SIX-STEP PLAN
Following the six-step plan, which is detailed below, will help prepare you to support a child with Asperger Syndrome in your classroom and foster an inclusive learning environment. The six steps are simple and highly flexible — think of them as continuing and often concurrent actions.
Note: The steps are outlined first with links to more detailed discussion. To read the most complete version, please view the Educator’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome.
Step 1: Educate Yourself
People with Asperger Syndrome exhibit a variety of behaviors. Learning about Asperger Syndrome and how it specifically affects your student will help you effectively manage these behaviors. Here are some helpful hints for teachers:
- Operate on “Asperger time.” This means, “Twice as much time, half as much done.” Students with Asperger Syndrome often need additional time to complete assignments, gather materials, and orient themselves during transitions.
- Manage the environment. Any change can increase anxiety for a student with Asperger Syndrome. Make an effort to provide schedule consistency and avoid sudden changes.
- Create a balanced agenda. Consider creating a visual schedule that includes daily activities for students with Asperger Syndrome. Monitor and restructure the schedule as needed.
- Share the agenda. Students with Asperger Syndrome have difficulty distinguishing between information that is essential and information that is not. In addition, they often do not remember information that others acquire from past experiences or that come as “common sense.” Thus, it is important to state the obvious and “live out loud.” This will help your student understand the meaning behind your actions.
- Simplify language. Keep your language simple and concise, and speak at a slow, deliberate pace. Students with Asperger Syndrome to have difficulty “reading between the lines,” understanding abstract concepts like sarcasm, or interpreting facial expressions. Be clear and specific when providing instructions.
- Manage change of plans. Make sure that your student with Asperger Syndrome understands that sometimes planned activities can be changed, canceled, or rescheduled. Have backup plans and share them with your student in advance. Prepare them for change whenever possible; tell them about assemblies, fire drills, guest speakers, and testing schedules. Recurring transitions, such as vacations and the beginning and end of the school year, may cause anxiety.
- Provide reassurance. Because students with Asperger Syndrome cannot predict upcoming events, they are often unsure what to do. Provide feedback and reassurance frequently so that the student knows he or she is moving in the right direction or completing the correct task. Use frequent check-ins to monitor student progress and stress.
- Be generous with praise. Find opportunities throughout the day to tell your student with Asperger Syndrome what he or she did right. Compliment both successes and worthy attempts at success. Be specific with your words so that your student knows why you are providing praise.
Step 2: Reach Out to the Parents
The parents of your student with Asperger Syndrome are your first and best source of information about their child; they can provide you with information about their child’s behavior and daily activities. Ideally, this partnership will begin with meetings before the school year. After that, it is critical to establish mutually agreed-upon modes and patterns of communication with the family throughout the school year.
Step 3: Prepare the Classroom
Having learned about the individual sensitivities and characteristics of your student with Asperger Syndrome, you now have the information you need to organize your classroom appropriately. You can manipulate the physical aspects of your classroom, making it more comfortable forchildren with Asperger Syndrome without sacrificing your plans for the entire class. The Educator’s Guide to Asperger Syndrome contains information about specific approaches for structuring the academic and physical environment to address your students’ needs.
Step 4: Educate Peers and Promote Social Goals
Children with Asperger Syndrome have social deficits that make it difficult for them to establish friendships. However, with appropriate assistance, they can engage with peers and establish mutually enjoyable and lasting relationships.
The characteristics of Asperger Syndrome can cause peers to perceive a child with the disorder as “strange” or “different.” Children with Asperger Syndrome are more likely than their typically developing classmates to be the victims of teasing and bullying, and often cannot discriminate between playful versus mean-spirited interactions. Teachers and school staff must be aware that students with Asperger Syndrome are potentially prime targets, and they must watch for signs.
Research shows that typically developing peers have more positive attitudes, increased understanding, and greater acceptance of children with Asperger Syndrome when provided with clear, accurate, and straightforward information about the disorder. Thus, educating students about the common traits and behaviors of children with Asperger Syndrome can lead to more positive social interactions between your student and his or her peers.
Many social interactions occur during unstructured times in settings outside the classroom, where students with Asperger Syndrome may end up being isolated. You may want to create a “circle of friends,” or a rotating group of responsible peer buddies for the student with Asperger Syndrome; they will not abandon him or her, serve as a model of appropriate social behavior, and protect against teasing or bullying. This strategy should also be considered for use outside of school.
Step 5: Collaborate on the Educational Program Development.
You can read about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) on our Web site.
Step 6: Manage Behavioral Challenges
School is a stressful environment. Common academic and social situations may create extreme stress for students with Asperger Syndrome. These stressors may include: difficulty predicting events because of changing schedules, tuning into teachers’ directions and understanding them, interacting with peers, anticipating change, and structural items such as classroom lighting, sounds, noises, odors, etc.