Behavior Strategies for Teaching Children With Autism

Autism is a group of developmental problems technically called autism spectrum disorders or ASD. They appear in early childhood, usually around the age of 3. The Mayo Clinic states that it is estimated three to six out of every 1,000 children in the United States have some form of autism. A child exhibiting symptoms of autism will require very specific methods of teaching and learning behavior. It is important to develop strategies to help them learn everyday functions and to cope with their condition.

Problems for Autistic Children

• Problems that occur with autism vary based on the individual and form. Some characteristic challenges for autistic children include language comprehension and expression, social relationships, sensory processing, resistance to change, attention span, and organization.

Physical Structure

• Physical structure is the way we set up and organize the physical environment. Your child and the level of self-control he exhibits will determine part of your strategy regarding physical environment. Higher functioning autistic children may display more need for self-control.

  Design is necessary for all locations in your child's life, specifically home and classroom. This technique involves setting up clear visual and physical boundaries. Children with autism do not typically deal well with open spaces. Use furniture and color markers, such as carpeting squares or tape, to define each space based on what happens there. Include where the space begins and ends with the most direct route to that area defined. An example of this might be color-coded placemats for snacks and meals. Giving your child a color mat for each event involving food tells him this is where you sit to eat and this is what you eat for breakfast. It allows him to associate a color with a daily routine.

First/Then Strategy

• First/then teaching provides organization in the mind of an autistic child and allows them to associate tasks. One example of a first/then strategy is the visual schedule of daily events. A visual schedule will help lessen anxiety by providing structure so that a child can understand what is expected of him. A schedule could include a picture of a homework assignment then a picture of a computer. This tells a child, first you do homework, and then you play on the computer. When developing a visual schedule always include at least two tasks, so a child will understand the concept of sequencing activities.

Visual Organization

• Visual organization is presenting materials and space in a manner that does not overwhelm a child's sensory input and cause anxiety. Storing material for activities in separate containers, for example glue and colored markers would not go together because they have separate purposes. This also works well with things like grooming; combs don't go with toothpaste. Visual organization helps set boundaries of behavior without confusion or frustration.