Strategies

      Not all of these strategies can be put into practice simultaneously, nor are all appropriate to every individual.  As far as possible, maintain good relationships and communication between school, carers and the family; this will ensure that the child knows what is expected of her/him and is secure in a positive environment.

    DO

• use pictorial instruction and physical prompts to ensure that the child succeeds on new tasks
• make eye contact easier for the child by getting down to his/her level when working or playing with the child
• give the child longer to do something you have asked before you repeat what you say or give the answer.  S/he is likely to need longer to process the instruction
• start your instructions with the child's name, as the child with autism often has difficulty in realising that you are addressing your comments and instructions to him/her
• actively teach social as well as cognitive and language skills e.g. teach how to initiate or maintain a conversation by instructing the child where to stand, how to make contact, when to look at the person, what to say, and to wait for the other person to speak
• structure learning experiences very carefully
• teach a whole routine, rather than separate skills to be linked at a later stage - e.g. toilet/wash/dry/coat on
• reward action in a natural "low key" manner
• be aware of the child's favourite activity and use it in sequence as the final task and/or instruction (as long as it is not an all-absorbing activity)
• prepare carefully for new situations, so that children know exactly where they are and what is expected of them
• think ahead for the pupil with autism; talk through and prepare pictorial clues for, a new experience or change of circumstance (a sudden change in timetable can cause a traumatic scene).  Videos can be very useful for this. Some staff who teach children with autism deliberately make changes to the classroom routine and organisation so that the children learn to cope with change
• make use of pattern and routine so that the child feels secure
• record language samples and analyse them for vocabulary and grammatical structure
• revamp stories and rhymes to incorporate new forms of speech pattern, and use new patterns in conversation
• in the event of a tantrum, distract the child by an acceptable means, or leave and ignore the child if s/he is safe
• be aware of the child's current habit or obsession; avoid it if possible or use it as a reward at an appropriate time
• communicate using music; instructions that are sung rather than spoken can be very useful
• try cloze procedure with familiar songs; this tempts a non-talker to fill in the gap without realising that s/he has spoken a word
• encourage the child to copy rhythms using a variety of instruments
• sing and talk using simple rhythms to create a dialogue and effect a response
• liaise with all the adults who are involved (carers, specialists and family) in order to ensure that there is consistent management and to focus training and learning programmes.
  

    Don't

• rely on verbal directions alone
• use unclear, non-contextualised gestures as they may confuse the child
• rely on youngsters with autism to pick up social knowledge simply by exposure to situations
• overwhelm a child with gushing praise or hugs - these may simply alienate her or him.