Learning Plan for Autistic Children - Essay Example

Running Head: LEARNING PLAN Learning Plan for Autistic Children Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Introduction: Varied intervention measures are utilized in treating, teaching and working with children with special learning needs. These children need to grow and experience normal living as much as possible despite their disability. Their needs vary from one child to another depending on the serenity of their condition. The goal when working or teaching these children is always to help them achieve the maximum level of independence as well as being able to reach their potential in all aspects of their lives. Children with special needs may develop normally up to a certain age where they fail to reach the developmental milestones or are abnormally late in reaching them. One of the most common conditions in the category of developmental disorders is called autism. Autism is characterized by different kinds of improvement in the verbal and non-verbal communication mastery, social interaction, self help and playing skills as well as academic (intellectual) and cognitive skills. Other observable traits include limited repetitive and extreme patterns of behavior (Boyd, R.D. & Corley, M.J. 2001, 19). It is therefore imperative that the curriculum as well as other aspects of learning the designed in such a manner as to wholly meet the needs of these children. This section examines the learning needs of an autistic child and the theories that form the basis of select learning environments with the view of creating a most apt learning environment for specific special needs of a child. Different special needs. There are several groups of children with special learning interaction and communication needs. These conditions may include inherent conditions such as Autism, Aspergers syndrome, Down syndrome (Autism Spectrum disorders) and various physical impairments that include, hearing disorders, blindness and dumbness. Children who are born with or who develop these conditions are faced with a myriad of challenges in relationships as well interpreting, understanding the world around them. They lack the ability to communicate effectively. Autistic children seem to be in a world of their own and are not able to make out meanings of verbal and non-verbal communications such as gestures, facial expressions, physical contacts and even words spoken by people. (Anderson et al 1987, 352-366). Their semantic skills are disoriented and they seem to be indifferent about what is going on around them and even the people who are trying to interact with them. Their behavior does not match their feelings and interacting or relating with other people becomes very difficult if not impossible. For instance, an autistic child will see another child with a toy and since the autistic child cannot express him/herself and as such cannot let the other child know that she would want to play with the toy, the only option left for the autistic child is to grab the toy by force. Autistic children’s needs are hardly understood by most people around them and therefore are not acted upon on time. This can be a cause of frustration to the child and lead to antisocial behavior such as acts of violence. It can also frustrate the other party who do not understand the autistic child’s behavior interprets the behavior in the wrong way. This therefore, results in a conflict because other people not in the special group category cannot comprehend autistic people therefore not able to meet their need appropriately. Autistic children have difficulties learning different words and may not show any response when words are spoken to them. Due to the these developmental disorder autistic children usually lag behind in developing self help skills such as toileting skills, eating, dressing themselves and even playing skills (Beukelman, D. & Miranda, P. 1998, 129-34). They tend to be obsessed in arranging things in a certain order or pattern and cannot accommodate other children or people in their plays. Additionally, these children have learning difficulties and they thus seem to be behind in academics and other skills that require mental assertion. Due to these different special needs, autistic children require that their learning programme be designed in such a manner they start off very simply and develop towards complex and the teaching of wide range of skills. The teaching environment, can either impact negatively or positively depending on how conducive it is for children in the special needs category. These children can only do well when the environment is homely and orderly since they mostly thrive when everything follows a certain routine. They need to be in an environment that is sensitive to their need because some of them are very sensitive to the environment especially smell, sound, and even the heat. These aspects can be very uncomfortable for these children. Necessary precautions ought to be taken to ensure that factors mentioned above are regulated in an environment is conducive to these children. Children with special needs require more attention than normal children and thus their learning environment should have more care givers (Boyd, R.D. & Corley, M.J. 2001, 96). Some of these disorders make the children to be hyper active and some may have self injurious behavior. Such as head banging, and therefore require carefully monitoring at all times. Learning Theories. Behaviorism Theory Behaviorism is a theory that asserts that any organism, animal or human learning is based only on observable behavior with no regard to mental activity (ODonnell, John M. (1985 ). This theory further defines learning simply as the acquisition of new behavior (ODonnell, John M. (1985 ). Behaviorists rose to prominence when they refuted the theories of introspection