Adjustments for students with an autism spectrum disorder
Students with Disabilities - Autism Spectrum Disorder contains information regarding characteristics of students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
- Consider ways of incorporating the students specific interests into the Essential Learnings you intend to cover. For example, including forms of transport into a design unit in technology.
- Provide warning of any changes to routines where possible, as changes such as a familiar staff member being absent, or a different location for an activity can prove to be stressful.
- Plan with others - speech language pathologists, therapists, AVTs, special education staff, year level teams, subject area teams, to incorporate the priorities for the student.
- Consider the IEP (individual education plan), as a way of prioritising the adjustments needed for the student to access the curriculum in the context of your classroom. For example, a communication goal could be for the student to ask for help from peers as well as the teacher.
- Plan for breaks during the day as an opportunity to reduce stress - perhaps a visit to another classroom or support person.
- Plan to directly teach the routines and structures of the school and classroom.
- Some students with an autism spectrum disorder find handwriting stressful and difficult. Plan to use word-processing technology in these instances.
- Plan access to rewarding activities during the day - complete an interest inventory to determine what might work for your students.
- Consider teamwork for task completion, with a range of responsibilities within the student team. For example, recorder, designer, encourager, researcher, explainer, speaker.
- Instruction (as opposed to practice) can be delivered within a small group not just a whole class.
- Provide students with an outline of what is to be learnt, with a focus on key concepts and opportunities to practise in a number of ways.
- Teach the use of organisers such as colour coding, pictorial labels, visual timetables and sequences, now/later charts.
- Reduce the amount and complexity of materials and text where appropriate.
- Break tasks into smaller, achievable steps.
- Increase the opportunities to practise new skills and concepts - teaching a younger child, demonstrate to adults in the school, practising on the computer with a peer.
- Use available human resources - peer tutoring, teacher aides, teachers, therapy services.
- Teach other class members to use communication devices if needed for the student.
- Directly teach routines and expectations of behaviour.
- Use class meetings to problem-solve, and to explore concepts such as 'fairness'.
- Celebrate successes, however small they may appear to those who are unfamiliar with them.
- Provide additional modelling and concrete examples.
- Do not assume that an otherwise able student can comprehend spoken instructions and act upon them. Provide visual reminders, gestural cues and smaller steps.
- Teach the students to use diaries and checklists to support sequencing and completing tasks.
- Consider exempting the student from subjects which may prove to be stressful such as music, sport, and assembly.
- Check for understanding of the task.
- Use technology to record students work; e.g. digital photography, tape and video.
- Collect annotated work samples over time.
- Use team assessment.
- Have expectations of quality at an appropriate level, rather than quantity.
- Use one-to-one conferences.
- Compare with personal progress, rather than the year level, where appropriate.
- Use clear examples of assessment materials, and allow students to look at these whilst they are completing assessment tasks.
- Use peer assessment.
- Clearly identify assessment goals before beginning a unit of work, and allow students some capacity to negotiate some aspects of criterion-based assessments.
- Use alternative ways of demonstrating competency, for example through oral responses instead of written.
- Organise for additional breaks and extra time, if required.
- Use visual supports to support comprehension of assessment tasks.
Information about reporting for all students can be found at the Guidelines for Reporting Student Achievement (new window) [an error occurred while processing this directive] 
which are part of the P-12 Framework.
- Ask the student and parents/carers to describe anything that may be distressing in the environment - dietary, noise, smell, light levels, crowds, and mange where possible.
- Provide space to enable work with concrete materials.
- Consider incorporating a visible outside or wet area learning space.
- Personalise learning spaces with pictorial sequences, rule reminders, labels.
- Provide space for students to work quietly with an adult volunteer or aide.
- Provide a chill out zone for de-stressing, or headphones during noisy periods.
- Seek alternatives for the playground if this environment is problematic - supervised play, quiet space in the resource centre.
- Provide a range of sources of the information such as readers, magazines, posters, tapes and videos at various levels.
- Explore options to gain copies of relevant materials from other year levels such as maths sheets.
- Use computers to provide additional practice of concepts and skills.
- Borrow from the AVT, or a nearby special education facility.
- Create resources with symbol/visual support - using specialised software or digital photos.
- Use peers, volunteers, buddies, co-teaching strategies and specialists.
- Set up a chill-out area with preferred items such as Lego, reading materials, music with headphones, or complex puzzles.
- Use student surveys to establish learning preferences.
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