Kopchikova Elena
Psychological and pedagogical support for children with ASD on the basis of an educational organization
« Psychological and pedagogical support for children with ASD on the basis of an educational organization»
I. Introduction
Adoption of the Federal Law "About education in the Russian Federation» and Federal State educational basic general standard education students with disabilities (hereinafter – Standard) guarantees the possibility of receiving education every child with autism spectrum disorder (hereinafter referred to as RAS).
According to Article 79 of the Law of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ "About education in the Russian Federation» : "General education students with disabilities is carried out in organizations, carrying out educational activities on adapted basic general education programs(hereinafter referred to as AOOP).
Such organizations special conditions are created for obtaining education specified students."
To overcome difficulties in mastering AOEP, social adaptation and socialization of students with ASD, their psychological and pedagogical support.
Main directions (support) students from ASD:
Assistance in mastering the content of AOOP, including the creation of special educational conditions.
Correction of specific disorders and formation of life competencies.
(support) students with ASD are regulated by the correctional work program educational organization.
Psychological and pedagogical support students with ASD and correctional work is not an isolated block of work, but an integral part of the whole educational process. Corrective work is intertwined and permeates the entire educational the process is carried out within the framework of classroom and extracurricular activities.
Corrective work in the process of extracurricular activities is carried out during implementation:
correctional courses in individual, subgroup, small group and group forms (correctional and developmental area);
additional programs education(studios, clubs, sections);
extracurricular intra-school activities (holidays, concerts, creative and sports events);
extracurricular activities (excursions, walks, hikes).
II. Functions of teachers and specialists psychological and pedagogical support when providing support to students with ASD
In accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard for non-disabled education of students with disabilities, management, teaching and other employees with the required level participate in the implementation of the educational educational program for students with ASD. education and qualifications for each position held, which must meet the requirements specified in the qualification handbooks and (or) professional standards, taking into account the profile of students’ disabilities specified in Appendices No. 1–8 to this Standard. If necessary, in the process of implementing AOEP IEO for students with disabilities, temporary or permanent participation of a tutor and (or) assistant (assistant).
In an interdisciplinary team implementing psychological and pedagogical support for a child with ASD, in addition to the teacher may include the following specialists: teacher- psychologist, speech therapist teacher, speech pathologist teacher, social teacher, tutor, additional teachers education.
All corrective measures and measures for the child’s adaptation to school are developed and agreed upon by the entire team of specialists at the PMPK and should be aimed at achieving common goals that are most important in a particular period.
1. Teacher's activities.
The main specialist who carries out constant and continuous observation, training and education of a child with ASD is the teacher. Therefore, it is the teacher who makes the final decision when organizing collegial correctional and educational objectives, strategies escort and providing comprehensive assistance to children with ASD and their parents (legal representatives).
2. Activities of the teacher - psychologist.
Teacher- psychologist forms in a child with ASD the skills of interaction with children and adults, develops communication skills, carries out measures for the prevention and correction of maladaptive behavior, carries out work to correct disorders in the development of the cognitive sphere, etc.
To the main directions of correctional work a psychologist is possible
attribute:
assistance in adaptation to learning conditions at school;
correction of maladaptive behavior;
formation of social interaction skills;
formation of communication skills;
formation of ideas about oneself and one’s social environment;
formation "models mental» ;
emotional and personal development and other areas.
3. Activities of a teacher-defectologist.
A teacher-defectologist is a specialist who has special knowledge in organizations work with children with ASD, and his assistance is aimed at mastering the AOOP NEO and AOP. This specialist provides competent professional support not only to the student, but also methodological support to the class teacher. He provides assistance in adapting educational, didactic materials and educational environment. Defectological assistance is provided until a student with ASD is able to master the learning skills necessary to master the AOEP NEO and AOP.
The main areas of work of a teacher-defectologist can be attribute:
formation of a stereotype of educational behavior;
formation of basic prerequisites for educational activities (imitation skills, understanding of instructions, skills in working with sample, etc.. d.);
formation of deficient educational skills;
development of cognitive activity;
correction of skills that impede the successful mastery of program material, development of fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, etc.
4. Activities of a speech therapist teacher.
The tasks of a school teacher-speech therapist relate to speech development (overcoming phonetic-phonemic underdevelopment, correcting sound pronunciation, developing the lexical-grammatical structure of speech, the syllabic structure of a word, developing coherent speech, etc.).
However, when organizing comprehensive support child with ASD, there is a need to set goals aimed at general result: overcoming difficulties in mastering program material and developing communication skills.
To the areas of work of a speech therapist teacher relate:
formation of the communicative function of speech;
formation of the student's means of communication (speech and alternative);
understanding addressed speech(understanding instructions, short texts, dialogues, etc.);
correction of dyslexia and dysgraphia.
It is important that correctional speech therapy classes contribute to the child’s assimilation of AOOP NOO and AOP and relate to the topics of educational items:
Russian language and literary reading (when training according to options 8.1 and 8.2 AOOP);
Russian language, reading and speaking (when training according to option 8.3 AOOP);
Speech and alternative communication (when training according to option 8.4 AOOP).
The task of the speech therapist is also to provide methodological support to the teacher in organization of speech mode, adaptation of texts and other educational and didactic materials.
5. Activities of a social teacher.
The functions of a social teacher are interaction with the child’s family, consultation on organizational issues during his education, monitoring compliance with the rights of the child in the family and school. Based on the results of socio-pedagogical diagnostics, the social teacher determines the needs of the child and his family in the field of social support, as well as areas of assistance in the child’s adaptation to school.
