Rationale for Teaching Social Awareness to

Students
with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Alverno Advanced Education Ability: Communication Uses verbal,
nonverbal and media modes of communication to establish the environment
of the classroom and to structure and reinforce learning.
Wisconsin Standards for Educator Development and Licensure:
Standard 2 The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and
can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and
personal development.
Teaching Social Awareness to Students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders was written for LTM 631, Inclusive Learning. I choose to research
and write about the specific strategies of Social Stories and Social Scales for
students with Autism based on my work with one particular student. During
his time with me, my student was undergoing observation to formally be
diagnosed with Autism. During our lessons, he was unfocused, exhibited a
quick temper when frustration set in, and then disengaged from his learning.
We utilized social stories to help define what his behavior should look like in
our classroom and reinforce positive things he was doing to learn. We used a
social scale to monitor his frustration level with the learning that was taking
place.
This paper is evidence of my understanding of Wisconsin Teacher
Standard number 2, a teacher understands that each child learns differently
and that each child has the ability to grow academically and personally. My
student and I developed a Social Story based on our work together. He was
working in a self-paced environment and I was his support system. Through
our story he learned to use proper tone, volume, and respect when asking for
help. Wisconsin standard 3 states that
This paper also demonstrates my understanding of the Alverno
advanced education ability Communication. During development of our
social scale, I conferred with my student to gain his perspective and insight
into the reasons he was feeling frustrated. One of his triggers was getting an
answer incorrect. While I could not change the programs response to an
incorrect answer, we decided that he could change how he looked at it. At
each point on the 5 point scale, we listed ways that he could calm himself
and refocus on the task at hand. He and I both had a copy of the scale in
color so that he and I could refer to it during our time together.

Communicating with my student offered me the insight I needed to guide

him in the right direction. Ultimately, my students social story and social
scale improved both our relationship as student and teacher, but also his
willingness to participate in his own learning.