Chapter 11
Understanding Students with Autism
Chapter Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
• Define Autism Spectrum Disorders
Chapter Overview/Presentation Outline
I: Introduction
Slide 2: Chapter 11 Objectives
-Present slide 2 and review the chapter objectives
II. Identifying Students with Autism
Slide 3: Defining Autism
-Present slide 3 and discuss the definition of autism
Slide 6: Characteristics of Autism
-Present slide 6 and discuss the characteristics of autism
III. Evaluating Students with Autism
Slide 8: Determining the Prevalence
-Present slide 8 and discuss the prevalence of autism
IV. Designing an Appropriate IEP
Slide 10: Partnering for Special Education and Related Services
-Present slide 10 and discuss the team approach to functional assessment
Slide 12: Planning for Universal Design for Learning
-Present slide 12 and discuss UDL strategies for students with autism
V. Using Effective Instructional Strategies
Slide 15: Early Childhood Students
-Present slide 15 and discuss early intervention and social stories
VI. Assessing Students’ Progress
Slide 19: Measuring Students’ Progress
-Present slide 19 and discuss Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning
Class Activities
1. At the beginning of class, have students read the case study at the beginning of the chapter.
2. Have students create a brochure about the disability addressed in the chapter. The brochure
can be trifold and include: a definition of the disability, causes of the disability, characteristics of
3. Assign each student or pair of students a disability. Have the students prepare a class
presentation of the disability to include definition of the disability, causes and prevalence,
4. Social Stories. Social stories were developed by Carol Gray and are very useful for teaching
social skills to students with autism. They are stories written from the child’s perspective
intended to teach social skills to students. The social stories are repeated to the student. Ask you
students to construct a social story using the directions below. To construct a social story, four
types of sentences are included.
▪ Descriptive sentences describe the behavior steps. They include the who, what, where, and
why of the behavior. There should be several descriptive sentences.
In pairs, ask students to write a social story about one of the following: a fire drill, lunch in the
cafeteria, a field trip, moving to another classroom, going to art or music class, etc. Have
students share their social stories with the class.
5. Rain Man ©1988, 133 minutes—Show a portion or all of Rainman and allow students to
discuss the film.
About Rainman—A car dealer returns to his boyhood home soon after learning about his father’s
5. At the end of class, have students revisit the case study at the beginning of the chapter. Use the
questions at the end of the chapter, “What do you think?” to facilitate discussion.