Autism and WritingRhonda L. Waterhouse, M.Ed.Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness

The Pennsylvania State University

Session Description

This session will examine how Autism Spectrum Disorders both positively and negatively affect students and their writing. Participants will explore methods, including using students’ interests, to improve their motivation for and engagement with writing tasks, ultimately improving their writing skills as a whole.

Jaxson Age 9

Fireworks: A Metaphor for ASD

o Every kid on the spectrum is different – just like every firework.

o They can be wonderful and at the same time terrifying.

o They can be loud and attention seeking or they can be quiet and easily forgotten.

o Everyone loves fireworks a few

times a year, but all day long

everyday can be a lot for anyone

to handle.

Main Topics

o Defining Autism Spectrum Disorders

o Effects (both positive and negative) on student writing

o Methods to improve motivation for and engagement with writing tasks

The Spectrum

Classic AutismPDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental

Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified)Asperger’s Syndrome (HFA is not an

official diagnosis)Rett Syndrome (rare – usually girls)Childhood Disintigrative Disorder

(rare – later onset than Autism)

Common Signs of Asperger’s Syndrome

Unidentified school-age children will have more subtle symptoms.

Socially “odd” – lack of or over-extended eye contact, odd facial

expressions, body positions or gestures Difficulty making friends Doesn’t seek out play with other kids or doesn’t know

how to approach other kids for play Carries on only one-sided conversations where he

dominates the topic and flow with little interest in the other’s opinions, experiences, or feelings

Appears to have little or no empathy – unconcerned when others are hurt or having difficulties

Common Signs (cont.) Restricted repetitive behavior, interests and

activities Intensely preoccupied with one topic – space,

Thomas, Pokemon, video games, etc. Strongly dislikes change in routine Repetitive movements: arm flapping, finger

waving, running Preoccupied with parts of objects (spinning the

wheel on the bicycle) Since some of these behaviors are extensions of

“normal,” the behavior must seriously interfere with the child’s ability to function socially or in the classroom

No speech delay (difference between HFA & AS) Average or above IQ (difference between classic

autism & AS) Not Schizophrenic

How Thinking Processes Differ

Things that make sense to us, don’t necessarily make sense to them. (Jaxson & Retelling Stories)

Sensory avoiding or seeking can interfere with learning.

Need direct instruction for things most of us innately understand (e.g., social skills)

He won’t be able to tell you that he doesn’t understand so he’ll show you instead.

Avoiding frustrating situations can interfere with learning.

Perseverating thoughts

Autism’s Effects on Writing

Aptitudes Strong interests

Structured – rule following

Factual

Unique perspective

Concrete

Practical

Individual strengths

Visual thinking

Challenges Pragmatics

Difficulty thinking of particular words

Considering audience

Fine motor difficulties

Brainstorming ideas

Formulating a plan

Requires direct instruction

Staying on topic

Use strengths to deal with challenges

Strong interests Brainstorming ideas

Visual thinking Brainstorming or planning

Strong interests Computer for overcoming fine motor

Structured & rule following grammar, organization, revision requires direct instruction

Factual non-fiction, teaching rules direct instruction

Unique perspective brainstorming ideas

Concrete non-fiction direct instruction

Practical real life uses

Individual strengths topics individualized instruction

Prevention vs. Intervention

ABC – Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Prevention known antecedent avoided or prepared for to prevent behavior

Intervention consequence for known behavior

Different situations call for different solutions.

Discussion

Fine Motor Difficulties Fine motor skills in one area (e.g., musical instrument) does not

indicate ability in other areas – different neural pathways

Dysgraphia – inability to produce letter legibly and quickly

Refusal to participate interferes with academic performance

Acting out – throwing papers

Self-esteem

Fewest words possible habit

Legibility judgment on intelligence

Macrographia – larger letter size

More effort is focused on handwriting so content and quality suffer

Handwriting is not intelligence: it’s really an exercise in drawing!

