11 Important Tips for Teaching Students with Autism

Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that typically impacts the social aspects of behavior, such as communication. It’s a highly prevalent disorder affecting 1 in every 54 children (NIMH, 2016). However, the most concerning fact is that the condition becomes more prevalent over the years, which means that effectively teaching students with autism becomes a vital skill for all educators. 

In the classroom, students with autism can be identified by a number of behaviors, such as difficulty communicating and interacting with classmates, having trouble following instructions, manifesting repetitive behavior, and showing no interest in many activities. The most common distinction is a cluster of behaviors known as stimming – flapping their hands, rocking back and forth, spinning, etc. You can learn more about the diagnostic criteria in the NIMH’s article about autism in general. Here, we’ll talk about the next steps! 

Once you identify a student with autism and you have an official diagnosis, what then? It can be really overwhelming for teachers and homeschooling parents to integrate students with autism into a mainstream classroom and provide the right conditions for optimal development. 

For these reasons, in this article, we’ll share some tips that all teachers and homeschooling parents should consider when teaching students with autism. 

Tips for Teaching Students with Autism

Based on the characteristics of ASD and the educational needs of students with autism (explained in detail in our article “Teaching Math to Students with Autism”), we’ve created a list with tips that can be applied in every classroom or a homeschooling environment, regardless of the subject. 

Create Classroom Routines

The first consideration when teaching students with autism is that they hate frequent and sudden changes. They also don’t react well to distractions and new assignments once they already start doing something. Of course, every individual will be different (the most important thing to remember), but generally, creating a routine that all students can follow and feel comfortable with is a great way to make students with autism feel better and safer. 

Since most students with autism rely on rules and routines to keep the environment predictable, there are many benefits when educators successfully apply them in various settings and situations. Routines will help students with autism to engage and complete assignments more successfully, reduce problematic behavior that arises when students feel threatened, and save time as they’ll quickly develop a habit of doing things in a certain way. 

Create Detailed Schedules in Advance

In the same line of reasoning as with the advice of creating routines, teachers can also create and publish schedules way in advance – a monthly or weekly schedule is a good idea. This way, kids can be familiar and expect what’s coming next. 

Just as with rules and routines, following strict schedules gives students with autism a sense of familiarity. They know what comes next, so they can prepare and even practice it if necessary. Parents can also help prepare students with autism for their assignments in the following week. All this can reduce,or even completely prevent problematic behavior such as stimming. 

Give Detailed Verbal and Visual Instructions

Students with autism can sometimes seem too involved in their own world as it’s hard for them to shift the attention back and forth when doing something. Because of this, they might ignore new instructions or get nervous when they hear that someone is trying to capture their attention.

To prevent this, teachers should find a good strategy for delivering instructions. Every student with autism is different, which means that one recipe won’t work equally well for all, but the general recommendation is for teachers to implement both visual and verbal instructions. 

Make sure that you leave a separate sheet with visual instructions on how the assignment should be executed, or print them on top of the sheet they’re working on. Also, dedicate more time, in the beginning, explaining all the steps of the assignment from start to finish. Then, repeat the first step and ask students to begin with the assignment. Give warnings and repeat the second step a few minutes before the time runs out. 

Use Warning Words Before Changes

When it comes to giving warnings, we decided to make it a separate paragraph as it’s really important and effective as well! It’s also based on the findings that students with autism don’t react well to sudden changes in their activities. 

Teachers and homeschooling parents should make a habit of narrating their actions before or as they do them. “I’m almost done coloring this object and in two minutes I’ll place my pencils in the box….Okay, in a few moments I’ll put my pencils in the box..” 

Even if they don’t respond to such narratives, students with autism usually find it comforting when they expect the change, whether it’s to start a new activity or to finish one. 

This technique of counting down until something happens can be applied to many different activities and situations. For example, teachers can start warning students that the bell will ring 5 minutes before the bell actually rings so it doesn’t scare or disturb students with autism. 

Another type of warning word is when teachers and parents use a word to signal that something is about to happen. For instance, the word “listen” can signal a listening activity. For a word to become a signal, teachers and parents should work together and learn how to establish conditioned reinforcers while teaching students with autism. 

Use Concrete Language

Keep your language simple and straightforward. Several studies have found that auditory processing in students on the autism spectrum is a little bit different (Connor, 2012). 

