Main Page    ASW Newsletter Index

• In Our Own Words and Pictures Friends (Contributions to the newsletter by persons with autism)
• Into the Community Community-based Instruction
• Student Transition: Helpful Hints From An Educational Assistant

In Our Own Words and Pictures

Sam is entering 7th grade at Glen Hills Middle School. His special interests are basketball, elevators, malls and treats. He invented a city called Paddington, North Virginia when he was six years old. Alex Rose lives there.

My Friend, Alex Rose

His name is Alex Rose because it sounds nice, like a flower. He has a brother, Kyle, who knows everything there is to know. Kyle is also an inventor. He's busy a lot. He goes to inventor's conventions. He doesn't have a lot of free time. Alex has a sister named Amy who plays on a women's basketball team. He has another sister Barbara, who is a scientist. Alex is a basketball player and he never misses a shot. He is a Slam-Dunk artist. He can make it from the half court, a 2 pointer, and a 3 pointer from back court range. Alex plays for the Paddington Jets. The starters are B.J. Johnson as point guard, Arthur Mc Ginnis as shooting guard, Allen Harrison as small forward, David Randall as center and himself as power forward. He's also a warlock, that's a witch. Alex is a good warlock. He only uses his magic for good things. His might fix you a fudge sundae with his magic. Or he can take the fat out of high fat foods for you. He's really nice. If you are down, he'd help you talk about the problem and try to solve it with you. If you lost a game, he might say, "It's only a game, there'll be other opportunities." If he gets angry he just goes off by himself and reads. He doesn't usually get angry. But if I was angry, He would try to calm me down. He would talk to me about the problem. Alex Rose is an extraordinary friend. He is my imaginary friend.

My School Friends

Meghan -- Somtimes it is the things that pepole don't do that make them your friends. Meghan doesn't tease me. She also goes swimming with me. She is my friend. Justin-- I like Justin because he is smart. He doesn't tease me. Perry-- I like Perry. He used to joke too much around me but now he has improved. He only jokes around a little now. Mrs. Conlan -- Mrs. Conlan is not bossy. Sometimes she lets me dictate to her when my hand is tired. Sometimes she gives me lifesavers. Mrs. Reed -- Mrs. Reed helps me when I need help. She lets me take breaks. She's willing to compromise.

Friends talk to you.
Friends help you.
Friends don't tease you.
Friends have fun with you.
Friends listen to you.
Friends aren't bossy.
Friends share treats.
Friends don't swear.
Having friends is great.

Month Index     ASW Newsletter Index      ASW homepage

Into the Community

Editor's note: To submit questions or other items for the newsletter, follow the submission guidelines on the back cover of this newsletter.

I can't wait for school to start. My 10 year old son has been awful in the community this summer. He seems to do so well for his teachers. How can we get his behavior to improve for us?

All kids, with and without autism, have different behaviors in different settings and for different people. For your situation, I'd recommend talking to the school staff who are present when your son has socially acceptable behavior in the community. Questions to ask the school staff: Has my son's behavior improved in the community for you? Can you describe the changes? How did you help this happen? What specific visual, verbal, gestural and physical cues are used? You might ask if it would be possible for those at school to videotape your son in action in the community. Such a tape might give you ideas you can try. The tape might also be a good thing to show your son while having a discussion about your concerns with his community behavior when with you. If possible, ask if it's okay to accompany the school staff and your son into the community on several occasions. This might help your son to generalize behaviors from them to you. This takes time. One or two trips won't do it. I'd also recommend having an honest discussion with your son. Keep in mind that he probably will understand far more than he is able to tell you. Let him know how it makes you feel when his behavior is embarassing. Be as positive as you can. I've also found that you need to be extremely blunt with your explanations so that you are understood. For example, one very bright, non-verbal student always did a "sideways gait "when we walked in public (not anywhere else). As a small child it was okay, but as a 6th grader it was just not socially acceptable. I tried numerous techniques to get him to stop. I talked about how everyone was watching him and thought he was strange. I pointed out how other 6th graders walked. Nothing seemed to work. Finally, I decided to tell him why people stared ... I let him know that his gait made people think he had had an accident and that was why they were looking. He gave me a surprised look ...and the sideways gait stopped ... for good.

