Whether you are a parent or educator of a child with autism, you may benefit from knowing some of these key teaching strategies for students with autism.
Limit Classroom Distractions
Though many classrooms have a “sensory overload” quality to them, with myriad posters and decorations, students on the spectrum do better when there are fewer distractions.
Keeping the classroom minimally decorated is a start, but try your best to control other parts of the classroom environment that may be distracting. For example, opening a window to let in fresh air during the springtime may be nice, but if the sound of cars or lawnmowers is let in, then that may detract from the student’s learning experience.
Communicate Frequently
Children with autism are known to struggle in interpersonal interaction, especially when it comes to ambiguous language.
This is why it is very important to communicate with your students with clear and precise language.
You may need to do this somewhat frequently until it has been established with the students what is expected of them in the classroom environment.
The Time Timer Helps with Time Perception for Students with Autism
For many students with autism, time perception is one of the biggest hurdles to effective performance inside and outside of the classroom.
The problem of time perception involves experiencing time as going faster or slower than it really does. The result here is that it can be difficult to effectively take tests and do other educational activities with distorted time perception.
A student with autism may struggle with time perception for any number of reasons, but one of the possible issues is that the abstractness of the concept of time is hard for people with autism to grasp.
This is suggested by the fact that efforts to make time perception more concrete often helps students with autism better complete their tasks. It has been observed by psychologists that including visual representations of time within lessons can be an effective teaching strategy for students with autism.
That is why the Time Timer products that we offer have been so important to people on the autism spectrum, as well as their parents and the educators who work with them.
More Great Time Management Products from Time Timer
Hopefully, this article has provided you with some insight into how the learning experience can be improved for people with autism.
Time Timer products have been essential for creating success in homes and classrooms around the world, with a variety of uses for Time Timer products for people with special needs.
Check out the rest of the Time Timer products, which includes the Time Timer Wash, a great handwashing aid for creating a healthier school or home environment.
The Time Timer Blog
Want more information about time management, education, child-rearing, special needs, Time Timer products, and more? Follow our blog on the Time Timer site!
See some of our selected blogs here:
- Time Blindness and ADHD
- The Creation of Time Timer (Jan’s Story)
- Dyscalculia and Trouble with Time
- Early Indicators of Dyslexia in Young Children
- How to Use a Visual Schedule to Increase Productivity at Home and in the Classroom