For students with autism, it’s more difficult to integrate and interpret auditory language than other students. This is also the reason why they benefit when teachers repeat instructions and provide visual cues. In addition to this, teachers and parents should be more attentive to the way they formulate their sentences. Saying “The weather is so beautiful today! Let’s use that and have an outdoor lesson!” implies that the teacher wants the students to grab their notebooks and follow them outside, but it’s not explicitly stated. While other students might not have problems grasping the implied meaning, for students with autism it’s better to say “Okay kids, grab your notebooks and a pen, then follow me! We’re going outside!”

Avoid Sensory Overload

One of the most evident differences in information processing between students with typical development and autism is that the latter have heightened senses. Children with autism are very sensitive to sensory stimuli because it seems that some (not all) have more responsive brains. Basically, it means that they perceive and sense the things around them much more intensely. 

A team from UCLA made a study where children between the ages of 9 to 17 with autism (over-responsive and not) and typical development were exposed to sensory stimuli while their brain was imaged. They found that participants with autism and sensory over-responsivity had stronger brain activity in different areas including the amygdala – the center for attention and fear processing. 

Based on these findings, it’s important to keep sensory stimuli balanced when teaching students with autism. You should avoid loud and abrupt sounds, touches that are not anticipated, bright or intense colors, etc. 

Use Sensory Tools for Students with Autism

Perceiving the world more deeply and intensely is not a bad thing. Yes, most of the time it’s overwhelming considering that most sensory stimuli are optimized for individuals with typical development. However, now that researchers have better insight into how students with autism perceive the world, there are some recommendations and even products that optimize their sensory experience. 

Sensory toys for students with autism represent a perfect example of how we can turn an obstacle into an opportunity. These toys help students with autism relax, calm down, decrease discomfort, and aid the development of social and executive skills.  

Reduce Choices

Another way students with autism might be overwhelmed is with too many alternative choices and information. Just like with sensory stimulations, cognitive overstimulation might happen in some individuals. In fact, overstimulation with information is a common problem in the digital era and even children with typical development are seriously affected, let alone students with autism that might be more sensitive. 

For these reasons, ask open questions or two-choice questions instead of tricky and multiple-choice questions that are similarly formulated. This way, you’ll promote reproduction instead of mere recognition and allow students to express themselves freely and creatively. 

Use Technology

Technological advancements have improved the quality of our lives significantly. The same can be said about students with developmental disorders. Thanks to technological advancements, we have insight into their world and can manipulate our environment to better fit their educational and personal needs. 

A good example of such improvements is the Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology – a specific type of assistive technology tool that supports students with autism. It helps them gain independence, communicate better with people in their surroundings, and improve social skills. 

Learn more about the different types of assistive technology and try to think of ways how you can incorporate such technology in the classroom. If this is still not available in your school, you can also start an initiative and improve the resources available that significantly impact the academic performance of students with autism. 

Teach Specific and Social Skills

Yet another way teachers and parents can help students with autism is by teaching them specific skills instead of only theoretical knowledge or facts. 

We’re not saying that you should completely replace facts and theoretical knowledge with practical skills. By focusing more on actions, habits, behavior management, organizational skills, planning, etc, you’ll be giving students with autism a valuable tool that they can use later in life to normally function in social settings and professional environments. 

Apply These Modifications to All the Students

Finally, the last tip we’ll give you when teaching students with autism is whatever you decide to implement, make sure you apply it to all students. The worst feeling ever is when someone realizes they’re treated differently than the rest. At the moment, the benefits of such interaction turn into negative consequences that affect the students’ self-esteem, confidence, and sense of belonging. 

Plus, other kids will also benefit from hearing the instructions again, being warned before the bell rings, or having more diverse toys to play with. 

Before You Leave

We’ve celebrated World Autism Day not too long ago, but spreading awareness and learning about autism is a continuous journey for all teachers and parents. We hope that our article will provide insights and useful advice for educators wanting to improve their teaching practices by making them more inclusive. 

However, if you want to continue learning about this topic, our article on Strategies for Teaching Special Needs Students is probably the best way to proceed. And, if you need teaching resources that you can actually use in the classroom, head over to our growing library of interactive worksheets! 

Finally, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter and follow our blog, because we have new resourceful articles coming up soon based on topics such as this one.