[Untitled photograph of autism]. Retrieved from http://www.baylor.edu/content/imglib/1/8/8/8/188841.jpg
As a student teacher, I have not had much experience teaching students with autism. I have had the chance to observe these students in different settings, but I have not actually had to teach to them, especially by myself. After learning about these students, I realized that I might come across more students with autism than any other single disability in my classroom. I think it is important to be very knowledgeable on how to teach these students so that I can educate them on how to be more independent and successful in their future. I started to do some research from the tools Dr. Fecich gave to us in class and I found one website that listed a variety of apps for students with autism (Autism Speaks, 2015, "Autism Apps," para. 1). If you go to autismspeaks.org/autism-apps, you will find a hand full of apps available for your class.
The first app that I reviewed was all about organization. It is called 4KidShare (Autism Speaks, 2015, "Autism Apps," para. 1). Since students with autism have difficulty with organization, this tool is great for keeping track of events and homework. The student can actually pick a date and then do an audio clip of what they need to do for that time frame. This gives them more independence by allowing them to input the event rather than someone else writing it down for them.
The second app that I reviewed was called ABA Flashcards (Autism Speaks, 2015, "Autism Apps," para. 1). We discussed the usage of flashcards a lot in class and building the students language. This app allows you to make your own flashcards using audio or using text.
This last app is one that I thought could be used in one of my personal finance classes. It is called Grocery-Gadget- Shopping List (Autism Speaks, 2015, "Autism Apps," para. 1). This app allows the students to go shopping and scan the barcode of items in order to see what you will be buying and how much it is. The app remembers your list for the next time you go. I can use this as an assignment for a unit on budgeting and even use this for all of my students. This would teach my students basic skills about budgeting that everyone should know.
[ Untitled photograph of speech and language disorder]. Retrieved from http://gnc.gu.se/digitalAssets/1424/1424852_speech--web-size-.jpg
When a student has a speech and language disorder, they do not necessarily have an intellectual disability. These students are struggling to express their thoughts in words and phrases by talking out loud. Because of this, I think it would be best to allow the student to write or type things that might be normally spoken out loud. However, you want the student to also have enough practice of their language in class. You should not let the student think that they can get away with writing or typing everything. The goal is to make their speech better (if possible) and to encourage them to speak out loud. For example, if I assigned my students to complete a class presentation, I would ask the student with a speech and language disability to speak less then the required time. I would still expect them to meet the time limit of the presentation, but rather use other means of presenting. Another way to differentiate would be to allow them to use a text-to-speech option. This way they are still expressing their ideas out loud to the class, but not in a way that is difficult for them. Another option I thought about would be to let the student make a video of their presentation at home so that they feel more comfortable and not have to worry about the pressures of presenting in front of people. I would give the student more time to do this, but in the end, see the same product but just on video. I think there are a lot of ways to assist students with a speech and language disability. These students should not struggle in class because a teacher does not want to adapt their instruction for them. We need to highlight their strengths and give them opportunities to be successful. These students might have the brightest minds but are unable to express themselves at a young age.
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