The impact of autism in learning and development
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How does autism affect learning and development?
Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental disability that generally appears before the age of 3. Conditions such as Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) fall within the autistic spectrum, and can cover a wide range of different needs. In general, children with ASD develop more slowly than others their age, and sometimes, do not learn common skills in the same way or order. Since autism can have an effect on mental and physical development, it can then cause wider repercussions on a child's learning both at school and home. Therefore, it is essential that children with autism are offered, and can access, extra help in particular development and learning areas.
Let's have a closer look at the details surrounding these issues.
What areas of development does autism affect?
Autism is often unique to each individual person. However here are some common developmental traits that can have a big impact on learning:
- • Difficulties with tuning into other people's speech and behaviour in the same way as typically developing children. You may find that the child takes longer, or does not feel able, to respond to their names, make eye contact, smile at others, or wave goodbye. Autistic children may only know when, or how to do this, if they are reminded at a particular moment.
- • An inability to speak or difficulty in using language. Research has found that around 40% of children with autism do not speak at all. This means that autistic people may find beginning or maintaining relationships very challenging, and, by being unable to verbally communicate, find socialising in big groups even harder.
- •Difficulties with maintaining joint attention. This is where a child with autism cannot always focus on something for long, and so are unable to make links between it and the wider world, people or situations. Issues with joint attention can therefore make learning social skills like taking turns, interpreting facial expressions or keeping to the topic of a conversation, very difficult and confusing.
- •Misunderstanding other peoples' perspectives. Although this ability typically develops as a child reaches the ages of 3 and 5, those with autism can take much longer to develop this essential social skill. They may not understand that it is possible or ok that those around them have different beliefs than themselves. They may also struggle with anticipating and reading the behaviour of other people, unable to see how their own actions can have a big impact on them. This can then exasperate the child's difficulties with their own emotional regulation, creating a cycle of confusion and frustration.
- It is also well documented that co-morbid medical conditions are common in a person with ASD, and these can affect mental and physical development in many different ways. Conditions include allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, feeding disorders, sleeping disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, and cognitive impairments. However, this varies from person to person, and these health issues may appear suddenly and then later disappear as the child grows up.
What areas of learning does autism affect?
When you consider the developmental difficulties discussed above, they can all have a knock-on effect against the learning of a child with autism.
- If a child has difficulties tuning into someone else's speech or behaviour, then they may be unable to access lessons due to the way a teacher verbally delivers them, or finds social cues confusing during group work. This can affect all sorts of different lessons across the board, and be a familiar issue that the child has to work with and overcome throughout their school life. Also, by tuning out, a child may be overwhelmed by the sensory aspects of the surrounding classroom or learning space, and so connect a learning situation with anxiety, struggle and unease.
- A lack of communication skills, or difficulties with learning language, can stop a child from making concrete connections, asking questions, showing their teacher what they do and do not understand, and learning from their peers. This also feeds into the issue with misunderstanding perspectives, making it harder for students with autism to understand different cultures, how they do not know something when someone else in the class does, and why characters in stories act the way they do after big events occur.
- The lack of joint attention means that a child with autism could struggle with orientating themselves throughout the school day. During lessons, break times and changeable events, they may find it difficult to focus, pay attention, deal with transitions, organise their time and equipment, maintain an up to date understanding of what is expected of them, and control their emotions and frustrations. In terms of learning, these built up anxieties can affect concentration and resilience.
- Co-morbid medical conditions can knock the confidence out of a student with autism because they may feel alienated from their peers, and so less willing or self-assured to ask and answer questions. On top of this, they may have to miss school at times, or leave the classroom regularly to support their individual condition. As a result, progress in the classroom may be reduced because the child has to keep catching up on missed work.
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How can a person with autism improve their learning ability?
The key to a person with autism improving their learning ability is to recognize what their specific difficulties are, and then work with their families, teachers and wider support network, such as doctors and therapists, to find useful and adaptable strategies. They must remember that they are not on their own and wanting help is often the most important step. Another big thing to remember is that they must not give up, feel despondent or depressed about the issues they face. If they can keep going and keep trying then they are actively taking control over their own learning, and that can only lead to positive improvement.
The strategies listed below for teachers and carers to follow should be undertaken with the backing of the student, and their own ideas should help to refine them further.
How can you assist learners with autism?
Ultimately, parents and carers are the most reliable experts on their autistic children. To ensure that this knowledge is used effectively both in and out of school, all shareholders in the child's life should coordinate and distribute it between themselves. They should all suggest interventions that have worked at home or in school for the child, and be an open sounding board for adaptation so that these ideas can be integrated creatively into the child's routine.
Another essential way that you can assist learners with autism is to support the process of them being diagnosed. If the child can be diagnosed earlier, then their emotional and mental wellbeing can be supported sooner, and any behavioural issues or signs of depression will be reduced as they grow from children into adults. This in turn will help them achieve and progress more easily at school, ensuring that their learning is affected as little as possible by the development difficulties they face.
If you are a teacher it is really important that you engage with, and develop an autistic child's specific interests. Many people with autism have strong passions, whether that's creative, numerical or physical, and so getting to know your student's likes and dislikes can help you understand what motivates them. This can mean that you will be able to plan more effective lessons that meet their needs, and that you will also create a more comfortable and engaging learning environment.
Together, teachers and parents can introduce many different strategies that will improve the learning experience of autistic students. Examples of such strategies are:
- •Being observant for alienation, depression and bullying
- •Writing and communicating instructions in easy-to-follow steps
- •Using visual aids such as PECS
- •Being patient and resilient in times of change or little progress
- •Showing the child as much consideration, praise, interest and support as you can
- •Teaching key words and phrases that will help in their everyday life
- •Communicating clearly with a calm, considered tone
- •Creating a calm or personally interesting environment for that child
- •Encouraging speech by working at the student's speed
For more ideas, strategies and information about autistic development and learning, then please check out the links below.
Useful links: