Teaching Children with Autism 2

Continued from here

Step 6: Manage Behavioral Challenges

For students with autism, problem behaviors may be triggered for a variety of reasons. Such behaviors may include temper tantrums, running about the room, loud vocalizations, self-injurious activities, or other disruptive or distracting behaviors.

Because children with autism
often have difficulties communicating in socially acceptable ways, they may act out when they are confused or fearful about something.

Your first challenge is to decipher the cause, or function, of a particular behavior. Look for patterns in these behaviors such as when they do, or do not, consistently occur. Communicating with families and other team members, and observing the behavior in the context in which it occurs, will be an essential part of learning the function of a specific behavior.

It’s important to use consistent, positive behavioral reinforcement techniques to promote pro-social behaviors for children with autism. This process involves
providing reasonable alternatives to undesirable behaviors.

Teachers may choose to ignore other negative behaviors or give predetermined consequences. The key is to be consistent with how you react to the behaviors over time, and to use as many positive strategies as possible to promote more desirable behaviors.

As you follow these steps and learn more about children with autism, you will become a mentor to other educators when they face similar challenges for the first time. Your curiosity will fuel your education about autism, and your communication skills will help you create a meaningful alliance with parents.

Most of all, you will be able to effectively collaborate with a team that will support a child with autism throughout the
course of the school year. Your patience, kindness, and professionalism will make a difference in the lives of all
your students.

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Courtesy: www.researchautism.org

Teaching Children with Autism 1

Your classroom is already a diverse place. With the rising inclusion of students with autism in general education settings, the challenges associated with managing a classroom will grow.

This section outlines a simple and highly flexible six-step plan you and your teaching team can use to prepare for the inclusion of a child with autism in your classroom.

Step 1: Educate Yourself

You must have a working understanding of autism and what that means for your students. Sometimes children with autism may behave in inappropriate or disruptive ways, but their behaviors are more related to their autism than they are deliberate, disrespectful acts.

Learning about autism and about how it specifically affects your student is the first step to success. Your education about autism will evolve as your
relationship with your student and their family develops; your knowledge about the disorder and skills in dealing with its impact on the classroom will also continue to grow.

Maintaining an open attitude to learning and working closely with the parents and school team will help you (and your student) succeed in the long term.

Step 2: Reach Out to the Parents

Parents are your first and best source of information
about their child. Step two is all about establishing a
working partnership with the families of the students
you serve. Not only will you meet before the school year
begins, but it is critical to establish methods and
patterns of communication for which there is mutual
agreement.
Building trust with parents is essential. Communication
with families about the progress of the student should
be ongoing. While the information you exchange may
often focus on current classroom challenges, strategies
employed, and ideas for alternative solutions, do not
forget to include positive feedback about
accomplishments and milestones reached.

Step 3: Prepare the Classroom

There are ways you can accommodate some of the needs of students with autism in your classroom that will enhance their opportunity to learn without sacrificing your plans for rest of the class.

Of course, there are practical limitations on how much you can modify the physical characteristics of your classroom, but even a few modifications to support a child with autism can have remarkable results for everyone.

Step 4: Educate Peers and Promote Social Goals

You must make every effort to promote acceptance of a student with autism as a full member and integral part of the class, even if that student only attends class for a few hours each week. As a teacher, you must create a social environment that encourages positive interactions between the student with autism and his or her typically developing peers throughout the day.

Children with autism, by definition, have difficulties with social skill development and understanding language and social cues. With appropriate assistance, however, children with autism can engage with peers and establish mutually enjoyable and lasting interpersonal relationships.

Research shows that typically developing children have more positive attitudes, increased understanding, and greater acceptance of their peers with autism when provided with clear, accurate, and straightforward information about the disorder. Assuming there are no
restrictions on disclosing that your student has autism, educating your class about autism and how it can affect their classmate can be an effective way to increase positive, social interactions between the child with autism and his classroom peers.

Remember that many social interactions occur in settings outside the classroom. Without prior planning and extra help, students with autism may end up isolated during these unstructured times.

You may want to create a “circle of friends,” or a rotating group of
responsible peer buddies for the student with autism; 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.

Read more about Autism here

Courtesy: www.researchautism.org

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Our Online Learning is qualitative says OAU

After matriculating students into the New Online Distance learning, Authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University have assured their online distance-learning students of quality academic delivery.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bamitale Omole, gave the assurance during the matriculation of pioneer students of the Online Distance Learning Programme.

The university’s Centre for Distance Learning runs the programme, which at present offers degree courses in Accounting and Nursing. Omole, who urged the students to be committed to
their studies, noted that their certificates would not be inferior to those obtained via the conventional approach.

He said, “You have the singular honour of being the first set of students in our eLearning programme. I congratulate you on being pioneers of the eLearning revolution in the country. “I want to assure you that distant learning mode of
admission does not imply in any way inferiority in status, compared to our conventional students either in terms of lecture delivery or of the certificates you
receive at the end of your programmes.

“Our university guards jealously the integrity of its degrees and diplomas whether obtained in the conventional or distance learning mode. Hence, your
various curricula have gone through the usual high standards of excellence of the university Senate for which OAU is well known.”

The OAUCDL Director, Prof. Bode Asubiojo, also promised that the centre would continue to provide quality education in line with the university’s tradition. Asubiojo said, “Our primary charge at the centre is to provide quality education to the teeming number of Nigerian youths who possess the prerequisite qualifications for entry to universities but are denied admission owing to inadequate facilities on campus.

“It also targets the working class who are desirous of pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate programmes while retaining their jobs. The Online Distance Learning programme allows us to deliver on this objective.” Asubiojo, who said the programme had already received the National Universities Commission’s accreditation, noted that its students use customised study tablets (Vigitabs) for learning.

He added, “This development is the first of its kind in Nigeria and we are pleased with it. We have replicated the classroom experience on a tablet device for
students. For the first time, students can receive lectures, submit assignments, participate in forums, take quizzes and even rewind their lecturers, all from the comfort of their homes, offices or wherever they may be in Nigeria or abroad.”

For more info kindly visit: www.oaucdl.edu.ng

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Ondo State Education managers gets Training

The Ondo State Government has commenced the training for education managers as part of the process of enhancing capacity for the implementation of the revised nine-year Basic Education Curriculum in the state.

The review is in response to the current demand of the education system that focuses on the development of human capital to meet the present and future challenges of the society.

Commissioner for Education, Mr. Jide Adejuyigbe, while addressing the participants in Akure, said the need to transform the economy through  sustained educational empowerment of the people informed the decision.

Adejuyigbe said, “The focus of education system all over the world is the development of the human capital required to meet present and future challenges of the society.

“Hence, the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy recognised that Nigeria’s economy could only be transformed and sustained through education that empowers the people.”

He said the training was to position the state to launch education to the next level for quality education delivery and move the sector forward for sustainable development.

According to Adejuyigbe, BEC has the objective of realigning curriculum contents at the primary and junior secondary school levels for continuity.

The curriculum, he added, was to redefine the philosophy of basic education and curriculum contents with a view to addressing emerging issues of values environment, health and technology.

“Viable and credible education system must continuously respond to global and local challenges as well as the peculiarities of individual nations.

“It was on this basis that the National Council on Education directed the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council to revise and restructure the nine-year BEC into 10 teachable, functional and practical oriented subjects, to eliminate redundancy without compromising the quality of education received by learners in consonance with the nation’s transformational agenda,” he said.

Sporting Activities helps Children

The Director of the Taqwa Private Schools, Lagos, Alhaja Mariam Alimi, has asked parents to allow their children to participate in sporting competition, saying it is good for their mental and physical development.

Alimi spoke at the sixth inter house sports of the school held at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on Thursday 12th of February 2015.

According to her, apart from building the children physically, such competition prepares them for challenges ahead.

She said, “Sports help to build mentally and physically and that is why I encourage parents to help build their children’s interest in sport. We also discover talents in our children through sports and this helps to build their future.”

The administrator, while stating this also urged the government and school owners to provide sporting facilities in schools.

She added, “Sports play an important role in the lives of the children and events like inter house sports showcase talents in the pupils.

We hope to have a private mini stadium soon.’ The institution’s Board of Governors Chairman, Sikiru Alimi, explained that parents should not force their children to choose a particular profession.

He added, “Encourage your children in exhibiting their talents in sports and other areas of life. Again, there is no need to force children into choosing a particular profession.

“We participated and won the Lagos State Table Tennis ‘Talent Hunt’ in 2014 and won the first edition of the Dansol High School Soccer Competition, so we are bent to showcase the school as a place where all round education is given.”

Courtesy: www.punchng.com