Supporting Students with Autism and/or ADHD

Course description

When teaching students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), an effective educational program will offer a predictable schedule, teach tasks as a series of simple steps, actively engage the student’s attention in highly structured activities, and provide regular reinforcement of behavior.

Designing such educational programs follows specific steps and conditions in order to engage students within every classroom and support them accordingly.

Therefore this course has been designed to help you effectively support students with ASD.

You will learn to recognize and understand the traits and learning styles of students with ASD, apply specific teaching methods and classroom strategies for students with ASD in the classroom to support communication, social interaction, and positive behavior, become familiar with the fundamental core strategies of the TEACCH approach, the basic principles of PECS and Makaton signs and get acquainted with assistive technology.

By the end of the course, you will have acquired high-quality, well-implemented behavior and communication supporting plans that can be highly effective in promoting positive behavioral and social communication growth not only for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, but also for students with various educational needs, eg. students with learning disabilities, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Course structure

This self-paced course is divided into three separate modules; from theory to practical applications.

Topic 1: What is the nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder? (6 activities)

1.1 Autism Spectrum Disorder: What do we know so far?
1.1.1 How easy is to define Autism Spectrum Disorder? (1 activity)
1.1.2 Contemporary Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals (1 activity)
1.2 The prevalence of ASD (1 activity)
1.3 Recognizing traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder in a School Environment (2 activities)
1.4 General Educational Characteristics (1 activity)
1.5 The first module includes a useful theoretical presentation which is necessary before one begins to “understand” students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Six activities and several videos are included in order to further examine the theories discussed.

The first module includes a useful theoretical presentation which is necessary before one begins to “understand” students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Six activities and several videos are included in order to go beyond the provided theory by reflecting.

Topic 2: Fundamental Principles, Techniques and Procedures to Teach Students with ASD (10 activities)

2.1. Are you aware of the basic methods while teaching ASD students? (1 activity)
2.2. Before we proceed with ABA let’s have a look at the ABC’s of Behavior (2 activities)
2.3. Applied Behavior Analysis
2.4. Commonly used ABA-based techniques and procedures for students with ASD
2.4.1. Antecedent-Based Intervention (ABI) (2 activities)
2.4.2. Chaining, Modelling & Token economies (2 activities)
2.4.3. Additional effective ABA-based techniques and procedures for students with ASD (Differential reinforcement and Discrete trial training) (3 activities)

In this module, you will become accustomed to major educational principles and procedures that can be implemented in all educational settings. In addition, specific teaching techniques are analyzed to boost communication, social interaction, and positive behavior in your class.

Topic 3: Fundamental Programs for students with ASD (5 activities)

3.1.The Picture Exchange Communication System/ PECS (2 activities)
3.2. The TEACCH Autism Program
3.3. Relaxation corners – Sensory rooms (1 activity)
3.4. What is a Social Story?
3.5. High-Tech Assistive Technology (2 activities)

In this Module, you will learn basic elements of well-known programs and useful methods for teaching students with ASD. You will learn, reflect and revise fundamental theory and practice that will upgrade your training skills.