Helping the child with Autism settle into regular classroom

The ComDEALL (Mumbai) Experience

Deepa Bhat Nair

Speech Therapist specializing in Autism

Purpose of the presentation

• This presentation aims to share lessons we have learnt

• We will also touch upon challenges we face

• Our experience (at Com DEALL Mumbai) is at the preschool level.

Preparing for school

• Familiarize the child with the physical structure of the school and a typical day

• Establish rapport between teacher and child

• Help transfer basic communication skills to the larger groups

• Language for the classroom

• General observations and current challenges

Familiarize the child with the school routine

• Visit the school well before it reopens.

• Click relevant photographs of the school, classroom, teachers, etc. An album is a good talking point to explain to and prepare your child.

• Making a visual schedule of the day will put your child at ease. You would need photographs of various activities on Velcro boards. If the school is not happy about photos, use pictures from the Net or children’s books.

Visual to prepare for the school

Structure of the school day

Help the child toparticipate in the classroom

More sample visuals

Visuals to develop rules of the classroom

Develop language of the play ground

Children who can speak may still need support in new environments

Helping with peer interactions

Sample-visual schedule

Establish rapport between teachers and your child

• It is crucial that your child likes his teachers.

• It would help if teachers can spend even a few minutes every couple of days doing fun stuff—activities like ‘peek a boo’ and ‘tickle’ that build a bond.

• Engineer a bond. Try not to wait for occasions to send a card to the teacher. A natural dialogue would be initiated if your child could take some artwork made specially for the teacher every few days.

Motivate the teacher

• The biggest challenge for parents of children with Autism is letting teachers know how much their child understands.

• It helps if teachers can watch a video recording of the child engaged with the parents. This could include samples of strategies that work and the child performing various academic tasks.

• The teacher’s perception of your child is important. If she sees the child as someone who is capable, even though he can’t demonstrate it to her, she may well be motivated to try.

Teacher language

• If possible, request a teacher who is gentle in her approach.

• A softer voice and more explanations will help the child.

• Teachers may find it challenging to communicate with a child with a communication disorder. Let them know that bombarding him with questions is not a good idea.

• Sing-songs are great with transitions.

Help to transfer basic communication skills to the classroom

• Ensure there are systems in place to satisfy the child’s basic needs.

• It is incorrect to assume that a child who indicates toilet needs at home and at DEALL will do so in school too.

• The child will need help to transfer these skills to a larger set-up.

Basic needs - Toileting

• The child may need a visual aid on the wall.

• If the school does not permit the visual, encourage the teacher to send your child to the toilet at regular intervals.

• The teacher must understand that the child’s behaviour could dip otherwise.

Basic needs - Toileting

• Some children may be reluctant to use the school toilet. The mother may need to accompany the maid initially to settle the child in.

• Constipation can make children very restless and uncomfortable. Be sure to work with your physician and sort this out prior to school. If not, share the information with the teacher.

• Some children verbalise their needs but are either too soft or will just say it in the air (not direct the request to a person). Give them repeated practice for the same.

Basic needs - Break Times

• It is not uncommon to find that the child has not drunk water the entire day. Difficulty with communication could leave him thirsty through the day.

• Some children take too long to eat. When they do not finish with the others, they may have to put the box in without filling their stomach. Work on teaching your child to eat fast.

• Train your child to close his own box and put it in the bag.

Basic needs - Sleep

• Ensure your child is well rested. It may be prudent to skip school if he has not slept well.

• Prior to starting school, seek your physician and OTist’s help to get sleep in schedule.

• Social stories can be useful too.

Social story for sleep issues

Sample social story

Sample social story

Sensory issues and rigidity

• If the child has sensitivities (does not like dirtying hands, staying wet, etc), inform the teacher. Equip her to handle these.

• Sometimes children get upset if they are asked to leave an activity incomplete. This could happen unknowingly, e.g. moving from playtime to class time. This can throw your child off the loop but is easily avoided.

Language to focus on

• Your child will benefit from a lot of practice with the language of the classroom.

• We’ve used photos of teachers and classmates on ice-cream sticks. The child is encouraged to practice the generalization of language. E.g. hello; help me; I want to go to toilet; I don’t want; give me; etc.

• Use a model of the school with puppets to practice the same.

Language to focus on

• Children need a lot of receptive and expressive vocabulary related to feelings.

• While preparing your child for school, ensure there is a lot of parallel talk around feelings.

• Focus on words like happy, sad, angry, excited, nervous, tired and scared.

• Later, add bored and frustrated.

Visuals and parallel talk help with emotions

Rules governing large group behaviour

• It is not uncommon to see the child running in the direction opposite to the one in which the entire class is running.

• The good news, though, is that we have seen children settling into the correct routine. So wait and watch.

• Assemblies and stages can be a challenge. Your child may be standing with his back to the stage.

• Encouraging him to keep looking for the one person who is always in front may help.

• Again, lots of photos and role play are helpful.

Moving to the next higher class

• Be prepared to meet the new set of teachers.

• Do not assume that the previous teacher will educate the new ones.

• If there is a shuffling of children, request that at least a few that your child is comfortable with stay in the same class with your child.

Some general observations

• Typically children take at least a month to settle into the school routine.

• When they are required to handle both school and DEALL, the day is very long for the child.

• It may be prudent to go easy on the intensity of intervention till the child settles into his new routine.

• Often behaviour at DEALL dips. This could be because of fatigue and the frustration of a new environment. At this point, the child needs support and encouragement.

Some general observations

• It is not uncommon to find a child (previously settled at DEALL) getting restless, distracted and sometimes uncooperative in DEALL. This child may be fine in morning school.

• The parents and therapist must understand that this will soon settle down if the child gets the necessary support and encouragement.

• We have also noticed dips in behaviour when the class is preparing for special occasions like annual/sports day, teachers’ day, etc. Disruption of the regular routine of the class can be unsettling for the child.

Some general observations

• Prepare your child for changes in routine. If it is too overwhelming, try to avoid school for a few days.

• Inform the teacher about what is happening.

• Play the same CD/practice at home so the child can also participate.

• On days that children have physical education class in school, they are likely to feel exhausted. They may have more tantrums on such days.

Current challenges

• Our children have met circle time challenges with mixed results. Some have settled in quick; others have taken longer.

• It helps when the school is willing to share the lesson/topic beforehand.

• This does not mean the parent has to teach the child exactly the same things that the teacher will talk about. Else, you run the risk of boredom.

Current challenges

• However, talk around the topic so the child can relate better.