The functional responsibilities of this specialist may include: enter:
establishing interaction with social protection institutions, guardianship authorities, public organizations, protecting the rights of people with disabilities, etc.;
accompaniment child during school and extracurricular activities, in additional education studios education;
development of social and everyday skills, formation of life competencies, including outside of school (in a store, public transport, etc.);
assistance in working with parents, organization of activities"Parents' club" etc. ;
searching for necessary information, popularizing knowledge about inclusive education, etc. d.
6. Tutor activities.
Necessity accompaniment by a tutor, especially during the adaptation period, is determined by the specific characteristics of a particular child. As a tutor included:
help in organizations child's behavior on lesson:
Directing the student's attention to the teacher, to the board, to the workbook;
Providing the child with hints when performing frontal instructions and learning tasks;
Assistance in performing the sequence of necessary actions;
participation in work to correct unwanted behavior;
providing assistance in interacting with peers;
organization behavior during regime moments.
As a rule, the need accompanying the child with a tutor, as well as the period of this escort are indicated in the PMPC recommendations. After the end of the diagnostic period, the decision on the need escort a child can be accepted by a tutor at a school council.
The main indications for assigning tutor support are:
Difficulties in regulating one's own behavior in the classroom, preventing organization of the educational process;
pronounced manifestations of maladaptive behavior (aggressive and auto-aggressive manifestations);
difficulties organizations own productive activity both during lessons and during breaks;
difficulties organizations household activities and self-care (changing clothes, toilet, behavior in the dining room, etc.).
difficulties understanding speech (instructions) teachers.
Some children, especially in the first stages of education, need a tutor throughout the entire period of their stay at school for escort all educational and routine moments. As the child adapts, the tutor’s help is reduced and may be needed fragmentarily, for example, in a specific academic subject, or when carrying out a certain type of activity (test work, or when new social situations arise (holidays, excursions).
7. Activities of the inclusion coordinator.
Inclusion Coordinator (Methodist) is a specialist who plays an important role in organizing the process of inclusion of children with disabilities in educational environment of the school, in creating special conditions for adaptation, training and socialization of students, regulating the activities of the entire teaching staff in this direction. Inclusion coordinator – main "carrier" information and teacher's assistant in educational organizations process in an inclusive classroom.
It is important to remember that the coordinator, like specialists psychological and pedagogical support, focuses its activities on the teacher’s request, his initiative and information about the condition, successes and problems of the special child and the entire class.
III. Conclusion
Activities of all specialists of the council educational organization oriented towards maximum social and educational adaptation of a child with autistic disorder should be as coordinated as possible. And the areas of activity of specialists themselves must be presented in the individual curriculum and the child’s AOEP and must be agreed upon with his parents.
It is obvious that for each specific child with one or another variant of autistic disorders, the directions of correctional work (according to the AOOP option) and other special educational conditions are recommended by PMPC specialists and are formulated in its conclusion by the PMPC. But all the tasks of specialists described above are aimed at social-emotional and educational adaptation of children with ASD, they are essentially universal and are necessary for every child for quite a long time.
Bibliography.
1. Baenskaya E. R. Help in raising a child with peculiarities of emotional development // Almanac of the Institute of Correctional Pedagogy of the Russian Academy of Education. 2000. Vol. 2.
2. Dmitrieva T. P. Organization activities of the inclusion coordinator in educational institution. M.: Center "School Book", 2010. Series "Inclusive education» . Vol. 3.
3. Lebedinskaya K. S., Nikolskaya O. S., Baenskaya E. R. Common efforts are necessary // Children with disabilities communication: early childhood autism. M.: Education, 1989.
4. Nikolskaya O. S., Baenskaya E. R., Liebling M. M. Children and adolescents with autism. Psychological support. Series "Special Child". M.: Terevinf, 2005. 220 p.
5. Nikolskaya O., Fomina T., Tsypotan S. A child with autism in a regular school. M.: Chistye Prudy, 2006.
6. Nikolskaya O. S. Difficulties of school adaptation children with autism // Special child: research and experience of assistance. M.: Center for Curative Pedagogy; Terevinf, 1998. Vol. 1.
7. Semago N. Ya. Determination technology educational route for a child with disabilities. M.: Center "School Book", 2010. Series "Inclusive education» . Vol. 2.
Semago N.Ya. , Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Leading Researcher, Laboratory of Psychological Problems of Children with Disabilities of Adaptation, Moscow Psychological and Pedagogical University, Moscow, Russia, [email protected]
Solomakhina E.A. , teacher-defectologist of the highest category, State Budget Educational Institution Gymnasium No. 1540, Moscow, Russia, [email protected]
Full text
Just five to seven years ago, it was difficult to imagine that the majority of children with autism spectrum disorders would actually be considered as participants in the process of inclusive education, and that teachers in regular schools would request information about the features of ASD in advanced training courses. The reality today is that in many schools, children with autism spectrum disorders are taught together with peers who have other problems, or just with normal peers. But, despite the successes achieved in this area, there are many problems associated with the social and educational adaptation of children with ASD, which determines the need for long-term and specific psychological and pedagogical support.
The practical experience available today in teaching children with ASD shows that for this category of children not only various teaching models should be developed and implemented, allowing them to fully realize the right to receive a high-quality education that is adequate to their capabilities and abilities and “releasing” the potential of these children, but also and a comprehensive system of psychological and pedagogical support.
Currently, approximate adapted basic educational programs for children with ASD have been developed (options 8.1; 8.2; 8.3; 8.4), which also include a correctional component.
