Expert: Dr. Sharon A. Mitchell - 1/14/2010

Question
I am sped teacher mainly inclusion.  I administer the TAKS to my students.  According to their IEPS, they receive for the most part the TAKS Accommodated.  I have in the past had High Functioning Autistic student who fared well on tests, however, had a difficult time just staying focused enough to complete it.  This year, I have 2 high functioning students also taking TAKS Accommodated.  Is there any advice or suggestions on making this easier for the giver and the taker???

Answer
I have never given the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. In fact I had not heard about it until I read up on it in order to help you with this question. So, my reply will be geared more to accommodations that are often helpful for tests rather than specific to TEKS.

The tricky part is that accommodations that are helpful in the classroom may not be allowed on the TAKS Accommodated.

I am not at all surprised that in the past you have had kids with high functioning autism (HFA) do well on the TAKS. Since autism is a spectrum disorder, there are kids with average to far above average cognitive ability who are on the spectrum. This is particularly true of kids with the diagnosis of Asperger's.

Before your students take the test, they will require some preparation; more than would your typical students. Kids with autism cling to routine and the TAKS is not a part of their every day school experience.

It would help if they understand the reason why they must take the test. Even though all other students in the room may be taking the test, the child with autism may not pick up on this and feel that he/she is the ONLY person being asked to do something out of the ordinary. A social story may be helpful in preparing the way for the test.

Test anxiety could be reduced by practicing similar questions and formats several times before the actual test day. Since the TAKS is a snapshot of how the student is progressing, reassure your student that his entire school career does not rest on the performance of this one test.

Since I don't know your students' individual patterns of strengths and weaknesses, I will talk about some accommodations that are often helpful to kids wiht autism spectrum disorders.

Presentation

- often kids with autism take in information visually far better than when they must rely only on what they hear

- a visual representation of the test material is preferably to asking them to respond only to something that is read to them

- if part of the test requires listening to orally presented material, allow for a wait time as the student process what he has heard and formulates a response

- language is not a strength for some students with diagnoses of autism so they may have trouble understanding the verbal directions

- extra practice, examples of finished products, etc. may help

Response

- filling in those little circles on the machine-scoring forms can be a trial for many kids but particularly those with fine motor weaknesses or eye-hand coordination difficulties

- kids with ASD often have fine motor difficulties so holding a pencil for any length of time can be hard as can trying to fully fill in each tiny circle

- some students may become overly fixated on perfectly filling in those circles rather than concentrating more on picking the correct response

- a ruler, piece or paper or some other type of marker may help the student not lose his place on the page

- might it be allowed for the student to make his choice on the exam page or another piece of paper (prepared ahead of time) then someone else transfer his choices onto the machine-scored page?

- writing on a horizontal surface can be more tiring on the hand and arm than when using a vertical surface (such as an easel or a paper taped to the board)

- a slant board placed on the desk may also help as would writing atop a closed four inch binder

Setting

- sitting in a room while other students are madly turning pages and working hard to finish their TAKS on time can put undue pressure on a child with ASD, making him worry more about what others are doing and the passage of time rather than on giving his best responses to the test

- sensory sensitivities are common in kids with ASDs and some have extraordinarily acute hearing

- the scratching of other students' pencils may be very bothersome to the ASD child, increasing his anxiety and decreasing his ability to concentrate

- the shuffling of feet, the creaking of desk chairs, the rustling of turning pages all could add to the anxiety of your ASD student

- is it possible for these students to write the TAKS in another room where it is quiet?

- a room with which they are familiar and comfortable would help

- some kids with ASDs have weak trunk muscles and sitting upright for a length of time can be fatiguing

- rather than sitting on a chair, they may be able to concentrate better sitting on a therapy ball or with a cushion that encourages them to wiggle and shift their balance (Move 'n Sit is one brand)

- is it necessary that the students sit at a desk to take the test? Could they lay on the floor?

- writing in a cubicle or even a tent may block out visual and other distractions, making it easier to concentrate

- the bodies of some kids require extra tactile feedback - they may actually focus better if allowed to have a fidget toy, stress ball, etc. in their hand while listening to directions and writing the test

- others may give their bodies needed feedback by bouncing their legs against a theraband stretched between the legs of their desk

Timing

- since the anxiety of the unfamiliar and being required to attend to one task for a length of time could adversely effect performance, can the test be administered over a number of smaller sessions?

- many kids with ASD although competent at a task may process information slowly, particularly unfamiliar tasks and when under pressure. If one section of the test usually takes twenty minutes, may your students be allowed extra time?

- if being aware of the passage of time creates needless stress, do these students need to know they are being timed?

- conversely, some kids find aids such as a time timer that visually shows how much time is left a help tool so that they know when the task will come to an end

I hope some of these ideas are applicable to your students.

Best wishes,

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