Triveni Goswami Vernal
Registered Special Educator (CRR: A64010)

Individuals on the Autism spectrum have differing skill sets. While some skills may be at par with their neurotypical peers, some others may be far ahead (visual and/ auditory memory, while some skills may be far behind. All individuals have the inherent potential to develop the skills. It is for the educator, caregiver and parent to provide access to various kinds of learning and experiences, to bridge the gaps.

HOW DOES ONE BEGIN WORKING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO MAY BE LAGGING BEHIND IN SOME SKILLS?
The first step, is to identify the area/s that require work. This may require an assessment (formal or informal).
The second step, is to identify the pre-requisite skills required for each area to work on.
The third step, is to develop an Individualized Educational Plan, outlining the Goals (both short term and long term), that would help working on developing or building the foundation of the pre-requisite skills, that in turn, can help develop the targeted concept/behaviour, that the individual may be lagging behind, in.

For example, before we can introduce Numeracy to the child, we should ensure that we work on the pre-requisites (https://specialsaathi.com/2024/02/08/numeracy-skills-in-functional-academics-an-overview-of-pre-number-concepts-part-1/) , such as,
1) Spatial Sense (Understanding Shape, Size, Direction, Position, Movement)
2) Prepositions (Under/Over, In/Out, Before/After, Between etc)
3) Classification (Sorting, Matching, Same & Different, Big & Small, Light and Heavy, Thick & Thin, Tall & Short, Narrow & Wide etc)
4)Concepts of More and Less
5) Concepts of Long and Short
6) Concepts of Whole and Part
7) Identification of patterns
8) Colour Identification
9) Ordering & Sequencing (Seriation: Smallest to Largest and vice versa).
10) Pick odd one out
11) Identification of Numerals
12) One to One correspondence between numeral & objects.
13) Counting 1-10.

Similarly, for Literacy Skills (Reading, Writing /Typing), working on the individual’s Auditory Processing skills and Visual Perception skills are very important (https://specialsaathi.com/2024/01/25/literacy-skills-in-functional-academics-reading-part-1/). Without working on the pre-requisite (foundational) skills, it is challenging to develop the Literacy Skills further.

Thus, we see that teaching a new concept involves identification of the foundational skills that are essential for developing the concept, working on an Individualized Educational Plan outlining time bound Short-term and Long-term Goals and reviewing the Goals at regular intervals to ensure that new additions, can be made, if necessary.

The subsequent blogs, will shed light on Short-Term and Long-Term Goals, Strategies such as Task Analysis, Backward and Forward Chaining and the Individualized Educational Plan.

RESOURCES:
https://specialsaathi.com/2023/08/31/multisensory-approaches-to-teach-reading/
https://specialsaathi.com/2024/02/08/numeracy-skills-in-functional-academics-an-overview-of-pre-number-concepts-part-1/
https://specialsaathi.com/2023/09/07/multisensory-approach-to-teaching-spelling/
https://www.autismwhatnext.com.au/explore/children/ndis-and-funding/setting-goals-and-making-your-first-plan
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Author Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal

Dr.Triveni Goswami Vernal is a Registered Special Educator (CRR: A64010), a Psychologist and an Expressive Arts Therapy Practitioner in training (UNESCO-CID). She is an Avaz Certified Educator and Certified in Dyslexia Teacher Training. She is also an art educator for children with additional needs.

Artwork “Spring Flowers”, Artist Kabir Vernal
Oil pastels on watercolour paper