FAMILY AND AUTISM

ALISSA ZINCK
CAROLYN FRASIER
NELISENA JOHNSON
http://www.aheadwithautism.com/

Autism
The word autism has its origin in the
Greek word autos which means self.
Children with autism often are selfabsorbed and seem to exist in a private
world.

Partnership
with the
School and Parents
# 1 most important step in making this
partnership is COMMUNICATION!!!

Beginning

Parents are 1st and best source of info

Partnership begins with a meeting
Mutually agreed-upon communication
Strengths and challenges
Mutual respect
Realistic Expectations

Ways to Communicate

Monthly Meetings
Telephone Calls
Emails
Audiotapes
Journals
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Challenges
Strategies
Ideas
*Positive Feedback*

 The IDEA guarantees free appropriate

education to all disabled students. But the
government has never fully funded the
act, and appropriate can mean one thing
to a parent determined to get the very
best for their child but something else
entirely to an administrator juggling limited
resources for a unlimited number of
special needs.

Costing
School districts across the country define
appropriate as merely adequate
Merely adequate = $19,000 p. year
o
o
o
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Special classes
Therapists
Aides
Transportation
Facilities
Beyond- Speech, OT, Play and 1-on1=$75,000

 3-Way Partnership
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Child
Parent
Teacher

Parents should visit the school and

observe their child as often as possible
Schools should involve parents in the
educational process
Mutual respect and understanding
between parents and schools

Strategies for children with autism

1. Create an environment that is not over
stimulating.
2. Create a structured environment with
predictable routines.
3. Give fewer choices.
4. Select repetitive motions when working
on projects.
5. Keep voice low and clear.

Strategies (continued)
6. Limit physical contact.
7. Allow students to stand instead of sit
around a table in school.
8. Encourage and promote one to one
interactions with students to promote
social skills
9. Eliminate stress.
10. Use signs and pictures to
communicate

Social Stories
Pictures and words used in social stories.
Uses Boardmaker Program to make.

Picture Books
Use to cue child at school and at home.
Child places picture in correct spot of what
is next.
Child can also communicate what he/she
needs by showing adult the picture.

Five point scale

Teaching the 5 point scale

1. Explain basic concept to student

2. Start out rating Voice volume

Use numbered scale as guide.
Start with rating #1 and agree on what it looks like, and when it is OK,
or socially acceptable.
For each #1-5 rating, discuss answers to the questions: When?
Where? With whom?
Discuss why & when no talking (#1) is OK (library, when someone is
talking) and when its not OK (in an emergency, in a crowd)
Do this for each number/rating on the scale.

 3. When student gets concept, simply point to a number

as a cue when you want student to raise/lower/silence
his voice volume (Or you say, Your voice seems like its
a 4 to me, can you get it down to a 3?)
4. Next, teach another easily observable skill or
behavior, such as greeting people at school.
5. Do hardest (most personal) behaviors later, when
student is use to scale and is more open to this.
6 The point of the scale is to help process/identify
feelings and socially acceptable behaviors.
7.Use visual/gesture cues (point, touch number) once
student knows scale, instead of talking. Students with
ASD, once upset, respond better to visual cues than

References:
Beyond the Autism Diagnosis, Marion OBrien
and Julie A. Daggett, Paul H. Brooks Publishing
Co. (2006).
Edutopia, Fran Smith, (2008).