Tips from Temple Grandin

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is one of the first individuals on the autism spectrum to document the insights she gained from her personal experience with autism.

She knows that children and adults with autism often have difficulty adjusting to changes, surprises, transitions and disappointments.  This is exacerbated during this time of uncertainty amid the global health crisis.

The Centres for Disease Control reveal that 1 in 54 schoolchildren are being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, so it has never been  more important to intervene early and help them earn life skills.

As such, she has a great deal of advice to help children on the autism spectrum cope with our new, ever-changing daily routine. "The best thing you can do as a parent is to get your son or daughter on a schedule, and put structure in all you lives, to keep their minds and bodies active throughout the day," Grandin said.

"That schedule will help an autistic child stay focused and on task."

Set a Schedule:

"Routines, schedules and figuring out what helps cope. First, you need to make a new routine.  You convey to your children that they are going to get up and get ready for school,just like we always have, even though we are doing it at home. "

A visual schedule or a written schedule can help keep children with ASD feel safe, supported and prepared for the day.

Lack of routine and structure leave them feeling anxious.

7 Tips for Teaching a Struggling Learner

TIPS FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS

There are very specific teaching methods you can use to help your struggling learner succeed.

Online learning presents a different set of challenges but the fundamental, evidence-based strategies still apply in this forum.

1. Teach Through "Direct Instruction"

Direct Instruction is a proven method in which the student is taught exactly what he needs to learn. 

The information is presented very clearly through well-tested materials that rule out the possibility of misinterpretation and confusion.

The next is important step is to show the student exactly how to apply the information too.

2. Choose an Incremental Approach to Lessons

As teacher we are very familiar with the content of our subjects. We may take for granted that the child has some existing knowledge or some frame of reference to draw from when we teach. The life experiences of our students could be quite different from ours so we need to start lessons with the most basic skills and gradually move up to more advanced skills. 

Each lesson builds upon previously mastered material and gradually increases in difficulty.

Allow your student to learn one new piece of knowledge at a time in a well-though out, logical sequence.

3. Understand the Importance of Multisensory Learning

Multipsensory learning happens with sight, sound and touch are used to learning new information.

When a student can:

• see - e.g. photo, picture, mind map, video; 
• hear - e.g. audio track, rap, song, explanation, simplify language, repeat sentences, give children time to respond and read; 
• lastly touch - e.g. do, experience;

it is easier for them to retain the new information.

4. Teach Just One Concept at a Time

When you dump too much information into your student's mental "funnel", your student's memory can only attend to a certain amount of new information. 

Teaching one concept at a time respects the limitations of your child's short-term memory and allows concepts to be more easily stored in long-term memory.

That means more significant learning can occur.

5. Make Review a Priority

Consistent review is the key to getting information to 'stick'. 

Teaching something once or twice does not mean your student has actually mastered it. Mastery takes time and practice.

6. Keep Lessons Short but Frequent

Short, frequent lessons are much better than long, sporadic lessons. In a short lesson, your student's attention is less likely to wander, and you'll find that you can actually accomplish more. \

Start with 30 minutes per day for 5 days a week. You can adjust the length of the lessons up or down according to your individual student's attention span and specific needs

7. Recognise the Power of Encouraging Words

In the ups and downs of the daily grind the power of encouraging words is all up to you!

Taken from and adapted

https://blog.allaboutlearningpress.com/struggling-learner/