Ph.D.

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TheZigguratModel

•  SensoryandBiologicalNeeds

•  Reinforcement•  StructureandVisual/

Tac5leSupports

•  TaskDemands•  SkillstoTeach

2008 ASA

Literary Award Winner 1

 Helps you to “see” the autism

 Provides a “snapshot” of how autism is expressed for an individual

 A descriptive instrument  Can be completed by a

team  Provides a tool for

assessing progress/change

The UCC Areas

•  Social •  Restricted Patterns of Behavior,

Interests, and Activities •  Communication •  Sensory Differences •  Cognitive Differences •  Motor Differences •  Emotional Vulnerability •  Known Medical or other Biological

Factors

1 UCC-HF for HFA and AS 1

UCC-CL for Autistic Disorder 1

2

 Social  Behavior, Interests,

and Activities  Communication  Sensory  Cognitive  Motor  Emotional

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Social – UCC-CL Social - ISSI

[3] Shows little interest in or response to praise

[8] Has difficulty imitating the actions or words of others

•  Engages in turn taking activity with parents

•  Plays near peers in classroom

• Beginning to return social smile w/ parents

Sensory Differences and Biological Needs

Task Demands

Structure and Visual /Tactile Supports

Reinforcement 3

Designing A Global Intervention Plan

Comprehensive Autism Planning System

4Chad‐IndividualStrengthsandSkills

Inventory

•  Intelligent•  Stronginterests•  Enjoysmusic•  Seeksadultassistance•  Seekstoshareinterests•  Verbalizeswhenupset•  Calmswithtouch/pressure•  Learnsquickly•  Enjoysphysicalac5vi5es/

movement

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Sensory Differences and Biological Needs

Task Demands

Structure and Visual /Tactile Supports

Reinforcement 3

Intervention Ziggurat

Sensory Differences and Biological Needs

© Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., Barry G. Grossman, Ph.D.

“The last thing one knows in constructing a work is what to put first”

-Blaise Pascal

SensoryDifferencesandBiologicalNeeds

•  Provideasensorydiet•  Monitorandaddress

environmentalstressors:

–  Sound,light,proximity/personalspace,textures

– Movementneeds

•  Monitorandaddress:

–  Appe5te/hunger–  Arousal/ac5vitylevel(e.g.,fa5gue,hyper)

–  Postureandmovement

– Medicalneeds

Reinforcement

Intervention Ziggurat

© Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., Barry G. Grossman, Ph.D.

“If there is no reinforcer, there is no Intervention”

-Aspy & Grossman, 2007

Supports

TaskDemands

Skills

SkillstoTeach

TaskDemandsandSkillstoTeach

Demands Ability

strategiestoenhanceaccessibilityofCBTconceptsforchildrenwithASD(Reaven,Hepburn,Nichols,Blakeley‐Smith,&Dasari,2005)

•  wrikenworksheetsintroducingnewconcepts•  emphasisondrawing,andphotography•  focusonstrengths,talents,andexpandingareasofinterest

•  opportuni5esforrepe55onandprac5ce•  videomodelingforhardtoteachconcepts•  aspecificvideoac5vity(e.g.,crea5ngmovies)toenhancegeneraliza5onofconcepts

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Skills to Teach

Intervention Ziggurat

© Ruth Aspy, Ph.D., Barry G. Grossman, Ph.D.

“The teacher who does not understand that it is necessary to teach autistic children seemingly obvious things will feel impatient and irritated”

-Hans Asperger

TheSeeminglyObvious

•  Whatisitaboutthesitua5onthatcomesnaturallytoeveryoneelsebutismissingforthisperson?Whyisitthatothersdonotshowthesamebehavior?

•  Whatisitthathasnotoccurredtometoteach?

Thatistheseeminglyobvious.Thatisthethingtoteach.

For most individuals with AS, the most important item of the educational curriculum and treatment strategy involves the need to enhance communication and social competence. This emphasis does not reflect a societal pressure for conformity or an attempt to stifle individuality and uniqueness. [emphasisadded]Klin,A.,Volkmar,F.R(1995).Asperger'sSyndromeGuidelinesforTreatmentandInterven5on.