One of the residents at our health center just started spitting all the time. We tried giving him suckers but that didn't work. It's driving everyone a bit crazy and it's so unsanitary! Any ideas?

The first thing that I'd recommend doing is a Functional Behavioral Assessment . You need to know specifics about when, where, how, etc. about his spitting. Does he do it in all settings? Does he do it at certain times of the day? Does he do it during certain activities? Does he do it when specific people are around? Does he seem to be doing it to get attention? Some of things I'd suggest you think about are: Does he spit in certain locations? Does he like to do it into wind or sunlight? (This causes neat rainbows!) Does he like to watch it fall? (Seeing if it always takes the same amount of time?) Does he have a fasination with other oral or visual stimuli? Does the spitting seem to be self-satisfying? Once you have some possible theories as to why he is spitting, you can come up with ways to change that behavior. If he is spitting to "see rainbows in the sunlight" you might try giving him other things with which he can get similar results such as dishsoap, bubbles or a prism. If he is spitting only during certain activities, he is probably trying to tell you he is bored or he doesn't like the activity (or perhaps he loves it). If that's the case, you need to consider an activity change. If you think he is doing it for the oral or visual pleasure he receives, you might try teaching him a time and/or a place where spitting will be acceptable 100% of the time. You might try providing other things that provide oral/visual stimulation. Keep in mind that frequently if you try to fully eliminate a behavior, you will find yourself with another one that is more annoying. Teaching small, acceptable "variations on a theme" or teaching "times and places that are okay" are usually more viable options.

Month Index     ASW Newsletter Index      ASW homepage

Student Transition: Helpful Hints From An Educational Assistant

At the end of the school year last spring, our son's 7th grade educational staff met with the 8th grade teachers from the middle school to discuss transition issues and to help prepare the new teachers for including Kent in their classes. This traditional collaborative effort has helped in the past to calm fears and concerns surrounding having a student with autism in their classrooms. As part of the meeting, our son's educational assistant (who knows Kent better than anyone in school) distributed this list of helpful hints to the next teachers who would be working with Kent in the regular education setting. The staff found this list most helpful in gaining insight to the boy behind the student. While this list was created from experiences with working with my son, many hints may also apply to other students with autism.

Helpful Hints for Working with Kent Breuer

• Kent is very friendly and will want to greet you each time he sees you - sometimes he will greet first - either way, greet Kent like you would another student.
  
• Kent appreciates praise and works well when praise is given for his efforts.
  
• Kent is adaptable to any situation and handles change with little problem. He will work well with any student.
  
• Demonstration is helpful for Kent. He does much better when he is shown what you would like him to do. The more familiar Kent is with the task, the more likely he is to do it independently. He needs your help building that familiarity.
  
• Kent can copy any instructed work from an overhead, chalkboard, etc.
  
• If Kent becomes vocal it's okay to tell him to quiet down ("Quiet please" or That's enough"). If that doesn't work, sometimes giving him something to squeeze helps.
  
• Kent is capable of (and very good at) doing word search puzzles independently. He enjoys doing various puzzles such as crosswords (where he may need some assistance) and coloring.
  
• Kent generally stays on task until his work is completed and is neat and organized.
  
• Kent's increased vocabulary assists in his work completion. Fewer modifications are needed as his reading and writing vocabulary grows.
  
• Kent is involved in many after school activities (i.e.: bowling, Outdoor Skills Club, swimming, Boy Scouts), which all help in his adaptation into group activities in the classroom. He keeps learning and practicing his socialization skills and group participation.
  
• Kent does many hands-on learning activities (Tech. Ed., Consumer Ed, and lab situations) well and likes to be a part of large group activities.
  
• Kent can sense emotions very well. He tends to mirror the actions/emotions of those around him, but to a lesser degree. For example, he will say, "Time to go now," if the rest of the class starts to "pack up" or move out of their seats after being in class for a period of time (even if it's not time to go).
  
• Kent uses echolalia (repeats parts of what you say) if he is unsure of how to respond to what is said. It is also his way of "learning" what is being told to him. You may need to re-phrase your direction if he does not do what you are asking him to do.
  
• Kent is very enjoyable to work with; he wants to do well and learn in your classroom.

Month Index     ASW Newsletter Index      ASW homepage