indicating that behavior was the only appropriate subject matter for psychology (ODonnell, John M. 1985, 51). Skinner borrowed from earlier experiments by Ivan Parlor who had developed the theory of classic conditioning from observing that dogs reacted to a bell by salivating after being conditioned that a well would ring just before food. Skinner experimented in the Pigeons. Skinner developed a theory of operant conditioning. Behaviorists argue that human action can be controlled by using appropriate external stimuli. According to the behaviorism theory learning is an adaptive process which is motivated by the ever present need to adjust to the environment. Additionally, the learning process is shaped by the conscious experience rather than abstract or spiritual experiences (Goldman, Alvin I. 1993, 24-33). Behaviorists put much emphasis on the role of stimuli and response BFR. A stimulus is any event, object or factor that may influence the way organism, animals and humans behave. Response on the other hand is the resultant reaction to the stimulus. Behaviorists argue that the two categories of response namely reflex and voluntary response can be manipulated by the assertion of specific stimulus. If follows that, that this manipulation or control can be used in learning. BF Skinner (1953) describes the theory of operant conditioning. From his experience with pigeons he observed that he could make the pigeons dance if that action was followed by a reward of some food. He explains that positive and negative reinforcement can be used in learning where behavior can be learnt through modeling. This theory like the entire behaviorism theory emphasizes on stimuli and response as the shapers of behavior rather than internal mechanism such as instinct and other factors. Behaviorism theory has been criticized by psychologists and educators who claim that stimuli and response are not the only influences on behavior but cognitive factors are important in shaping behavior and social education. Other psychologists have come up with other theories that stem from behavioral theories but which are more expansive and inclusive. Such theories include Bandura’s social development theory. Other scholars and psychologists as well as religious leaders have dismissed behaviorism theory by claiming that internal mechanisms do not have an effect on learning and behavior. They asserted that human beings unlike animals utilize more senses and have a spiritual side to them. It follows that human beings are likely to go beyond desire to respond to a stimulus and think about the consequences of their actions. All in all, the point of Skinner et al that reinforcement either positive or negative can be used to shape behavior cannot be dismissed. Cognition Theory Cognition theory asserts that their internal mechanisms are more important in determination of individual behavior development. Much of behaviors and learning depends on individuals cognitive abilities. One of the contributors to the theory of cognition is child psychologists Jean Piaget who described the learning processes. Piaget believed that humans are different from animals simply because of the interest ability to “abstract symbolic reasoning” (Piaget, J. 1983, 156) these views are in opposition to that of behaviorism theorists who give importance to stimuli and response. Another contributor Lev Vygotsky had similar rows to those of Piaget. Piagets’s interest in discovering how organism and animal adapted to their environment led him to the belief that their adaptations to the external environment are influenced through mental arrangements or schemes that individuals utilizes in interpreting the world around them or take position. Piaget hypothesized that when children are born, they have inherent skims or reflexes that influence their action through life. However, these reflexes do not last and their place is taken by constructed schemes (Piaget, J. 1983, 112). He posited that children go through four stages in their development in the same order without skipping any. These stages are universal and are experienced by all children regardless of culture and environment. According to Piaget these stages are: sensory motor stage, pre-operational stage, the concrete operations stage (7-12 years), formal operation (12- adulthood). This shows that children cognitive systems advanced as the children developed moving from basic reflexes like crying and sucking to sophisticated thought processes. At all the stages of development children experience their environment in accordance to the mental structures that the child has been able to develop up to that point (Goldman, Alvin I. 1993, 14). If a child faces a new experience this might have the effect of throwing them off balance or accommodating the new experience. This is the learning process. Other theorists assert that the major contributor to human behavior is culture and every development occurs in the context of a particular culture. (Vygotsky 1962, 114). Culture plays an important factor in intellectual processes since through culture children are able to observe and acquire much of the thinking that shapes their behavior. In other words, culture guides children’s thoughts as well as such thoughts apply in their world. Learning also occurs through problem solving. According to Vygotsky much learning is through interaction with the environment and with the people around. (Vygotsky 1962). According to Vygotsky, children do not necessarily have to go through the four stages outlined by Piaget. Instead, he asserts that with proper instruction children are able to perform tasks that they would otherwise have been unable to perform without these instructions adults are therefore, advised to continually adjust their level of support and this would serve as an effective tool in teaching different skills. Additionally Vygotsky categorizes what children are able to do on their on and what they are able to do with input from an adult (Vygotsky, 1978, 53). Humanistic Theory. Humanistic theory derives its name from the liberal belief that life is good and ideal situation exists. Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers are the two leading figures in the development of this theory. They emphasis on ideals such as natural desire of everyone to learn. Humanistic hold to the belief that individuals or you are most important and therefore all focus should be on self development as a way to be happy. They also hold that the present is what is important rather than the past or the future. According to them a human being has inborn value of worth that is not degraded or negated by negative actions. According to Maslow, there is more to life than mere external stimuli believed by behaviorists. Maslow posits that humans are born with very specific direction and value (Maslow, A. H. 1968). Maslow believed that humans are conscious of their motives and ideally would be happier with more self knowledge and self acceptance (Mathes, E. 1981, 18). Consequently interests were directed towards understanding the good and the ordeal in life. He developed the hierarchy of needs that is often used to explain the belief system especially in humanistic approaches. Maslow hierarchy of needs is based on the premise that humans are born with inherent needs that are fulfilled as they go through life. Once each need is met then people move to the next level of need (Mathes, E. 1981, 56). The first level of needs consist of the physical needs which are the most basic human needs, without these life cannot move. They include food, water, sleep, oxygen and shelter. When these needs are fulfilled humans seek the next level source of needs which is safety need. Having achieved this, the next needs are friendship and emotional needs. Only after these have been fulfilled do humans move to the next level where energy is focused on esteem and after this then people strive to move to the last level which is self actualization. Self actualization requires that one have a full understanding of self (Maslow, A. H. 1968, 25). These levels of needs can be used in learning. Another key contributor in the humanistic approach is psychologist Karl Rogers. Rogers asserted that, there are several concepts that must be present for healthy change to take place (Ellis, A. (1973, 14-27). These concepts include: 1. Positive regard which means that people are generally good and as such should be made to feel worthy and accepted. 2. Non – judgmental attitude: Rogers believed that people should not be judged but rather made to see their mistakes and at the same time avoid any negative confrontations. 3. Disclosure: Rogers also believed that disclosure is a two way street that if the other person was expected to be open and disclose things in their lives then it had to be mutual. A therapist who is secretive would only make the client to hold back vital information. 4. reflection: according to Rogers, self knowledge started with reflection rather than interpretation by going back inside, a person is able to pay attention to the world without and at the same time comprehend his/her underlined feelings. Reflection allows one to listening to their own rhythm and become more real. Observed Learning Needs Andy is a five year old boy and was diagnosed with autism when he was 41 weeks old. Andy attends pre-school in his neighborhood together with normal children as advised by a social worker. He has difficulties in interacting with other children and this has in many instances a source of confusion for him as well as other children who try to interact with him. A neighbor’s child once commented that Andy did not like her. When asked why she was saying that, she replied that she greeted him and never responded. One of the most daunting tasks for his parents is to explain his disability to other children who in a good natured way want to befriend Andy. They soon realize that their efforts go unnoticed and many times are even resisted. Andy does not appreciate caring gestures such as physical contact, or even cuddling by his parents. Most of the time, he literally is in a world of his own staring at nothing for long periods of time. Some children unknowingly, have ridiculed him due to this supposedly queer behavior. Additionally, Andy has under developed playing skills and rarely ever gets to play with others. His favorite’s game is arranging his toys across his bed and while he is at it, seems to be entirely consumed by that activity failing to notice anything that is going on around him. Furthermore, Andy has not learned toileting skills and in many instances he messes himself up. It has been observed however, that his toileting skills get worse when the environment changes because sometimes when he is at home with his parents he may call for attention when he wants to release himself. This is not the case when he goes to school. And it is in such cases that he messes himself. This can be attributed to the fact that he is more nervous and uncomfortable when he is at school. Andy is not able to fully dress himself up and has difficulties with cloths such as sweaters, and belts even though he can still handle socks and shoes. He has to be assisted when eating because he pours most of the food before he can finish a plateful of food. Andy’s communications skills are so underdeveloped that he is not able to understand a word spoken to him neither does he seem to have a clear comprehension of gestures and facial expressions. He hardly utters any word except when he shrikes annoyingly if he is touched by a school mate or another child. He seems so sensitive to touch. It is observable though that Andy responds to visual objects and