| The number of pupils with an ASD (Autism Spectrum | | | | recognize the emotions, gestures, or ideas of others. |
| Disorder) included in mainstream classrooms is | | | | The pupil with an ASD will have marked difficulties with |
| increasing substantially. | | | | social interactions and may appear rude they will |
| ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a neurological | | | | struggle to initiate interactions and may misread social |
| disorder which affects the brain of the individual. | | | | situations. |
| Generally a child with an ASD will have deficits in three | | | | How to teach an autistic child in the mainstream |
| main areas of development: | | | | classroom can therefore be confusing and stressful at |
| Social Interactions | | | | times. |
| Communication skills – both verbal and non-verbal | | | | However there are methods that you can put in place |
| And Imagination skills will be missing | | | | that help address any social skills deficits that the |
| It is these characteristics of autism that can make life | | | | student with autism may display. Methods such as |
| in mainstream education for most autistic youngsters | | | | PECS communication system, flash cards and social |
| difficult. | | | | skills stories are all used in the mainstream classroom |
| Many teachers of pupils with an ASD find that the | | | | to overcome social, interaction, communications and |
| hardest characteristics of autism to deal with in the | | | | imagination difficulties. |
| mainstream classroom are the pupils: | | | | Social stories can act as a role model, using visual |
| The student with autism will have rigidity of thought | | | | images and first person descriptive text the social |
| and behavior, the student with autism will display limited | | | | story explains and answers the "wh" questions – |
| imagination or imaginative play skills. | | | | who, where, why, when and what as well giving an |
| The ASD student will be far more likely to display | | | | insight into the nonverbal communications displayed by |
| repetitive or obsessive play where the ASD student | | | | others. |
| may carry out ritualistic actions for example lining up | | | | For many teachers looking at how to teach an autistic |
| toys or sorting into colors. Or they may focus upon | | | | child in the mainstream classroom, social stories have |
| minor details such as an item of clothing rather than | | | | become a valuable asset. There is no formal training |
| the person, or part of a toy rather than the whole thing. | | | | needed to use social skills stories, they can be edited |
| The pupil with an ASD will have limited verbal and | | | | to personalize them and tweak to fit each individual |
| non-verbal communication skills, for example they may | | | | they are printable therefore making them convenient |
| lack the ability to have a true two way conversation. | | | | and portable. |
| They will lack nonverbal communication skills and fail to | | | | |