Advocacy Support

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Tier 5

General Education Classroom

 Accommodations For Students with

Asperger’s Syndrome/ High Functioning Autism

1.    Give 15 minute and 5 minute transition warnings. Example, “We still have 15 minutes before math” and “You have 5 minutes to finish this assignment before we begin math.”

2.   Encourage student to attempt all assignments but do not grade down for errors on inferential questions. ASD

students do not get inference.

3.   Exempt students from whole class discipline. This will cause their anxiety to escalate since they do not understand why they are being punished for something that they didn’t do. 

4.   Assign a “safe person” that the student feels comfortable talking to. When anxiety/behavior issues arise, this person may be able to help diffuse the situation quickly.

5.   Allow the student to move to a “safe place” for a designated time period when over stimulated. This can be the classroom library, a table outside the classroom or the psychologist’s office.

6.   Assign long term projects 30 days before they are assigned to the rest of the class. This will allow ASD students the extra time they often need and still allow them to finish with their classmates.

7.   Establish predetermined checkpoints for long term and group projects that require parent and teacher signatures.

8.   Teach the class some quick relaxation techniques. Encourage all students to practice these techniques frequently. This may help the ASD student to better manage their anxiety.

9.   Provide color coded organizational materials. Example, a notebook with a blue math divider and a blue tray where the math homework should be put in the morning.

10. Provide peer paper and a peer to take notes and to record

 homework.

11. Initial student’s homework planner daily.

12. Establish daily/weekly positive reinforcement system for

     increasing responsibility, reducing undesirable behaviors    

     and/ or coping with anxiety in an acceptable manner.  

    13. Discuss issues in a calm manner. A loud or angry tone may

          increase the ASD student’s anxiety level and produce

          unwanted behaviors.

14.    Pretest, when possible, and do not assign drill work for items passed. ASD students do not understand why they need to write their spelling words 10 times each when they spelled all the words correctly on the pretest.

15.    Clarify classroom behavior system. Provide the ASD student with specific behaviors that will result in a consequence. 

16.    Clarify absolutes. For example, telling an ASD student to “don’t guess” may result in many incomplete assignments.

17.    Do not use idioms and/or sarcasm. ASD students are very literal and may not be able to determine the hidden meaning.

18.    Provide school/classroom responsibilities. This will help reduce anxiety and may increase peer status.

19.    Allow written work to be completed in manuscript or to be

word processed. Writing assignments may be more frequently completed if ASD students are not required to complete work in cursive.

20.   Allow students to have a small, age appropriate object, like a paper clip, to hold. This may reduce movements and help release anxiety.