Archive for category Autism
Autism Education and Individual Education Program Plans
Individual Education Program Plans (IEPs) are central concerns of special needs education.
The education planning compiled in form of a written plan developed by the schools special education team specifies the student’s academic goals and the method to obtain these goals and clarifies the initial educational situation for a student.
Based thereon it defines objectives and measures that contribute to the development of age- and situational appropriate behavior, the buildup of motivation and the development of cognitive and linguistic /communicative, motor and social skills.
The planning links methodological concerns with development-specific support issues. It provides advice on implementation options in the classroom and for class preparation.
Educational planning emanates from the existing skills and the developing needs of the students.
The support plan identifies responsibilities, includes a scheduling and a flexible processing.
A temporal benchmark is the quarterly update of the individual education plans; shorter review intervals may be needed depending on the individual needs.
The provision of special education support, the selection of the most suitable place to facilitate the support, the developing of educational plans under the given conditions of the learning site and the review of the promotion effects, respectively the persistence of support needs, require a variety of diagnostic surveys and decisions. Read the rest of this entry »
Autism Education – New Information and Communication Technologies
While in traditional education a face to face learning environment is prevalent, a new dimension comes into play in the relationship between educator – autistic child – computer which is characterized by emotional neutrality as well as playful interactivity.
The momentarily exclusion of the direct relationship with the educator, as the computer assumes this role, mitigates the emotional stress which is triggered by social encounters. This can facilitate the learning process.
Today’s common technologies for the education of children with autistic syndrome can be divided into three main approaches which often complement each other, depending on the skills to be developed:
1. Expression and communication skills
2. Cognitive and emotional skills
3. Interaction and social skills
Expression and communication skills
The majority of these programs and technologies have been specifically developed for people with perceptual, developmental and learning disorders. Their general purpose is to increase the linguistic capabilities. When selecting the adequate technology it is important to factor in the degree of existing linguistic skills. Read the rest of this entry »