The most promising form of schooling for a child with ASD seems to be gradual, individually dosed and specially supported inclusion in a group or class of children with no or less severe communication problems, whose capabilities at this stage are assessed as comparable to his own learning capabilities. The developed methods of special assistance to children with autistic disorders should be used to the maximum in the process of individual psychological and pedagogical support for their inclusion in groups of children.
That is why the issues of adequate targeted psychological and pedagogical support for a child with ASD are extremely relevant today.
Main Features for children with ASD that hinder their social adaptation and learning among peers are:
· pronounced difficulties in social-emotional interaction;
· difficulties in organizing one’s own activities and behavior, behavioral disorders expressed to varying degrees;
· pronounced unevenness and specificity of the development of mental functions, specificity of the development of cognitive activity in general;
Difficulties in establishing productive interactions with others;
· the need for a specially organized educational space, the use of special techniques and methods in teaching and psychological and pedagogical support for children with ASD.
Variants of Autistic Disorders
Childhood autism is currently considered a special type of mental development disorder. All children with autism have impaired communication skills and social-emotional development. What they have in common are affective problems and difficulties in establishing active relationships with a dynamically changing environment, which determine their attitudes towards maintaining constancy in the environment and the stereotyping of their own behavior. At the same time, the population of such children, including those at school age, is extremely heterogeneous. In this regard, they do not talk about autism as such, but about the “lineage” of autism spectrum disorders.
A child with autistic disorder may be both autonomous and have persistent fears and stereotypes; not to use speech at all, or to use simple speech cliches, or to have a rich vocabulary and developed, complex phrasal speech that is not appropriate for one’s age. Most of these children are diagnosed with pronounced unevenness (or uneven insufficiency) in the development of mental functions; there are also autistic children whose intellectual development is quite difficult to assess in a short time. There are often cases when children with severe autism show selective talent - this could be special musicality, absolute literacy, mathematical abilities, etc. In addition, the picture of difficulties and opportunities for a child with autism by school age varies significantly depending on whether he received adequate help from specialists, including medical help. Timely and properly organized psychological and pedagogical assistance makes it possible to develop communication skills already in preschool age, but they seem to “break down” in a new and unpredictable school situation for the child; they need to be built anew.
Due to the heterogeneity of this category of children, the range of differences in the required level and content of primary (and especially general) education for children with ASD should be as wide as possible, corresponding to the capabilities and needs of all children. These requirements are reflected in the sections of the Federal State Educational Standard for children with disabilities.
Thus, when speaking about children with ASD, we will mean disorders of the affective-emotional sphere, leading to a distortion of all proportions of mental development. In special psychology, this category of disorders refers to various options distorted development.
Today, there are two main groups of distorted development:
· distortion of the predominantly affective-emotional sphere (4 groups of early childhood autism, according to the classification of O.S. Nikolskaya). This classification is based on the author's model of the affective organization of behavior and consciousness;
· distortion of the predominantly cognitive sphere (atypical or procedural autism).
It is quite obvious that in each of the options the child will exhibit specific characteristics of behavior and development of both affective, cognitive, and regulatory spheres. But at the same time, in general, it is possible to identify the main areas of activity of support specialists and outline the specific tasks facing them.
Activities of specialists
accompanying children with ASD
Activities of a psychologist
The psychologist is the main bearer of ideas about the special educational and social needs of the child; he advises and accompanies the activities of other specialists - teachers, tutors, speech therapists.
A child with ASD in a regular school has enormous difficulties with social-emotional adaptation, and therefore he needs specific psychological help. The tasks of a psychologist here are varied, we list the main ones:
· formation of interaction boundaries;
· assistance in organizing training (in the absence of tutor support) – as part of front-line training;
· formation of communication skills in stereotypical situations and their flexible change;
· individual work with the child, aimed at forming ideas about oneself and others (formation of a mental model);
· formation of programming and control functions;
· working with the family and coordinating its interaction with specialists;
· work with the child’s peers (with a class or mini-group).
The last task requires the development of methods of group work to develop interpersonal interaction, classes with a psychologist to develop communication skills, and interaction skills of children in the classroom, including the child with ASD himself.
It is the psychologist who helps the child in forming the boundaries of communication, building simple relationships with children and adults, taking into account certain rules of behavior that do not violate the interests of another person. Various, including simple playful methods and methods of interaction, help children with ASD feel the boundaries of interaction and maintain a certain distance in communications. As a rule, these relationships are easier to build with adults.
Only after such simple relationships with children and the teacher become possible for a child with ASD (within fairly repetitive situations), can work begin to develop interaction and communication skills in the child environment as a whole. This type of work involves the use of group work methods in the classroom.
Often, children with ASD find it much more difficult to establish even simple relationships with peers than with adults. Communication cannot automatically improve over time, and at best remains at the level of running around, which not only overstimulates the child, but also causes him discomfort and anxiety. Therefore, the volume of such contacts with other children should be sufficiently dosed, and communication should be clearly organized within the framework of the lesson and recess stereotype. At the initial stages of adaptation, it is very important to prevent the emergence of conflict situations and the consolidation of negative emotional reactions in a child with ASD. During this same period, work should begin on developing the child’s ideas about himself and others, in particular, on the formation of a mental model, which presupposes that a child with ASD understands that another person has thoughts, feelings and desires that are different from his own.
Only after such relationships with other children and the teacher become possible for the child (in repeated situations of a lesson or structured recess, going to the cafeteria or for a walk), can one gradually expand the communicative skills of a child with ASD and move on to organizing the interaction of children in various unstructured activities – holidays, excursions, etc.
