Making Music Inclusive in the Secondary School (booklet)

Autism Spectrum Disorders (2011)


Contents

Types of Autism Spectrum Disorders…………………………2

Changes………………………………………………………………………3

Visiting Musicians…………………………………………………………3

Structure………………………………………………………………………3

Clarity…………………………………………………………………………3

Group Work…………………………………………………………………4

Describing Emotions / Images……………………………………4

Sounds…………………………………………………………………………4

Behaviour……………………………………………………………………5

Evaluating……………………………………………………………………5

Useful Information………………………………………………………6

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are developmental disorders which effect the child socially. They tend to prefer their own company which can isolate them from everyone else.

Autism

Children with autism are affected in three ways:

·         Social interaction

·         Social imagination

·         Communication

·        

They may:

·         Be less verbal than other children

·         Enjoy repetition

·         Prefer clear routines

·         Appear unresponsive

·         Lack awareness of dangers (i.e. running across roads without looking)

High-Functioning Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome

Children with high-functioning autism or Asperger’s Syndrome are also affected by social interaction, social imagination and communication.

They also tend to:

·         Love routines

·         Be very clever

·         Have an obsessive interest (hobby)

·         Enjoy repetitive movements

·         Take comments and jokes literally

Changes

Changes can upset children with ASD so tell the class if there is a change:

·         Of room

·         In the layout of the room

·         Of time

·         In how they are to enter the room

·         If there will be another adult in the class

Visiting Musicians

Meeting new people is hard for children with ASD and they may take a while to trust them.

The child may not like the visitor because they are new so it is important to have someone they know in the room and possibly working alongside the visitor.

Structure

Children with ASD love structures and plans. It also can help them understand why something is being done.

To help them understand the lesson more:

·         Write the structure of the whole lesson on the board

·         Give time slots for each section

Clarity

Make sure the class knows:

·         What they are doing in the lesson

·         What they need to do to complete the task

Break the information down and make sure that everyone understands it.

Give a chance during the lesson for students to ask again if necessary.

Check what they are doing to make sure they understand.

Group Work

To make sure the child is not excluded in the group set ground rules like:

Everyone gets a chance to talk

Each person must come up with their own part

No shouting

These rules can be applied for all types of group work.

Doing a short version of the task as a whole class can help get ideas going.

Describing Emotions / Imagery

Describing emotions or creating images from sounds is very difficult for children with ASD.

To make this easier:

·         Use a symbol sheet instead of writing (like circles to draw faces in)

·         Give a few suggestions beforehand

·         Work in groups to come up with ideas

Sounds

Children with ASD can be sensitive to sounds and dislike sounds which are:

Loud

Sudden

High-pitched

Vibrating (like amps and speakers)

There may be others not on this list which may upset the child. Also the child may be upset by other senses such as strong smells, rough surfaces etc.

Behaviour

The child might show challenging behaviour if:

·         The work is too easy

·         The work is too hard

·         There is an unpredicted change

·         The social interaction is too much

·         There are unbearable noises (i.e. too loud)

·         They cannot understand something

·         They are upset

Challenging behaviour is a way of communicating. There can be a number of reasons for this, some examples are listed above. Liaising with staff who know the pupil well can be helpful to identify any behaviour triggers. Managing these triggers should help reduce any challenging behaviour and making a note of what effects the child most will be a useful reference for yourself and other members of staff in the future.

Evaluating

Evaluating is very hard for anyone with ASD so:

·         Break the question down into smaller, easier questions

·         Ask the obvious because not everyone thinks the same

Useful Information

National Autistic Society: www.autism.org.uk

Autism Helpline: 08450704004

          Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm

Autism Education Trust: www.autismeducationtrust.org.uk

Support Worker

Name: ________________________________

Email: ________________________________

Phone: ________________________________