Fine Motor Difficulties (cont.) Sometimes grown out of it or improve with practice, but

MANY will have little or no progress regardless of method (even most gifted)

Significant long term academic impact – all areas

Not merely economy of words

Neuroanatomical differences (cellular and structural)

Difference in movement and motor planning

“highly prevalent across the spectrum” (Brown, 2009, p.15) Hypotonia – low tone & strength

Apraxia - difficulty executing skilled movement regardless of physical ability and desire

Directly affect hands and ability to hold and use writing implements

Overcoming Fine Motor Difficulties

Don’t overemphasize handwriting – really only necessary for name, address, and phone number

Allow use of keyboard

Practice when others are practicing handwriting

Reasons given for not allowing computer (fairness, cost, importance of handwriting, instruction time)

“Fair” does not mean “the same”

Inexpensive laptops

Keyboarding main communication skill now

Paraprofessional or software for instruction

Questions to consider

Fine motor exercise or academic task?

More important to print or give answer?

Use interests

Keyboard Bingo

(Brown, 2009, p. 17)

Progress from Keyboarding Instruction

Tips for Keyboarding Instruction

Keyboard bingo for letter location

Remove physical prompts quickly

Cause and effect of hitting key

Show word on page & on screen

Type word and student retypes

Use Arial or other clear font (younger or less experience = bigger font size)

Use class vocab or spelling for practice

Software

Single words phrases sentences paragraphs

Fill in the blank or cloze

Work independently

Monitor web access

Theory of Mind The ability to consider another person’s thoughts or feelings as

a way of understanding and predicting behavior (Tager-Fleisberg, Baron-Cohen, & Cohen as cited in Jurecic, p.426).

Writing is a social practice

Poor comprehension and communication when accounting for the thoughts or feelings of another (Frith & Hath as cited in Jurecic, p.424)

Extreme egocentrism without deliberateness

Lack of empathy

Seeing another’s perspective

Formulating argument or counterargument

Transitions between and within ideas

Eliminating extraneous background information

Organizing thoughts

Tendency to be writer-based rather than reader-based

Tips for Dealing with Audience Issues

Direct one-on-one instruction “explicit teaching of implicit rules” (Frith as cited in Jurecic, p.436)

Provide rules and structure for all steps of the process Require transitions

Require topic sentences – helps see line of argument

Use tutors – shows multitude of readers/audience

Narrate experience as reader during conference

Behavior = Communication

This is the key to understanding autism

He can’t tell you what’s wrong – even if he seems very articulate

If he’s “acting out,” there’s a reason.

The team needs to decode the behavior in order to come up with a solution

Punishing the behavior will get you nowhere if you don’t know the root cause

Behavioral Assessments - BSC

When teachers and other team members learn to decode these behaviors, they can provide the student with strategies to survive and learn in a regular classroom.

Military Family Readiness: prepared to effectively navigate the challenges of

daily living in the unique context of military service;

equipped with the skills to competently function in the face of challenges;

awareness of the supportive resources available; and

utilizing these skills and supports in managing challenges.

Ready families contribute directly to the service member's state of readiness to accomplish the mission at hand.

Penn State’s Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness

The Clearinghouse is a distribution and implementation framework for professionals (practitioners and researchers) supporting military families.

Exceptional Family Member Program: The military’s program for families with a member who has special needs (educational, medical, or psychological)

The New Research (and Practice) Frontier: Dissemination & Implementation

…very little is known about the processes required to effectively implement evidence-based programs/practices on a national scale. Research to support the implementation activities that are being used is even rarer.

National Implementation Research Network, 2007

The Clearinghouse is designed to promote and support:

(1)the use of research-based decision-making;

(2)the selection, dissemination, and evaluation of evidence-based or evidence-informed programs and practices;

(3)the continued education of professionals assisting military families.

The audience will have access to:• A searchable database of Evidence-Based Interventions

and 4-H Programs of Distinction;• An interactive program selection tool through a series of

questions that provide a logical decision-making tree;• User-friendly practical guides, research reports, and briefs

on various topics (e.g., family recruitment, principles of effectiveness in evidence-based programming);

• Various features to help users navigate the site, answer questions, think through a program implementation issue, or make referrals (e.g., 800 number; a help email address, and a “Live Chat” feature);

• Implementation planning sessions for specific programs; and

• Capacity building opportunities (e.g., webinars and communities of practice) and ongoing technical assistance (e.g., one-on-one consultation sessions).

References

Brown, L. (2009). Take the pencil out of the process: Instruction and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(1), 14-21.

Jurecic, A. (2007). Neurodiversity. College English, 69(5), 421-442.

Mayes, S.D. & Calhoun, S.L. (2007). Learning, attention, writing, and processing speed in typical children and children with ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, and oppositional defiant disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 13, 469-493.