The work of a psychologist with the parents of a child with ASD is based on an understanding of the difficulties that the family faces and on an understanding of the specifics of a particular variant of autistic disorder. On the other hand, the psychologist discusses with parents the possibilities of both basic (at school) and additional (outside its walls) help, including medical help. In his work, the psychologist uses various psycho-corrective technologies. In some cases, it is advisable to transfer this particular type of work to the specialists of the PPMS center as part of network interaction.
Activities of a teacher-defectologist
The main tasks of a speech pathologist when working with children with ASD are:
1. Creation of an adequately organized environment, which becomes the main method of corrective influence when working with a child. The stereotypical form of existence remains the most accessible for him and provides a reduction in anxiety, fears, and helps to organize and structure activities correctly and effectively. The entire space must be zoned in accordance with the types of activities performed: training area, play area, recreation area, etc.
2. Organization and visualization of time. Time marking is very important for children with ASD. The regularity of the alternation of daily events, their predictability and planning for the future help to better understand the beginning and end of any activity. From here it is easier for them to experience what happened in the past and wait for what will happen in the future. Various types of schedules, instructions, calendars, and clocks are widely used here.
3. Structuring of all types of activities. The main direction of work here is the formation of productive activity and interaction skills in children in preschool age and the formation of a stereotype of educational behavior at school age. With specially organized training, a child needs to master many social competencies that his ordinary peers master almost independently.
The tasks described above will be solved by other school specialists, primarily by the class teacher, but it is the defectologist who organizes this work as correctional work and transfers the work techniques into the child’s educational activities.
4. Overcoming uneven development. This problem is solved through the use of special methods and programs, as well as the use of special and specific methods, methods and techniques of teaching (for example, alternative and facilitated communication, global reading). The following must be taken into account when working:
The predominance of visual means of presenting material;
Rational dosing of information;
The pace of presentation of the material is adequate to the capabilities of perception;
Use of adapted texts;
Variability in the difficulty level of tasks.
5. Organization of a mode of communicative communication. Particular attention should be paid to working on expanding vocabulary and developing the conceptual side of speech. Children need to be explained in detail the meaning of the tasks, as well as what is expected of them. You should talk through all the events of the day and important moments in life with a child with ASD. Communication needs to be made as concrete and integral a part of life as possible. If a child has great difficulty completing a task, it is recommended to use visual support (photos, pictograms).
6. Support of the educational process. This type of activity has several directions:
A. Drawing up an individual curriculum. Together with other support service specialists and the student’s legal representatives, an individual work plan is developed at the beginning of the school year. The timing of its implementation can vary from one month to six months, but no more.
b. Monitor student progress. This makes it possible to regularly monitor the dynamics of the child’s achievements in the educational and social fields and make timely adjustments to the planned activities. A special education teacher needs to ensure that the recommendations developed by the school council are followed by all participants in the educational process.
V. Helping the child master the program material and fill gaps.
This type of activity is carried out mainly in individual correctional classes.
d. Students mastering program material individually or as part of small group work (if there are significant difficulties in mastering it in a classroom setting).
d. Organization of the process of including students in the classroom form.
7. Social and everyday adaptation.
All acquired skills and abilities must be consolidated and transferred to various life situations. Work to improve social adaptation should take place in close cooperation with the teacher and the child’s parents.
Help for a child with ASD is provided by a special education teacher as long as the child needs it. A positive result of work can be considered the moment at which the child needs less and less extensive help. As his independence increases, the support of a speech pathologist is reduced to a minimum of help and support. The result is always individual and in each specific case depends on the potential capabilities of the child, which develop in the process of upbringing and education.
Activities of a speech therapist
The tasks of a speech therapist as a support specialist are also extremely diverse. On the one hand, a child with ASD may have signs of phonetic-phonemic underdevelopment and peculiarities of sound pronunciation, which requires special correctional work well developed in speech therapy.
On the other hand, the speech of such a child is extremely specific. This applies to all its aspects - from tempo and melodic to difficulties in understanding written speech.
1. Work on the prosodic side of speech, its melodic and rhythmic components is inextricably linked with understanding speech.
2. Another area of activity of a speech therapist is specially organized work on understanding complex oral speech and on understanding reading material . We know well that even if a child with ASD reads quite fluently, he usually reads in an extremely monotonous manner, without respecting punctuation marks and sentence boundaries, which is one of the reasons for difficulties in reading comprehension. The work of a speech therapist to develop intoned, meaningful reading skills will greatly contribute to the educational adaptation of a child with autistic disorder.
3. In addition, an important part of the speech therapist’s work is the development of the child’s communicative side of speech, the ability to work in dialogue mode, answer posed questions in substance, and develop the child’s ability to maintain a dialogue and even initiate it. It is clear that not only a speech therapist works on the communicative side of speech. But at first, it is he who, in his classes, will contribute to the creation of certain communicative stereotypes, which subsequently the child, with the help of a psychologist and teacher, will be able to transfer to broader communicative situations.
4. Like any other child, a child with autistic disorders may have dysgraphic difficulties. Most often, such a child writes quite competently, but cannot apply the rule in relation to even a correctly written word or text. Many practitioners believe that such children often have so-called innate literacy, and it is the analysis of the rule by which this or that word or expression is written that turns out to be extremely difficult for them. It is important here that the speech therapist explains the situation to the teacher, and he, in turn, does not “overdo it” with the requirement to apply the rules.
5. If necessary, work can be carried out with the child on the formation of phonetic-phonemic perception, which will also be reflected in the development of written speech.
6. Correcting the sound-pronunciation aspect of speech is not an essential task; often it is this work of the speech therapist that causes negative reactions in the child, especially if it requires tactile interaction with him.