Not Loners By Choice

Rather, this emphasis reflects the clinical fact that most individuals with AS are not loners by choice, and that there is a tendency, as children develop towards adolescence, for despondency, negativism, and sometimes, clinical depression, as a result of the individual's increasing awareness of personal inadequacy in social situations, and repeated experiences of failure to make and/or maintain relationships.

Not Loners By Choice (cont)

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ManagetheEnvironment

•  Establishrou5nesforalltasksintheclassroom•  Writethemdown

•  Videotapethem

•  Takes5llpicturesoftherou5nes•  Modeltherou5nes

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Rou5nesThatNeedtoBeDirectlyTaught

•  Howtoaskforhelp•  Whenandwhattothrow

awayandwhere•  Howtoobtainschool

supplieswhenthestudentforgetstobringthem

•  Howandwhentohandinwork

•  Howtopassoutpapers

•  Howtoorganizematerialssothattheyareaccessibleindesk,locker,backpack,cubby

•  Howtomakeupmissedwork

•  Howtolineupforlunch,recess,music,etc…

•  Howtowalkdownthehallwithotherstudents

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Rou5nesThatNeedtoBeDirectlyTaught

•  Howtogetreadytomovetoanotherac5vitythatiswithinthesameclass

•  Howtogetreadytomovetoanotherac5vitythatisinadifferentclass

•  Howtogetreadyforrecess

•  Howtogetreadytogohome

•  Whatdododuringfree5me

•  Howtonavigatelunch5me•  Whattodoifyouare

bullied•  Wheretogototake

medica5on•  Howtoasktogotothe

bathroom‐‐BTW

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“Ifyouspendthefirstweekofschooldirectlyteaching,modeling,andprac5cingrou5nes,challengesintheclassroomwilldrama5cally

decrease”.Kathy Quill

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SettheTone

•  ManystudentswithanASDhavehighanxiety•  Eventhoughtheycannotunderstandsocialsubtle5es,theycandetecthighlyemo5onalsitua5ons

•  IndividualswithanASDojendonotknowhowtode‐stressthemselves

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SettheTone

•  Useacalmvoicewhenspeaking•  Speakslowly•  Trytolimittheemo5oninyourvoice/face•  Givefactsinanunemo5onalway

Acalmteacherhelpsstudentsremaincalmorcalmdown

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SettheTone

•  Model– Acceptanceofindividualstudents– Supportfortheclassasacommunity– Respectforindividualdifferences

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SimplifytheLanguage

•  StudentswithanASDojenappeartounderstandmorethantheyactuallydo

•  Manystudentscanrepeatbackwhattheyhearwithoutunderstanding

•  Verbaliza5ondoesnotequalcomprehension•  Theanswerto“Doyouunderstandwhatyouaresupposedtodo?”isalmostalways,“Yes”.Themeaningmaybe“No”.

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Ifthestudentunderstandsindividualwordsthisdoesnotmeanthatshe

understandsthosewordsinasentence.

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SimplifytheLanguage

•  Usestudent’snametoobtainaken5on•  Askques5onsindifferentways•  Havestudentparaphrase•  Tapgentlyonthedeskpriortoaskingaques5on

•  Havestudentdemonstrateunderstanding

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SimplytheLanguage

•  Communicateclearly

– Usesimpleandconciselanguage

– Usevisuals

– Useenvironmentalcues

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Use5melinestobreakprojectsdownintosmallerparts:Usetaskanalysis

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AnaphoricCuing

•  Ajerreadingaparagraph,askthereadertoiden5fythepersonthateachpronoun(i.e.,he,she,it,they)refersto.

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ReciprocalQues5oning

•  Ajerreadingaparagraph,havethereaderasktheteacherques5onsabouttheparagraph.

•  Whentheteacherresponds,havehimmodelclarifyingtheques5on.Providereinforcementforques5ons.

•  Thenexchangerolesandhavetheteacherques5onthereader.Providereinforcementforanswers.

•  Graduallyextendtopage,sec5on,chapter.

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ComprehensiveAu5smPlanningSystem

4Making the Program a Reality Why Was CAPS Developed?

•  Teamswerechangingandtrainingwouldbeneededagaineachyear.

