

Educational Needs of Autistic StudentsĬonsidering the above-mentioned difficulties, children with autism have special educational needs that must be met by parents, tutors, and/or teachers, so the child can develop optimally and be able to keep up with demanding subjects like math.ĭepending on the severity of the condition, the child can be included in mainstream classroom settings or follow a special educational program.
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The trial-and-error approach is inevitable as everyone is unique and you’ll have to be patient while learning how to adjust the environment for your child. Colorful clothes with illustrations, bright lights, or sounds and smells can easily irritate autistic kids. It’s not because they’re not interested in the topic, but they’re really sensitive to distractions. Teaching math to students with autism is a difficult task also because most autistic children have a hard time following instructions and paying attention to lectures. Work with professionals and try different approaches to help your child improve their nonverbal communication and build close relationships with the people in their life. Direct eye contact and common gestures (like waving goodbye) are crucial for developing social skills and emotional maturity. While most programs focus on practices for overcoming difficulties in verbal communication, you shouldn’t overlook emotional development and body language. Difficulties With Nonverbal CommunicationĬommunication in general is a major concern in kids with autism. To overcome this issue, which can seriously affect further knowledge integration, you need to intervene early, talk to specialists, and create a personalized therapy or special education program. Speech is one of the main ways in which children with autism fail to integrate into a typical classroom where education is verbally dependent.

On the other hand, they might have trouble seeing the big picture and summarizing their own ideas. It might take a while, but this fixation can help kids develop advanced skills in certain subjects, like music or math. Fixation on Specific ActivitiesĬhildren with autism usually fixate their attention on one activity to a point where they don’t even perceive their surroundings. Once you understand these characteristics better, you can also identify the unique strengths and find out how to use them when teaching math to students with autism. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in which autism affects learning. It’s important to remember that most kids with autism have average or above-average intelligence, even though they can experience severe learning difficulties. Many of the symptoms above can already give you a basic idea of how ASD (autism spectrum disorder) impacts the learning process. Characteristics of ASD That Impact Learning If you suspect your child might be autistic, please, talk to a medical professional. While these are some of the most common symptoms, there are so many other behaviors associated with autism.

Fixation on certain activities (reacting negatively to changes).Not using common gestures or other characteristic body movements.Not recognizing sarcasm or figures of speech (taking things literally).Not wanting to play with other children.Unusual facial expressions and body posture.The reason for this is because autism is affected by both genetics and environmental factors. These symptoms or characteristics can be grouped as difficulties with social skills, learning skills, speech, behavioral, and cognitive impairments.Įven though this might seem vague, you should keep in mind that most children exhibit a unique clinical picture and diagnosis should, without exception, be done by a medical professional. How Is Autism Defined?Īutism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is really hard to define precisely, as the term includes a broad range of conditions that share the same symptoms. Keep reading to find out how to turn a challenging math lesson into a success story. The important thing is to know that you’re not alone and all the fear and frustration you might feel at the beginning can easily be overcome. In this article, we’ll discuss the fundamental characteristics of autism spectrum disorder and the strategies for teaching autistic students basic math skills. While only you alone can work on the first three elements, we can help you with the last one. As a teacher or a homeschool parent, you’ll need patience, practice, time, and guidance. Most children can learn the basics, with a little help. Although teaching math to students with autism is not an easy task, it’s definitely achievable. It’s easy to underestimate kids with autism when it comes to learning math skills that most children struggle with.
