Supporting students with autism spectrum disorder

Evidence-based strategies to help students with autism spectrum disorder

Telephone02 6947 2164

Emailsnowyvalleys-s.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Behaviour

Social stories are useful in displaying what behaviours are appropriate for students to exhibit.

Care of property

'Taking care of property' explains that different objects that a student may have throughout the day must be respected and taken care of.

Download and view Taking care of property (PPTX 109KB).

Calm down

'Calm down' shows students different tactics to aid them in handling intense emotions. Students are taught to count to 10, take deep breaths and are given positive reinforcement.

Download and view Calm down (PPTX 74KB).

Download and view Calm down (PPTX 77KB).

'Staying calm' shows students ways to stay calm before emotions escalate. It also makes an association between staying calm and positive emotions, as in 'I am in control, I feel good'. 

Download and view Staying calm (PPTX 86KB).

Feeling

'Angry feeling' goes over the ways that students should show their anger in healthy ways. It goes over the things that they can do when angry, such as telling someone why they're angry, counting to 10 and go for a walk. It also goes over behaviours that are not acceptable, like hitting, smashing toys and running away from home.

Download and view Angry feeling (PPT 97KB).

Hugs and kisses

'Hugs and kisses' shows when affectionate behaviour, hugging and kissing, is appropriate and when it is not appropriate. Namely, it displays the boundary between hugging and kissing family members versus not doing so to people at school.

Download and view Hugs and kisses (PPTX 102KB).

Download and view Hugs and kisses (DOCX 56KB).

Hit computer

'Hit computer' is a way of showing students the consequences of harming technology at school. It shows cause and effect, by saying 'Eddy cannot hit the mouse. If Eddy hits the mouse it will break', and so on.

Download and view Hit computer (PPTX 112KB).

Hurting others

'No violence story' walks students through different parts of their day and repeats what behaviours are not okay to exhibit. It goes in chronological order from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. It associates positive emotions with parts of their day.

Download and view No violence story (PPTX 579KB).

'Out on the playground' explains good playground behaviour. Most importantly, it tells students how to handle conflict on the playground. It tells students to let the playground monitor on duty know right away, rather than wait to tell their teacher when they are back in class.

Download and view Out on the playground (PPT 283KB).

'Playing in the sandpit' goes over all of the behaviours that students should exhibit while in the sandpit. It goes over both positive and challenging behaviour, including taking turns, keeping hands to themselves and playing kindly with others.

Download and view Playing in the sandpit (PPTX 208KB).

'When I hurt someone' and 'Hurt someone' show the step by step consequences of students hurting their teacher, aide or other students. These are used for when behaviour is challenging enough that the student must be sent home or do their work from the office.

Download and view When I hurt someone (PPTX 250KB).

Download and view Hurt someone (PPT 92KB).

'Hands to myself' are lists of rules that explains why students need to keep their hands to themselves and how to stay calm when they do not. 

Download and view Hands to myself (DOCX 65KB).

Download and view Hands to myself (PPTX 102KB).

'Not hitting or kicking' affirms why students should not harm others through hitting or kicking. It tells them how exhibiting such behaviours makes people feel.

Download and view No hitting or kicking (PUB 145KB).

It's okay

'It's okay' talks about different events at school that may trouble a student, such as other students being upset or jackets being unzipped. Through repetition of 'it's okay', it helps students handle these situations by staying calm.

Download and view It's okay (PPTX 94KB).

Make a mistake

Sometimes, students are going to make mistakes and they may find it overwhelming. In 'Making mistakes', it shows students the healthy ways in which they can handle mistakes made by themselves and others.

Download and view Making mistakes (PPTX 89KB).

Manners

Sometimes, students may pull their pants down to handle uncomfortable stimuli. This helpful sheet explains why that behaviour is not acceptable.

Download and view Pulling pants down (PPTX 117KB).

'Making silly noises' goes over the manners associated with different noises a student may make unintentionally, like hiccuping, coughing and sneezing.

