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Autism - appropriate education

Expert: Sharon A. Mitchell - 11/5/2009

Question
Dear Sharon,

I have a 12 year old son with autism, and I'm having difficulty knowing if his current placement in our school system is appropriate for him.

Right now, he is currently in a special education class in 6th grade in a middle school.

He always has had very good behavior, is verbal, but not conversational. It seems he is a visual learner, and learns well with extra pictures, and language that is short and to the point. His listening (and reading comprehension) have been his greatest hurdle. He listens to commands and can answer some wh questions. This give the illusion that he is comprehending eveything being said, when in reality he is zoning out.

Ages 2-6 - Scott learned very well through ABA format in an autism school. He learned very quickly. His language was very rote however, and information being taught was very black and white. Auditory comprehension was an issue
Ages 6 - 11 - Elementary school - mainstreamed with an aide - phonics decoding increased, language not as rote, however, no social skills were gained, no listening skills were gained, no increase in reading comprehension in 4 years, math skills are scattered.
I was surprised to find out that our school system does not provide an autism classroom for children in middle school.
Age 12 - 6 grade middle school - Scott is in a class with 6 special needs children and a teacher and an aide. The teacher is very young, and enthusiastic, a great role model, yet he has only taught one other autistic child who happened to be very different than Scott. Other children in this classroom seem to learn differently than Scott, when the teacher tells a joke, they "get it". Yet the academics that are being taught are things that Scott already knows. There also is no formal reading program, and are reading a variety of books for practice.

Questions:
1. Is it unusual for a school system not to offer an autism classroom?
2. Is it unrealistic of me to want my 12 year old son to be in a more intensive program, and to have a majority of his day working on academics that are relevant to what he needs in his IEP, and not teaching to what the majority of the class needs? (ie they are teaching short vowel sounds - Scott learned these when he was 5). The IEP was written with specific points, but the way it's going, it doesn't seem like they will be able to spend the time that he needs on them.
3. Is it unrealistic of me to want the way he is taught to be one on one and broken down to where he can understand it, until his listening comprehension improves and he can learn in a group style format?
4. What kind of autism training should I ask the teacher to get -( He has a degree in special ed - given my son's age and skills.)
5. Are there any proven reading programs for children with autism that stress comprehension? They are currently just reading books for practice, which makes measuring results hard.
6. Weird but true - we live in an area where there are lots of timeshare condos - my son loves to walk up and down these undecorated hallways, and this movement and lack of distraction seems to make him focus more and he is much more willing to tell me about his day. I'm sure it's all related to sensory issues - does this suggest a certain learning style would be best for him?

Sorry to be lengthy. I just want to make the best use of my son's time, and have high expections but also be realistic in my expectations.

Thanks,
Missy Roy

Answer
Good evening Missy,

The move from elementary to middle school can be scary, can't it? Sometimes it's more scary for the parents than even the student.

It sounds like you know your boy well when you describe that he may appear to be listening but in reality he is not comprehending or is zoning out. That is an important fact for the adults in his life to keep in mind. That is also the reason that pictures work well with him - he takes in information that he sees better than what he hears. This is true for most people with autism spectrum disorders, not matter what their spoken language level is at.

Your son benefited from one of the positives of mainstreaming. You say that his language became less rote. Rubbing shoulders with peers often has that effect because their language is natural and purposeful rather than rote and on-demand from an adult.

You ask some good questions. I'll try to answer roughly in order.

Yes, I think it is common for a district to not have a designated autism classroom. There is a wide variation in how services are provided to kids with autism and there is also a wide variation in the method that parents prefer. Pleasing everyone is difficult.

Sometimes there are not enough students with autism to warrant one classroom, or the age and ability difference might be so wide that the common factor the kids would have is their diagnosis rather than their learning or social needs.

Other people believe that there is merit in not placing all kids with autism in one room together; that they learn better from a variety of peers.

It sounds like your son is stronger than some of the students in his room but has less skills than others. This might place him in a nice position - he can learn from some and also play the role of helpers with others. He may not have had much opportunity to adopt this latter role in past grades. You might be surprised at how he'll feel about himself when he shows another child how to do something. It's nice for us all to at times feel that we're the helper and not always on the receiving end of assistance.

I'm going to skip around a bit in your questions now.
#4. There is no one set one to kids with autism to read; in fact there is no one set way to teach anyone to read. I cannot suggest that if you buy a certain book or a certain program your son's reading skills will blossom. It's good that he has a phonetic basis. Some students do not progress much past early sounding out skills. Others build up a sight word vocabulary that they can combine with their phonics. Others learn to recognize a collection of real life words, such as Exit, Mens, Washroom, and other life skill words. I'm not saying though that your son will not progress past that point.

Reading books for practice is an essential part of a reading program. Particularly if the books are at the east reading level for your child, this type of reading builds his reading fluency (rate) and his confidence. It's then easier to move on to more advanced books. Reading for practice can also help to develop a love of reading, when the task is not always laborious or a teaching lesson. It would be great if your son learned to read for fun.

There definitely are ways to measure his progress as he reads for practice. Running records are a simple, quick and accurate way to measure how he is doing. They may already be doing this at school, but it is something you can do at home as well. Here are some details on how to do it: http://www.readinga-z.com/guided/runrecord.html

When you think that he is doing well with the books he's choosing to read and you want him to move on to something more challenging, go with his to the public library and let him pick books that interest him. Have him start to read one to you. As he begins have him (or you) hold out one hand. Each time he comes to a word he does not know, fold down one finger. If all five fingers are down by the time he has finished that page, then the book is too hard and he needs to choose another.