pictures. It has been recommended that visual kits be used to help with the learning. Due to the difficulties communication difficulties as well as interaction difficulties Andy’s academic development has been lower than in normal children. It is very difficult for teachers to communicate effectively with him not to mention the fact that he is mostly distant and finds it hard to concentrate on what the teacher is teaching in class. Many a times he is just staring fixedly at nothing or at one object for long periods of time. A few times Andy has been observed resulting to violent behavior especially when other children make noise around him. This violent behavior includes banging his head on the wall or on any object that is near him. Framework for a learning environment According to the Theories A learning program can be devised for Andy using the developmental theory discussed above. With the behaviorism theory, the concept that can be used is; (i) the reinforcement concept with the premise that behavior rewarded is likely to be repeated. This can be especially useful when teaching new skills. The caregivers should be extremely vigilant for any positive behavior and when it is noted a positive reinforcement ought to follow immediately. Andrew is extremely reserved and therefore, positive reinforcement can serve as an incentive to draw him out. Since he needs to feel secure as well as learn basic skills on his way to more independence, reward can be used as a stimulus that would be designed to bring about a positive reaction. Andy being 5 years of age is in the pre-operational stage according to Piaget’s theory of cognition. This theory can be used to help design a developmentally appropriate curriculum for Andrew. At his age, he is way behind in development and it is imperative that his learning plan begin with introduction of basic concepts such as learning to sleep so that all the stages skipped due to his disorder can be learned systematically. This ensures that the concepts introduced do not overwhelm him by being too complex. Simply put, fundamental concepts are built while establishing cognitive structures (Bandura, A., 1986). Considering Vygotsky social cognition perspective, Andy’s learning plan should incorporate much interaction between him and his learning tasks. He should also be given much support and attention as he tries to learn new skills. This would enable him to be able to do more than if he was left on his own. Thirdly, the humanistic theory according to Abraham Maslow would help to understand the information needs that Andy has. The first of his needs are the basic ones that help him to stay alive (coping needs). Since he has these, then the next levels should be pursued. The second level is his security needs that would serve to reduce his nervousness and create a conducive learning environment. As it has been observed that his toileting skills deteriorate when he is in the school environment, these can be improved if he is made to feel secure. The next level of needs would be his need for belonging. This can be achieved by creating awareness for all the people around him to give full support and show care to Andy as he tries to learn new skills. Andy can be assisted to develop to his full potential by being encouraged to use his skills through vocational training (Taylor, B., & Harris, S. (1995). This brings out the best out of the patient and gives him confidence and self-esteem. Only after these needs have been fulfilled can the need for esteem and self-respect as well as self-actualization be considered. A most helpful theory is described by Carl Roger’s where he asserts that all humans possess an inherent worth. According to him any healthy development comes through a process where a therapist plays a role of nurturing growth (Fromm, E. 1989, 90-101). In Andy’s case the therapist(s) would be the care givers and teachers. It would truly be extremely useful to utilize Roger’s person centered theory where caregivers and parents seek to supply compassion, frankness, and unrestricted positive regard (Rogers, C. R. 1980. This would be the ultimate tool that if persistently utilized is bound to bear encouraging results Conclusion This section has thoroughly reviewed the learning outcomes with children with autism taking into account the three theories of learning namely behaviorism, cognition, and humanistic approach. These theories have an important role to play in the learning for children with developmental disorders. These theories help us understand the needs of children with developmental disorders and also form a basis of implementing a programme that would help them in the learning process. It is believed that children with developmental disorders may not be able to live normally but independence should be encouraged at every opportunity and from the earliest possible moment. Developing a suitable programme for an autistic child, would require a holistic approach since there are many factors to be taken into consideration. All in all, life for autistic children as well as for other children with developmental disorders can be greatly improved by the use of the suggested programme. They can be trained and their lives improved tremendously such that they would be able to respond better to the different challenges and also be integrated in the normal functioning world. Reference: Anderson, S.R., Avery, D.L., & DiPietro, E.K., Edwards, G.L., & Christian, W.P. (1987). Intensive home-based intervention with autistic children. Education and Treatment of Children, 10, 352-366. Bandura, A., (1986), Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Beukelman, D. & Miranda, P. (1998). Augmentative and alternative communication: Management of severe communication disorders in children and adults (2nd ed.). 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