Tutor activities
Features of the development of voluntary forms of activity of a child with autistic disorders, in particular, voluntary or divided attention (concentration of attention on joint activities), voluntary concentration, difficulties in such a process as imitation create the need to develop special tactics in organizing the learning process. In a learning situation, such a child experiences many difficulties. In this case, at first the child must be accompanied by a tutor, and if he has significant difficulties in organizing his behavior, then the tutor accompanies the child throughout the school year (subject to the recommendations of the PMPC).
The activity of a tutor is the organization of educational behavior. It is the tutor, without “gluing” to the child and without replacing the teacher, who helps him orient himself both in the space of the notebook and in the sequence of necessary actions; he repeats the teacher’s instructions, thereby removing the difficulties of perceiving frontal tasks.
At the first stages, the tutor becomes a kind of guide and translator for the child, helping in organizing learning behavior and learning space. At the same time, the teacher himself must master certain techniques that allow structuring activities and thereby forming educational stereotypes. These methods of general organization of activity should be clearly understood by them, and it is to them that special attention should be paid. In order for an autistic child to gradually adjust or adapt to the learning situation, it must be as structured as possible. This structure (as the basis for the organization of certain stereotypes) is necessary not only in class, but also during recess, in the cafeteria, and on a walk.
Here it is also difficult to do without the help of a tutor, who, on the one hand, organizes recess for the child and other children, and, on the other hand, helps in forming stereotypes of social behavior in children. Often it is in these situations that one becomes familiar with the norms of social interaction, communication with peers and adults, from the simplest: how to ask for this or that item that interests the child, how to answer a question, how to ask something yourself, etc. This work can be carried out jointly with a psychologist.
A separate task in organizing a child’s educational activities is working on creating external markers and rules of life in the classroom and in the lesson in particular. The most important external marker of changes in the sequence of actions and lessons is the schedule. It should be visible to the child: it is good if a complete schedule of lessons and afternoon activities for all days of the week hangs on the wall near the blackboard. This is easy to organize in any classroom. Such a hint makes the life of an autistic child more predictable and is an organizing factor in educational life.
Using the schedule, the sequence of preparation for the school day, for the lesson can be specially worked out, and if necessary, a visual diagram of the organization of the workspace, a set of necessary educational materials, and the sequence of preparatory actions can be drawn up. This is extremely important, since it is difficult for a child with ASD to perceive all the information aurally, and what is written has the “degree of law.” It is easier for him to look at the schedule himself and prepare the necessary items for the next lesson (sometimes with the help of a tutor) than to listen to the teacher’s long instructions about what the next lesson will be and what should be left on the desk. Do not forget that our child does not perceive frontal verbal instructions well.
The tutor can also help the child in the lesson - by marking the desk, the page, visually indicating the direction of movement, and including in the task moments when the educational material itself organizes the child’s action. The sequence of educational actions can also be presented to the child visually in the form of a diagram or pictogram.
Great difficulties in organizing educational behavior arise in a child with ASD when even small failures or obstacles appear, and in this case, the child’s possible behavioral manifestations will be characterized by his excitement, anxiety and reluctance to continue working. It is logical if the teacher helps the child complete a new task, giving him the impression of success and confidence that he can cope with the task. And after this, a new skill is taught, which the child is already familiar with and thinks that he can already do.
Certain rules also help organize educational behavior. Like the schedule, many simple and seemingly obvious rules of behavior can also be presented in the form of small posters on the wall near the board. It is important to consider that it is easier for a child to understand when they are told: “We have rule No. 4,” and rule No. 4 states that during a lesson you cannot get up and walk around the classroom without permission. This is easier for a child to learn than listening to the teacher’s admonition that during a lesson one should not walk around the class and touch other people’s things. This rule should apply not only to our special child. It won't hurt other children either. Similar rules may apply to other aspects of life during the lesson or even during recess. It is important that there are not too many of them.
The development of the ability of a child with ASD to adequately assess the meaning of what is happening, and the organization of behavior in accordance with this meaning, requires special special work of the tutor and teacher. The environment in which an autistic child lives and studies must have the most developed semantic structure, that is, the child must be given an understanding of why certain things are being done. A child with autism, just like a normal child, needs to be explained what is happening and the purpose of the actions.
If the educational organization cannot provide the child with a tutor (that is, there is no such recommendation in the PMPK conclusion), then most of these tasks related to structuring and understanding school life are solved by a psychologist, a class teacher, sometimes a speech pathologist or a social pedagogue.
Activity social teacher
Social teacher – the main specialist monitoring compliance with the rights of any child studying at school. Based on the data of socio-pedagogical diagnostics, the social teacher identifies the needs of the child and his family in the field of social support, determines areas of assistance in the child’s adaptation to school. The social teacher collects all possible information about “external” resources for the school team of specialists, together with the coordinator for inclusion, establishes interaction with partner institutions in the field of psychological and pedagogical support (PPMS-center), as well as with the social protection service, and with public organizations , institutions of additional education. An important area of activity for a social educator is helping parents of a child with ASD adapt to the school community and among other parents. Such a specialist can help the teacher and other school specialists in creating a “Parents Club”, in developing a page on the school website dedicated to inclusion, and in finding the necessary information.
Activities of the inclusion coordinator
Inclusion coordinator (methodologist) – this is a specialist who plays an important role in organizing the process of including children with disabilities in the educational environment of the school, in creating special conditions for adaptation, training and socialization of students, regulating the activities of the entire teaching staff in this direction. The inclusion coordinator is the main “carrier” of information and a teacher’s assistant in organizing the educational process in an inclusive classroom.
At the same time, it is important to remember that the coordinator, like specialists in psychological and pedagogical support, focuses his activities on the teacher’s request, his initiative and information about the condition, successes and problems of the special child and the entire class.