Since your son has already experienced some success with sound/symbol learning, you might find this book useful: Reading Reflex: The Foolproof Phono-Graphix Method for Teaching Your Child to Read. You can take a look at it here: http://tinyurl.com/yecdcww

A method that capitalizes on visual strengths is Visualizing and Verbalizing: For Language Comprehension and Thinking by Nanci Bell (http://tinyurl.com/yk8n9qt).

I have written a lengthier article on improving reading comprehension in kids with autism here: http://www.autismsite.ca/html/reading_comprehension.html.
#6. Yes, this might give a clue as to a way your son learns. Does he seek movement? Is he calmed by it? Some students think better either during or just after movement. Would jumping on a rebounder (mini-trampoline) for five minutes before working at his desk help? At home does walking on a treadmill aid his concentration and language? There are adults who feel more productive working at a treadmill desk - a board or structure that sits across the handlebars of the treadmill. A book or laptop rests on this board and the person walks as a slow rate (one to three miles an hour) while reading or working. I've tried it and it works for me. Here are some examples of treadmill desks:

- http://www.treadmill-desk.com/

- http://walking.about.com/b/2007/06/11/the-treadmill-desk-blog.htm

- http://images.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=treadmill+desk&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=...

#4. Much of the formal autism training we take centers on one particular approach. Perhaps rather than asking this teacher to go away for training, it would help if he read books. While there is an abundance of books written about autism by fine researchers, I often find that I learn the most by reading what articulate adults with autism have to say. A few of my favorites are:

Freaks, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence (http://tinyurl.com/yeuewdc). Even though this book has "Asperger" in the title, it applies to autism. The author, Luke Jackson has Asperger's, wrote the book when he was 13 and also writes on behalf of his younger brother who has autism.

Temple Grandin's Thinking in Pictures, Expanded Edition: My Life with Autism (http://tinyurl.com/yj5g2fq). Actually, I'd recommend anything written by Temple. You can see all of her books here: http://www.amazon.com/Temple-Grandin/e/B000AP9AQU/ref=sr_tc_2_0.

Somebody Somewhere: Breaking Free from the World of Autism (http://tinyurl.com/y8seqx7)

Visual Strategies for Improving Communication : Practical Supports for School & Home (http://tinyurl.com/ybguju9)

This teacher already has a special education background so he understands about learning differences, teaching to a child's strength, breaking tasks down into manageable bites, etc. Some of the above books may refresh the autism piece in his mind.

The teacher's lack of formal training in autism may not necessarily be a hindrance to your son's learning. Please don't misunderstand. I am not opposed to formal learning and am just completing my Ph.D., majoring in autism. But university classes do not always ensure the best teacher/student fit. Sometimes a person who has a genuine caring and enthusiasm can be very effective. You mention that Scott's teacher is enthusiastic and a great role model. Those might be key features that have a tremendous effect on your son this year.

I'll look at questions 2 and 3 together.

You mention that Scott started school at age 2. Think about how much he has changed in the last ten years.

Now think about where he might be in another ten years. When he's 22, where do you see him living? What do you see him doing? What does he enjoy now that might still give him pleasure as a young man? What skills has he developed that might be useful in adult life?

I know this is hard when your son is just an adolescent and you might see him as an even younger child compared to his age peers. With autism though, it's wise to look ahead.

I do not think academics are any less important now, and time still needs to be spent on increasing Scott's reading and math skills. But around middle years it comes time to think about the other skills he'll be needing in his life.

Try to imagine what Scott will be doing when he's 22 and when he's 30. It's important for all of us to feel that we are contributing members of society. What will be Scott's part? What does he like to do?

Where will Scott live? Will he have an apartment on his own? Will he share with friends? Might he be in a supported living situation? A group home? Be with family members?

No matter where he lives, he'll need productive ways to fill his time. Which skills is he displaying now that could be honed into a work situation? What does he like to do in his leisure time now? Which hobbies and pastimes could he develop as part of a healthy lifestyle when an adult?

No matter where we live, and no matter what we do, life is a group affair. If Scott lives at home, he'll need to know how to fit in, contribute and get along with the people around him. This is true if he's in a group home as well. On the job, he'll need to know how to be with people. These are skills that he can develop in a classroom such as he's in right now, or in supported mainstream classrooms.

Sometimes a MAPS meeting can help us look toward the future, where we'd like our child to be down the road and what can be done to help him get there (http://www.circleofinclusion.org/english/guidelines/modulesix/a.html).

As fulfilled adults, William Glasser lists some of the things we strive for:

- the need for a sense of belonging to a particular community or social network and to have a legitimate place of importance within general society;

- the need for a sense of power over one's destiny;

- the need for freedom, particularly the freedom to make personal life choices;

- the need to have fun within a variety of contexts and circumstances of one's own choosing (Glasser, 1984)

I know that you're worried about Scott and want the best for him right now. Rather than a strictly academic focus though, you might want to talk with his teacher about how what is happening now might help prepare Scott for the future.

Best wishes,

Sharon A. Mitchell, B.A., B.Ed., M.A., Ph.D. candidate
www.autismsite.ca

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