Making Learning Fun For Autistic Children
Autism is a disorder of the brain that is biological in function.
It causes anywhere from mild to severe social impairment and an inability to function normally in society. However, there are ways to treat many of the cases of autism. Autistic children can learn and excel and if certain teaching methods are used, their progress can be nothing short of fantastic.
One of the most important things to realize in making learning fun for autistic
children is the fact that they learn in different ways than children without
autism. Autistic children generally have a disability in social skills.
Sometimes this difficulty in communication involves language skills. However,
there are a number of ways to make learning these important skills more than
just a chore. By injecting fun into learning, it has been shown that autistic
children learn at a faster pace. Actually, fun and learning work well for all
types of children, but autistic children are special and require more tailored
methods.
Children with autism seem to learn best when the instructional material is
presented in visual form. In this case it might be worthwhile to try different
educational programs via a computer. Using a computer is a fun way to learn. The
majority of educational programs are highly visual. Many of the games available
involve storylines, plots, and realistic human behaviors. Some of the skills
autistic children can learn from carefully selected video games are language
skills, reading and math skills, and social skills. Visual learning devices are
highly effective and can be accompanied by various rewards to reinforce what is
being learned. For instance, food and extended leisure activities can be used as
rewards that will encourage the child to want to learn. In addition, the use of
positive reinforcement will help develop a bond between student and teacher, and
create a sense of trust that will help strengthen the learning environment.
Social stories are another way to make learning fun for children with autism.
Since one of the aspects of autism is the inability to interact normally in a
social situation, social stories can be utilized in a variety of different ways
in order to model appropriate behavior. Autism education pioneer Carol Gray
developed this approach in 1991. By using engaging stories, children with autism
can learn appropriate and inappropriate responses to situations. The level of
fun, of course, is up to the way social stories are used. Usually, the stories
are tailored to the child. By modeling situations familiar to an autistic child,
they can be better prepared to react in a socially appropriate to those same
situations in the future. Social stories usually have three distinct ways of
addressing a particular situation. The first describes who, what, where and why
in relation to the situation. The second is a perspective sentence that
illuminates how others react to the situation being discussed. Finally, the
third sentence tries to model an appropriate response. Sometimes the use of
social stories can be accompanied by music and pictures. In terms of making the
process a bit more fun rewards can be used when a situation is properly
addressed.
Children with autism require special education needs to address their social
difficulties. It is really important to make these activities as much fun as
possible so the student will stay motivated. It is not easy for an autistic
child to change his or her response to various situations, so it is imperative
that the activities be non-threatening and highly interesting. It has been
demonstrated that over time the use of visual aids and social stories are two of
the most effective ways to help autistic children overcome social situations
they feel are threatening. To most of us, these situations are normal, everyday
occurrences, but to children with autism they can sometimes be terrifying
moments that they do not have the skills to deal with. These teaching methods,
while entertaining and fun, can help children adapt and manage their perceptions
of social interactions.
There are many more resources and information about diagnosing, controlling and
treating Autism in,
The
Essential Guide To Autism
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