The last thing that should be especially noted concerns not the content component of the activities of specialists, but its organizational component. The activities of all specialists of the council of an educational organization, focused on maximum social and educational adaptation of a child with autistic disorder, should be as coordinated as possible. And the areas of activity of specialists themselves must be presented in the individual curriculum and the child’s AOEP and must be agreed upon with his parents.
It is obvious that for each specific child with one or another variant of autistic disorders, the directions of correctional work (in accordance with the AOOP version) and other special educational conditions are recommended by PMPC specialists and are formulated in its conclusion by the PMPC. But all the tasks of specialists described above are aimed at the social-emotional and educational adaptation of children with ASD; they are essentially universal and are necessary for every child for quite a long time.
Semago N.Ya., Solomakhina E.A. Psychological and pedagogical support for a child with ASD // Autism and developmental disorders. 2017. Volume 15. No. 1. P. 4-14. doi:10.17759/autdd.2017150101 Copy
Literature
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- Bashina V.M., Simashkova N.V. Features of speech disorders in patients with early childhood autism of endogenous origin // Journal of Neuropathology and Psychiatry named after. S.S. Korsakova, 1990. No. 8.S. 60-65.
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A child with autism spectrum disorder goes to school. What should parents, schools, and teachers be prepared for?
Autism is not called the syndrome of the century for nothing: at the moment this diagnosis is becoming more common. Despite the efforts of public and medical organizations, there is still much we do not know about autism.
Our freelance correspondent Alexandra Chkanikova had a conversation with the director of the SPC PZDP named after. G. E. Sukhareva, psychotherapist of the highest qualification category Marina Aleksandrovna Bebchuk, with the director of the Federal Resource Center for organizing comprehensive support for children with autism spectrum disorder MSUPE Artur Valeryevich Khaustov, as well as with some teachers of Moscow schools.
The result is an express guide for teachers on how to organize the education of a child with autism in a public school, and what parents and teachers should prepare for.
What is autism?
Today, childhood autism is considered a general developmental disorder, that is, it is not a disease, but a severe disorder of mental development. There are several variants of autistic disorders. According to the international classification of diseases ICD-10, there are four types:
F84.0 – childhood autism (autistic disorder, infantile autism, infantile psychosis, Kanner syndrome);
F84.1 – atypical autism;
F84.2 – Rett syndrome;
F84.5 – Asperger's syndrome, autistic psychopathy.
Recently, all autistic disorders have begun to be united under the common acronym ASD - autism spectrum disorder.
The manifestations of autism are very diverse, but the most common characteristics are the inability to establish full contact with people, extreme isolation from the outside world, a weak reaction to external stimuli, a stereotypical and rather narrow range of interests. Often in literature you can find a metaphor that a person with autistic disorder lives as if under a dome, is detached from the outside world and very few people are ready to “let in” under his dome.
So, a child with ASD goes to school...
Who decides where and how to study for a child with ASD?
In fact, the decision is always made by the parents, and there are two possible scenarios. The first is if parents have managed to notice, recognize and accept the fact that their child has autism. They consulted a doctor on time, the child was diagnosed, and at the medical commission it was clarified that the child’s intelligence was preserved (intellectual impairments are the only actual obstacle). The future student was regularly observed by specialists and received the necessary psychological and pedagogical correction. Thus, by the age of seven, many of the child’s autistic symptoms have already been smoothed out and, most likely, he is ready for school as much as his disorder allows.
The second scenario is when parents do not know, do not see, and deliberately remain silent about their child’s illness. Naturally, in this case there were no commissions, consultations, no psychological and pedagogical work, and a child with an advanced disorder ends up in school, where no one was warned either. This is a more complex story for all participants: painful for the child, difficult for teachers and ultimately unpleasant for parents, since ASD is not one of those diagnoses that will go away on its own. Sooner or later, it will become clear to all participants in the educational process that the child has health problems.
In the first case, parents will listen to the advice of specialists, choosing an educational path for the child, in the second, it will be a “one-sided game” until the parents come to the realization, and then they will have to start all over again: diagnosis, correction etc.
If we are responsible parents, then...
It is best if at the time of enrollment in school according to the main list (that is, by March-April), parents had all the documents related to the child’s developmental features ready. To do this, in November-December it is worth showing the child to the PMPK - psychological-medical-pedagogical commission.
This is a permanent body whose task is a comprehensive examination of the child for the presence of a particular diagnosis, assessment of the general level of his development and recommendations on the organization of his education. The commission includes multidisciplinary specialists - speech pathologists, speech therapists, doctors (neurologists, psychiatrists). They will give the child's parents a recommendation on what form of education is suitable for him and what program the child can study in.
A kindergarten can refer a child to PMPK by providing his characteristics to the commission, or parents can enroll him on their own initiative.
Before undergoing PMPC, a child with ASD undergoes a medical examination at a medical institution. The purpose of the medical commission is to determine the diagnosis in order to then select the type of educational program that corresponds to the characteristics and intellectual level of development of the child.
It is important that the PMPC works in continuity with the medical commission. For example, at the medical commission, a child demonstrates a sufficient level of intelligence to study according to the 8.1 or 8.2 program, but at the PMPK does not cope with the tasks - then the PMPK is obliged to still recommend that he study according to the inclusive program.
Should parents tell the school that their child has ASD?
By law, no, no one obliges parents to inform the school that their child has autism. They do not have to provide any certificates - but in order for the child to get into conditions suitable for him, it is important to inform the school administration that the child is special. If parents do not promptly inform the school about the child’s difficulties, then the school will not be ready to teach a child with ASD, and this will ultimately lead to serious difficulties in organizing the educational process - both for the child himself and for the entire class.
