Teaching, Training, and Living with Children
Who Have Autism: Recommendations 1-5 

Teaching children with autism is different from teaching children without autism. Thankfully, we have the experience of many teachers, trainers, and parents who have found strategies and techniques that make this daunting task a little easier. The following ten recommendations for teaching, training, and living with children who have autism have been adapted from the works of Martin A. Kozloff, the Judevine Center for Autism, Applied Behavioral Analysis, and many parents, children, and teachers.

Recommendation 1: Have high expectations. Do not assume the person cannot do something just because the person has autism. Do not be controlled by the person's IQ score. It is very difficult to accurately measure the IQ of a child who has autism. Expect the person to behave, to answer you when you ask a question, to come when you call, and to complete a task you assign. The person with autism may need more time than others to do these things and may need your help, but continue to expect good things from them. Above all, do not excuse bad behavior because you feel sorry for the person with autism. The first change many of us need to make when we work with those with autism is to stop thinking of persons with autism as helpless victims. Persons with autism are people. They are people with feelings, thoughts, desires, and needs. They respond to positive reinforcement, love, attention, punishment, and all the things we experience in life. However, they may respond in different ways.

Recommendation 2: Use a positive approach. Stay positive at all times. Pay attention to and look for appropriate behaviors. When you see them, comment on them and reinforce them with specific verbal praise (e.g., "Carey, I like how you are sitting quietly."). To establish new behaviors, present other reinforcers along with the verbal praise, e.g., physical praise (a pat on the head, a "high five", etc.), a primary reinforcer (a bit of food or candy), or activity reinforcers (access to toys, time to play, etc.). Note: It is very important to find strong reinforcers (a reinforcer is anything that, when given after a behavior, strengthens the behavior). To find a strong reinforcer, talk to the parents, other teachers who work with the child, watch for those things the child chooses on his or her own, and try a million different things to see what is motivating for the child. Once you find a strong reinforcer, keep it under your control and do not allow the child access to it until the child has performed the behavior you are looking to strengthen. Unlimited access to reinforcers devalues them.

Ignore inappropriate behaviors. Destructive, abusive, or dangerous behaviors may require a consequence, but for most behaviors: start with ignoring. Commenting on, looking at, or paying attention to inappropriate behaviors in any way can be very reinforcing for many children with autism.

When you explain rules to the person, make sure they are stated in positive terms. That is, say, "Sit on the chair," rather than "Don't stand up." Tell the person what to do, rather than what not to do. If the person makes a mistake, say, "Good try," and have him or her try again. Also, never talk about the person's behavior problems or deficiencies in front of the person. It's rude to do with anyone; and may give the person with autism a list of things to do to get your attention! Be careful!

Recommendation 3: Require a response. Never ask a person with autism to do anything! Always tell them. And never tell a person with autism to do something that you cannot make happen with your hands-on assistance. When you tell a person with autism to do something, give them a little more time to respond (about ten seconds). Many persons with autism have difficulty processing auditory information and/or visual cues and may need more time to decode what you have said and to decide upon a response. If after ten seconds, the person does not respond, prompt the answer. For example, if you have asked, "Kayla, are you happy today?" And got no response, prompt Kayla by saying, "I am ______." She may fill in the blank. If still no response, prompt again with "I am h_____." (assuming she looks happy). If still no response, prompt a "Yes" or "No" verbal or gestural response. Whatever response comes (even if you have to shake her head up and down for her) make sure you praise her for "Good answering" or "Good talking." Never allow a question to remain unanswered or an instruction to remain uncompleted. Do not drop it and move on to the next child. If you do this, the child with autism will learn that no response is ever required of them and that what they may have to say is unimportant. Make sure you get a response. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Recommendation 4: Ignore irrelevant speech, vocalizations, giggling, laughing, and actions. Check this scene out: All of a sudden, Andrew, a child with autism, breaks out in loud and animated giggling. The teacher spends the next 15 minutes asking Andrew what is so funny, she laughs with him, and goes around the room pointing out several objects and asking, "Is this what you are laughing at?" The giggling stops as abruptly as it started. The teacher is puzzled and has no idea what triggered the giggling. She was hoping for a breakthrough moment of connection with Andrew.

Rather than achieve a "breakthrough," the teacher has just reinforced an inappropriate behavior for 15 minutes! Remember, pay attention to behaviors you want to see repeated and ignore behaviors you want to stop. What's so inappropriate about giggling, you may ask? Nothing, if it is related to what is going on at the time. However, if you see no clear connection with what has just happened or is happening, then ignore it. You need to teach the child with autism what is relevant speech and actions and what is irrelevant. This goes for self-stimulating behaviors, echolalia, out-of-context words and phrases, screaming, odd actions, and any other behavior that is not related to what is going on. One of the traps teachers and parents get into with children with autism is that we want to encourage all communication, because we so rarely get it from the child. However, make sure you differentially reinforce and respond to relevant and irrelevant communication. Otherwise, you will get more and more irrelevant speech and actions because the child sees that it gets your attention. When the child's response or actions are relevant, give lavish praise and point out the connection between what the child said (or did) and the relevant event (for example: "Yes, Andrew, it is funny when Barney giggles!").

Recommendation 5: Speak slowly, clearly, and specifically. Remember, persons with autism may have difficulty processing what you say. At first, speak slowly and clearly so the child receives all to most of your verbal cues. (Later you will want to make your speech as normal as possible so the child will understand anyone, not just you.). Make sure the child is looking at your face (more on this later) to assure he or she also picks up on your nonverbal cues. Be specific in your language. Until you know the child understands colloquialisms or abstractions, do not use them. For example, rather than say, "Take a seat," say, "Sit on the chair." Many children with autism are very literal and may misunderstand your nonliteral phrases - no matter how common they seem to be. For example, a parent once told me that she was puzzled when her child kept holding his worksheets up to his face, until she realized that she had told him, "Keep your eyes on the paper." Watch your nonliteral speech - it can have unforeseen consequences! Use nouns as nouns, verbs as verbs, and adjectives as adjectives. For example, if you are teaching colors by showing different color blocks, do not say, "This is blue," rather say, "This is a blue block." Do not say, "This is a cow," if showing a picture of a cow. Instead, say,"This is a picture of a cow." Also avoid inadvertently asking questions when you intend to give a command. We all do this when we tell a child to do something but add the polite phrase, "Okay?" This changes the command to a request and the child can say, "No." And, since we want to always reinforce appropriate communication, we would have to honor their "no" and stop the activity. Also avoid outright questions, like: "Will you do this?" or "Are you ready to work?" Other statements to avoid: "Do this for me." (School work is not done for someone else, it is the child's duty). "Let's put on our coat." (Unless that is a very big coat, avoid this "we" talk). Also avoid "Please" and "Thank you" when giving commands or instructions, these are polite words but not needed for expected behavior.

Go To Recommendations 6 through 10

Please send questions, comments, & suggestions to: Gary J. Heffner.

DISCLAIMER: This site is intended to provide basic information resources on Autistic Disorder. It is not intended to, nor does it, constitute medical or other advice. The author of the web site is not a medical doctor. Readers are warned not to take any action with regard to medical treatment or otherwise based on the information on this web site or links without first consulting a physician. This web site does not necessarily endorse any of the information obtained from any of the links on this page or links that other pages may lead you to. Neither does this web site promote or recommend any treatment, therapy, institution or health care plan. The information contained in this site is intended to be for your general education and information only and not for use in pursuing any treatment or course of action. Ultimately, the course of action in treating a given patient must be individualized after a thorough discussion with the patient's physician(s) and family.