Issue relating to Autism
Children with ASD often have difficulties with their short term memory and attention span (The National Autistic Society, 2013). They are generally strong visual learners and this is the case with Henry. He has difficulties processing verbal instructions and needs all important instructions or new information written down for him to process it successfully. This is especially evident during literacy rotations, where there are up to four different activities students must complete. Henry generally remembers the first activity, but needs to rely on other students’ behaviour to know what happens next. Even after this, Henry is sometimes confused which leads to anxiety.
Henry’s lack in concentration during class time leads to poor memory retention. Due to his unfocused nature, Henry can sometimes be seen staring out of the window, or fidgeting with objects around him and distracting his classmates. Although not severe, this behaviour is also seen as challenging by the teacher and Henry’s peers.
Strategies should be put in place for Henry to participate in regular memory training activities and games, so that his memory retention levels improve. These should be planned for before particular issues arise, and can even be used as regular whole class activities.
Response to the issue
Fruit memory is an application for the iPad that helps students with Autism practice their memory skills. It is a new and engaging take on the traditional memory card game and will engage students with Autism using digital technology as they usually have a short attention span when it comes to traditional learning. Fruit memory can be played with one to four players which also incorporates a social element into learning if desired. Just like the traditional version, each player chooses two cards from the deck to turn over and see whether they match. This winner is the person with the most matching pairs.
In the classroom, this game would be played by the student with Autism individually during maths work (some of the time), but can also be connected to the Interactive White Board (IWB) for full class participation. In this case study, the app will benefit Henry the most but will also benefit the other students in the class as it is a fun activity that will improve all students’ ability to retain information in a fun and engaging way.
The application can be bought at the website below.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fruit-memory-match-game/id379561503?mt=8
References:
Bloom Built, LLC. (2011). Fruit Memory Math Game. Retrieved September 14, 2013, from https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/fruit-memory-match-game/id379561503?mt=8
The National Autistic Society. (2013). Challenging behaviour in children with an ASD. Retrieved Septemeber 30, 2013, from http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-autism/understanding-behaviour/challenging-behaviour/challenging-behaviour-in-children-with-an-asd.aspx
Classroom Resources for Autism 