What have you learned from the experience of creating artefacts?
Throughout this assignment I have gained valuable knowledge and skills on the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder and ways in which to lessen or cater or these characteristics in a variety of ways. I have delved into topics including challenging behaviours typically displayed, communication of wants and needs, memory retention, social interactions and transitions between activities. This information in turn allowed me to provide relevant artefacts in an easy to access location, for both the public to use, and for me to access once a practising teacher.
These artefacts have provided valuable insight into how to plan activities and lessons to cater for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and ensure they have the best chance of achieving their full potential. I have also found different ways to cater for challenging behaviours as they arise and how to ensure safety of all students in the classroom in these situations.
I found it challenging to narrow down specific characteristics of Autism and apply these to the case study. For example, to begin with I had to broad topic of social interactions, which included understanding emotions, making friends, taking turns and using manners. I then realised this was too broad and had to condense this information to make it more specific, and so ended up with social interactions- turn taking and using manners. This though, made it harder to find useful scholarly articles and references for the assignment, and so presented to be a challenge.
I have gained skills in navigating a blog, researching information, editing, and thinking creatively. I have discovered valuable websites that I can use next year as I begin my teaching career to access information and resources to cater for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I enjoyed uncovering a variety of artefacts including board games, interactive applications, artefacts to assist with classroom layout, and the Picture Exchange Communication System. Many of these reasonably priced resources have an invaluable place in the classroom, and can help not only students with Autism, but all other students in the class. These resources teach basic skills such as improving memory retention, and social interactions including using manners, understanding emotions, making friends, and taking turns, which will assist all students to improve their life skills in a fun and engaging way.
How would you apply the knowledge and skills gained in this course to your future vocational career?
I would use the knowledge and skills gained from this assignment in my future career as a primary school teacher. This assignment has allowed me to explore many characteristics of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Through thorough research I have discovered appropriate ways to both plan for challenging behaviours to prevent particular circumstances, and also cater for these challenging circumstances as they arise.
In my future planning I will take into account a student with Autism’s strengths and weaknesses and adjust the curriculum to help this student achieve. I will take the time to understand the level of communication, social interaction and memory retention this student has and will plan for these difficulties accordingly. I will use the Picture Exchange Communication System as a way of improving communication between the student and others, and will move through the levels as appropriate. I will provide a designated ‘chill out’ area for the student/s with Autism and ensure other students understand that the area is a calm down area for these students if everything becomes too overwhelming. I will use a magnetic schedule each day to ensure all students know what is to be completed during the day and in what order, assisting the student with Autism Spectrum Disorder to maintain anxiety levels. Games and interactive applications will be incorporated into my daily teaching to ensure students with Autism are gaining valuable knowledge on social skills and are also developing memory retention.
Throughout this assignment I have gained much useful knowledge on planning to cater for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder before the teaching day even begins. I have uncovered some knowledge and skills on how to cater for challenges as they arise, however this could be delved into further. Understanding and catering for challenging behaviour is an important aspect of teaching a student with Autism. A bank of strategies should be developed to assist with dealing with challenging behaviours in the classroom to minimise distractions to other students. I have embraced the idea of a quiet area where the overwhelmed student with Autism is able to go and calm down before re-joining the class. However, with more research I would be able to find many more appropriate strategies for catering for challenging behaviours as they occur.
Classroom Resources for Autism 