Usually, the first meeting of representatives of the school administration with the future student and his parents occurs during the formation of the first classes, in April-May. At this moment, and without any information, it will become clear to specialists (school psychologist, speech therapist, speech pathologist) that not everything is fine with the child. Further clarifications will come during the school year (autumn), and it is unknown how many unpleasant moments will happen to the child during the educational process.
How do children with ASD learn?
Studying programs
In accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard, there are four different options for training programs for children with ASD, divided according to the degree of intellectual development of the child.
Program 8.1: It teaches children with intact intelligence. The level of their final achievements should be the same as that of their peers. Children study using regular textbooks, a regular program and a standard curriculum. The difference is that they must additionally study with a psychologist or speech therapist. During the period of adaptation to school, the child may need a tutor.
Program 8.2: children with ASD and mental retardation are taught. Their level of final achievements should also correspond to the level of their peers, but they study over a longer period of time. If a child previously attended a preschool organization and received psychological and pedagogical correction, his period of study in primary school will be five years. If he did not attend preschool, he will study for six years.
Program 8.3– this program educates children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. This is a borderline situation: on the one hand, such children could study in specialized schools, on the other hand, at the request of their parents, they can be enrolled in a mainstream school. The expected level of their final achievements does not correspond to the level of their peers; they study using adapted textbooks. The duration of primary school education for such children is 6 years.
Program 8.4– for children with severe intellectual delay and multiple developmental disorders. As a rule, such children have serious speech therapy problems (they do not speak at all or have serious delays in speech development). The duration of study in the program is 8.4 - 6 years, the expected level of achievement differs significantly from the level of peers, while the main emphasis is placed more on the socialization of the child than on academic success. Approximately 70% of the educational program will be aimed at the child’s mastering everyday skills and life competencies.
How can training be organized?
As for the options for organizing education for children with ASD, they can be the following:
Full inclusion. The child is educated in a regular classroom with peers.
Inclusive education using resource zone technology. The child is enrolled in a regular classroom, but when difficulties arise, he can receive individual support in a separate room - a resource area. This form is possible if a tutor is assigned to the child and if the school has a resource area - a large office where each child with developmental disabilities works individually with his or her tutor.
Correctional classes in a general education or special correctional school, or the child is studying in a special school.
And here options are possible - for example, a child with autism can end up in a class where very different children with very different developmental disorders are gathered (integrated class). Or, if he has an intellectual disability, he may be taught in a class with children with intellectual disabilities. Or the class is fully staffed with children with ASD - in different forms and manifestations. Individual training at home.
Some children, due to their behavioral disorders, are recommended to study individually at home, but even in this situation it is worth thinking about socialization - for example, joining a class of peers at least once a week for certain subjects, for outdoor events.
Individual plan
Please note: there is no direct connection between the level of the program and the form of organization of training. It is important that the form of educational organization is selected individually, in accordance with the needs and level of socialization of the child And further!
Each child has the opportunity to create an individual curriculum. This is a special schedule for the child - where, what and at what point he will study. For example, mathematics is extremely difficult for a child with ASD, so he spends almost all the time in an inclusive class, and during mathematics lessons he goes to individual lessons with a defectologist. The school draws up an individual plan for the child
, by joint decision of specialists within the organization - class teacher, psychologist, speech therapist, subject teachers. Typically, a decision on an individual plan is made after a diagnostic period, which lasts about a month. Thus, by the end of the first quarter, the child can already receive his own individual plan.
Do children with ASD need special textbooks?
At the moment, when teaching children with ASD using programs 8.1 or 8.2, teachers can use the curriculum for a general education school as a basis, but even in this situation, textbooks need to be adapted. If the child is studying according to the 8.3 or 8.4 program, then textbooks for children with intellectual disabilities are taken as a basis, which also need to be adapted. For example, reduce the number of exercises on one sheet, make the font larger, reduce the number of small insignificant details in the drawings, add visual support (drawings that make it easier to understand).
Typically, teachers in inclusive schools themselves adapt certain chapters of textbooks to the needs of students as best they can. But, of course, if a textbook for children with ASD ever appeared, at least an average one, it would be very valuable.
How to choose the most convenient path for a child?
There is an opinion that studying in a regular class is always better than in a correctional class. In this regard, many parents of children with ASD set themselves the goal of fighting for the opportunity to study in a fully inclusive manner.
All experts are unanimous in their opinion: before fighting, parents should calmly, slowly consider all the pros and cons of each form of educational organization - in relation specifically to their child, to their case. In particular, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:
What is more important to you – social or educational inclusion? Quite often the same form of training will not give you both. For example, in a correctional class, a child will feel like a fish out of water, where everyone understands him and is lenient towards his characteristics. But, of course, in terms of education, everything is simpler and weaker here. And in a regular class, he will receive more knowledge, but will feel like a stranger among his peers, which, of course, is detrimental to his socialization.
Is the game worth the candle? More precisely, is studying in a regular class worth the effort and stress? Excessive stress is simply contraindicated for children with ASD.
What exactly can your child get from a regular classroom? For example, it is possible to formulate an individual plan, according to which the child takes the basic subjects (Russian language, reading, mathematics) according to a simplified program in a correctional class or even at home, and comes to school in a regular class for those subjects that develop him physically and are related to manual labor and general development (music, technology, physical education).
And please take it as an axiom: choosing the level of inclusion and form of education is not a factor by which it is fair to evaluate your child or you as parents. You simply find the most suitable way, and do not try to prove something to someone, outwit, “achieve” the best, etc. Please assess the situation sensibly: sometimes a correctional class can give a child much more than an inclusive one.
