Social Stories and Autism
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- Date Submitted: 03/10/2013 03:46 PM
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Using Multimedia Tools with Social Stories to Decrease Disruptions in the Classroom from Students with Autism
EDG 506- Teacher Research
Cabrini College
Captain Marc T. Stanley
December 15, 2011
Using Multimedia Tools with Social Stories to Decrease Disruptions in the Classroom from Students with Autism
We have two students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a full inclusion 5th grade classroom with a total of 23 students. They are an 11 year old Asian male and an 11 year old Caucasian female. A typical day with these two students requires at least 10 prompts and redirections per hour to initiate and maintain focus in the classroom. The teacher must accomplish this while simultaneously instructing the remaining 21 students. We believe the use of interactive social stories will result in less disruptions and more on-task behavior with less teacher redirection.
We do not know what causes autism, but we do know one in 110 children and one in seven boys will be diagnosed with it every year. The deficit in functional language and social interaction are a defining characteristic of children with autism (Kanner, 1943). As qualitative impairments in social interaction are a defining quality for the diagnosis of autism, social dysfunction is what makes autism more than just a language delay. Children with autism lack “theory of mind” which prevents them from understanding that other people have thoughts and feelings. This results in the inability to predict what others will say or do in social situations.
On a typical day in the classroom, the male student needs to be redirected to focus on all lessons. He has been observed to scream, shriek and flail his arms about. On one particular occasion, while watching a video clip of Native Americans, a scantily clad cartoon figure elicited a shriek and a covering of the head by the student. This outburst lasted for quite a while. On a similar occasion...
EDG 506- Teacher Research
Cabrini College
Captain Marc T. Stanley
December 15, 2011
Using Multimedia Tools with Social Stories to Decrease Disruptions in the Classroom from Students with Autism
We have two students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a full inclusion 5th grade classroom with a total of 23 students. They are an 11 year old Asian male and an 11 year old Caucasian female. A typical day with these two students requires at least 10 prompts and redirections per hour to initiate and maintain focus in the classroom. The teacher must accomplish this while simultaneously instructing the remaining 21 students. We believe the use of interactive social stories will result in less disruptions and more on-task behavior with less teacher redirection.
We do not know what causes autism, but we do know one in 110 children and one in seven boys will be diagnosed with it every year. The deficit in functional language and social interaction are a defining characteristic of children with autism (Kanner, 1943). As qualitative impairments in social interaction are a defining quality for the diagnosis of autism, social dysfunction is what makes autism more than just a language delay. Children with autism lack “theory of mind” which prevents them from understanding that other people have thoughts and feelings. This results in the inability to predict what others will say or do in social situations.
On a typical day in the classroom, the male student needs to be redirected to focus on all lessons. He has been observed to scream, shriek and flail his arms about. On one particular occasion, while watching a video clip of Native Americans, a scantily clad cartoon figure elicited a shriek and a covering of the head by the student. This outburst lasted for quite a while. On a similar occasion...