•  Duringtransi5onsknowledgewasnotshared.

IEP Goal 1 Johney will go and do the Objectifalfklfa;fjfalkjflkafjafjadflas The first goal of the session ] Objective

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Why Was CAPS Developed?

•  Students often move and new teams have to get to know these students, reinventing the wheel is not fair to the student or the teacher.

•  Simply, what works for the individual was not being shared.

What Does CAPS Do?

•  Provides a venue for individualized team planning combining effective and diverse strategies as needed.

•  Provides consistency of programming across time and setting

•  Bridges IEP with core curriculum to effectively use daily teachable moments.

What Does CAPS Do?

•  Facilitates targeted professional development

•  Facilitates transition at the end of school year

•  Provides structured flexibility across methodologies

Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Structure/ Modifications

Reinforcement

Priming (with small group)

*Identifying emotions *Managing stress

Visual schedule First/then chart Mindreading software Social narrative on anxiety Quiet area, as needed

Create reinforcement menu

ZIGGURAT WORKSHEET * From Prioritized UCC Items; but could also be from IEP or state standards

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Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Structure/ Modifications

Reinforcement

Priming (with small group)

Identifying emotions Managing stress

***Visual schedule **First/then chart ****Mindreading software **Social narrative on anxiety *Quiet area, as needed

Reinforcement menu

ZIGGURAT WORKSHEET * From Sensory/Biological Intervention ** From Structure & Visual/Tactile Supports Intervention *** From Task Demand Intervention ****From Skills to Teach

Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Structure/ Modifications

Reinforcement

Priming (with small group)

Identifying emotions Managing stress

Visual schedule First/then chart Mindreading software Social narrative on anxiety Quiet area, as needed

*Reinforcement menu

ZIGGURAT WORKSHEET * From Reinforcement Intervention

Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Sensory Strategies

Communication/ Social Skills

Priming (with small group)

Identifying emotions Managing stress

*”How Does Your Engine Run Chart”

Hidden curriculum Multiple meanings list Emotions notebook Practice change

ZIGGURAT WORKSHEET * From Sensory/Biological Intervention

Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Sensory Strategies

Communication/ Social Skills

Priming (with small group)

Identifying emotions Managing stress

”How Does Your Engine Run Chart”

*Hidden curriculum *Multiple meanings list *Emotions notebook **Practice change

ZIGGURAT WORKSHEET * From Task Demand Intervention ** From Skill Intervention

Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Data Collection Generalization

Priming (with small group)

Identifying emotions Managing stress

*Emotion recognition (software) *Managing stress

Visual schedule First/then chart Social narrative on anxiety

CAPS Worksheet

*Should match Skills/STO

Chad'sFirstAc5vity

Activity Skills/STO Data Collection Generalization

Priming (with small group)

Identifying emotions Managing stress

Emotion recognition (software) Managing stress

Visual schedule First/then chart Social narrative on anxiety

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StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Providesaprocessandframeworkfordesigningacomprehensiveindividualizedinterven5onplan

“Makeeverythingassimpleaspossiblebutnotsimpler”

‐AlbertEinstein

StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Addressesindividualunderlyingcharacteris5csofASDbyu5lizingstrengthsandbuildingskills

StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Usesreinforcementandotherposi5vebehaviorsupports

Sensory Differences and Biological Needs

Reinforcement

Reinforcem

ent

Dataarecollectedandanalyzedtoiden5fybehaviorstobetaughtandtomeasureprogressindevelopingskills

Sensory Differences and Biological Needs

Reinforcement

StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Dataarecollectedandanalyzedtomeasurestudentprogress

StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Data C

ollection

Planfortransferandgeneraliza9onofskills

StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Generalization

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Planfortransferandgeneraliza9onofskills

StrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Which of these would you leave out if you want skills to transfer?

Sensory Differences and Biological Needs

Reinforcement

OtherStrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Emphasizesandenhancesevidence‐basedstrategies

Facilitatesuseofproac5veinterven5ons

OtherStrengthsoftheZigguratandCAPSModels

Facilitatesinterdisciplinaryinterven5ons

Promotescollabora5onamongparents,professionals,andthecommunity