Parents and school: rules of interaction
Can the school administration deny education to a child with ASD?
Not an easy question. On the one hand, according to the Education Law, any child with any degree of ASD with intact intelligence can study in a public school. On the other hand, not every school is able to provide such a child with all the necessary conditions. Inclusion is a very expensive pleasure for a school, which is also not so easy to organize.
If a school cannot provide a child with ASD with all the conditions for learning, parents have two options: either find another school or insist on creating special educational conditions for their child at this school.
That is, a student with ASD is an inevitable problem for school?
If we are dealing with a negativistic scenario (when parents do not recognize the child’s characteristics) - yes, this is definitely a problem for everyone. If the parents have acquired all the necessary documents, and perhaps have registered their child as disabled, then this is a kind of opportunity for the school. Along with documents about the child’s disability, parents bring additional budget funds to the school. In a sense, it is even beneficial for a school to compete for inclusive status.
Can all schools guarantee adequate education for a child with ASD?
Of course, not all. As a rule, at the admission stage, representatives of the school administration honestly explain to parents that the school is not ready to provide the child with adequate opportunities. Then the child may be recommended a special school or given the address of the nearest inclusive school. There are such schools: they invest a lot of effort and money in maintaining their status as inclusive and resourceful. Parents of children with ASD should look for such a school: studying there will be much more beneficial for the child.
But there are few such schools: for example, in Moscow there are no more than ten of them, but those that exist really know how to work with special children. Here they are really taught, adapted, included in society.
In fact, it is quite normal that a regular school is in no hurry to accept a child with ASD. If the director, teachers, and administrators have never dealt with this phenomenon, the experience of studying in such a school is unlikely to be useful for the child. It will be more honest to objectively see your resource and understand what you can really give to a child with autism, and what you cannot yet.
It is known that many children with ASD are advised to study with a tutor - a personal assistant and mentor. Where to find a tutor for a child, should the school do this?
If, according to the conclusion of the PMPK, a child is entitled to tutor assistance in learning, then the school must provide him with tutor support. For this purpose, an additional staff unit is being introduced at the school.
There are three forms of tutor support:
The position of a tutor is in the staff list, and then the school provides you with a tutor.
You have a regular school, then the parents themselves find and invite a tutor and, most likely, they themselves find a way to pay for his services, but in this case the tutor must sign an agreement with the school.
Parents resort to the help of students undergoing practical training or volunteers. Both the school and the child’s family can find a volunteer by contacting one of the public organizations dedicated to supporting children with autism. It is important here that the person found has a sufficient level of understanding of the child.
The worst option is when one of the child’s parents is present as a tutor during school lessons. We do not support this situation, but, unfortunately, if you cannot find a tutor, you have to resort to this measure.
What should a teacher prepare for?
So, a child with autism spectrum disorder comes to your class...
The appearance of a child with ASD in the classroom is a serious challenge for the teacher. Most likely, you will be shocked: in front of you will be a student who, for example, has not formed a learning stereotype - that is, he is not ready to sit at a desk, be quiet, listen silently, answer questions. Or he will be constantly distracted, will not be able to concentrate, his emotions are unpredictable, and often they simply cannot be easily pacified.
Let us warn you right away: without special training it will be very difficult for you. If it turns out that you didn’t have time to complete the training courses, get ready that you won’t get everything right away. However, experts can give you some tips to help you cope more easily.
1. Collect all information– first of all, about the disorder itself. The more you know about the challenges people with ASD face, the easier it will be for you to manage your own anxiety. Ultimately, an autistic child is not so much a threat to you as someone who really needs your help. Try to take a strong position as a patient helper, rather than a victim of circumstances, and then it will be easier to integrate into new circumstances.
2. Watch your child. Although you are not his parent or tutor, to work successfully you need to know how he behaves in a given situation, what scares him, irritates him, calms him down. If the child’s parents are ready for contact, ask them, find out as much as possible about how to help yourself and your child in a difficult situation.
3. Show interest. Yes, a child with ASD is not the easiest student. In a way, his appearance challenges you: Do you love children enough to continue to do your job brilliantly? Your interest, attention, passion for the life and interests of the child is the most appropriate way of interaction.
4. Transform your learning space. You will need to structure the environment in which the child is in a special way. If for ordinary children a schedule in a diary is enough, a child with ASD simply needs to see all the important information before his eyes. Hang the schedule on the board, stick a piece of paper with tips to your desk, and indicate the direction of movement with arrows. You can only teach a child with ASD if the educational environment is predictable and safe for him.
Can a teacher without special training begin teaching a child with ASD?
It's extremely difficult. An experienced teacher with developed professional intuition is really able to quickly “feel” the situation. However, you should not force a good teacher to act by trial and error: it would be much more useful to give him all the necessary knowledge about the characteristics of the development and behavior of children with ASD, and to help him master effective correction and teaching methods. For example, the teacher should always be able to understand what is happening with the child: is he excited? Scared? Should I talk to my child about this or that problem, or just show him the right picture? Should I explain something to him in detail now, or should I just take him away from the other children and let him rest peacefully in a quiet place? All these things are easier to learn if you know what to do.
The minimum possible level of training is taking short-term advanced training courses. On average, the training period is about 2 months, but significant results are achieved within 1-2 weeks of intensive work. The personality of the teacher and his life attitudes play a huge role here. The key qualities for a teacher in an inclusive classroom are patience, dedication and willingness to accept that in such a matter as teaching a child with ASD, there are no quick results. But when you wait for the results, albeit slow, you will feel that you have conquered a real pedagogical Everest.
Alexandra Chkanikova