FAQautism

Many youngsters with autism encounter difficulty in school because of their literal interpretation of language. A kindergarten student was in trouble last week because he crashed out the classroom door and ran pell-mell down the hall when the teacher said, “Let’s run to recess.” A high school student caused an uproar when he refused to exit the building during a fire drill. Earlier in the hour, he took the instructions seriously when his teacher said, “You may not get up from your desk until you have finished all ten math problems.”

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Sometimes we need to step back and analyze the situation when a youngster with autism does not follow directions. For example, a teacher was puzzled when a young student was unable to follow the instruction for passing out papers in class. The teacher said, “Take one and pass it down,” then handed a stack of papers to the child closest to her. The teacher was actually asking the first student to take one paper, then pass the stack of papers to the next student who takes one paper and passes the stack to the next student. But the young student with autism interpreted every word of the direction literally. When the stack of papers reached her, she took the top paper and passed that piece of paper down the row. Initially, the teacher responded to the student’s action by saying, “No, don’t pass the piece of paper. Take one and pass it down.” Now the other students were getting impatient and the youngster with autism was baffled. She was doing exactly what the teacher said, i.e. taking one piece of paper and passing that piece of paper down the row.

The teacher could have assumed the student was misbehaving, or she could have assumed the student was unable to understand the words. But, after taking time to analyze the situation, the teacher realized the youngster did exactly what the teacher asked, “Take one and pass it down.” Because the child with autism did not pick up on social cues and imitate the actions of her peers, she did not notice that the other students took one sheet of paper for themselves, then passed the stack of papers to their neighbor.

Tip for the Day. Rather than trying to explain the real meaning behind the symbolic language, just teach the desired response. So, in this case, the teacher could say, “When I say ‘Take one and pass it down,’ you take the piece of paper on the top, then pass the stack of papers to your neighbor. Like this.” Demonstrate the desired response so the youngster gets a verbal and a visual cue. Then let the student practice the response, and give her a big pat on the back.

NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email to talk@!FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com

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