Download and view Making silly noises (PPT 205KB).

Others hurting me

'Someone bothers me' shows students how to control their behaviour when someone upsets them. It also tells them how this behaviour will make them feel.

Download and view Someone bothers me (PPTX 100KB).

On task

'Doing the right thing' explains to students how other people in their class may sometimes exhibit challenging behaviour. It encourages them to ignore these behaviours and stay calm.

Download and view Doing the right thing (PPTX 148KB).

'Ready to work' shows students how to get ready to do school work through different physical behaviours.

Download and view Ready to work (PPTX 77KB).

'Starting your work' outlines the process of getting ready to start work, including the objects a student may need in class and good behaviours.

Download and view Starting your work (DOC 49KB).

'Staying on task' shows students behaviours that can help them stay on task while in the classroom.

Download and view Staying on task (PPTX 113KB)

Download and view Staying on task (PPT 99KB)

Download and view Staying on task (PPT 203KB)

Pulling hair

Students sometimes may show their emotions through hair pulling. This presentation explains why that behaviour is troubling and how it can make them feel.

Download and view Pulling my hair out (PPT 214KB).

Rules

'Play equipment rules' explains the different rules associated with playground equipment. 

Download and view Play equipment rules (PPTX 79KB).

'School rules' goes over rules that are associated with the school day and multiple environments students may experience.

Download and view School rules (DOCX 206KB).

'Kindergarten rules' goes over rules that may exist for students in Kindergarten, how to respect them and how that makes others feel.

Download and view Kindergarten rules (PPTX 198KB)

'Class rules' goes over class rules that a student may have and how respecting them makes others feel. 

Download and view Class rules (PUB 145KB).

Sharing

'Sharing story' explains sharing through a social story focused on how sharing makes others around them feel positively. 

Download and view Sharing story (PPTX 116KB).

Spitting

'No spitting' encourages students to not spit and how spitting may make others around them feel.

Download and view No spitting (PUB 117KB).

Talking to others

'Getting my teacher's attention' and 'How I should talk to my teacher' explains what behaviours are appropriate when interacting with their teachers. It explains good behaviour and how challenging behaviour may make their teacher feel.

Download and view Getting my teacher's attention (PPT 224KB).

Download and view How I talk to my teacher (PPT 188KB).

Download and view How I talk to my teacher (PPT 188KB).

'My classroom voice' explains how speaking volume is important when in the classroom. It encourages students to keep their voices low instead of shouting.

Download and view My classroom voice (PPTX 111KB).

'Swearing' goes over appropriate language and inappropriate language for school. It also explains how swearing will make people feel. 

Download and view Swearing (PPTX 103KB).

'Speaking nicely' explains to students how to speak nicely to others and why it is important.

Download and view Speaking nicely (PPTX 92KB).

Thinking room

Go to the thinking room (DOCX 134KB) is a social story that teaches students how repeating challenging behaviours results in going to a thinking room. In the thinking room, students are encouraged to reflect on the negative behaviour and go over positive behaviours to exhibit instead.

Touching

'Good touching' presentation goes over what types of touch are appropriate at school for teachers and friends. It also explains how different types of touch can make people feel and what types of behaviour are considered positive.

Download and view Good touching (PPTX 286KB).

'Touching others' presentation goes over types of touch that are appropriate for students to exhibit. It also relates negative types of touch to how it would make the student feel, for example "I would not like it if someone touched me when I didn't want to be touched". 

Download and view Touching others (PPTX 200KB).

Download and view Touching others (PPTX 146KB).

Downaload and view Touching others (PPT 87KB).

Hands to myself is a list of rules, with visuals, including:

  • When I feel upset I sometimes put my hands on other people
  • When I put my hands on other people, I need to stop
  • I need to keep my hands to myself
  • I can take 5 big breaths, this will help me to stay calm
  • My teacher is happy when I keep my hands to myself.

Kind hands teaches students to use 'kind hands', meaning resisting touch to positive behaviour.

Download and view Hands to myself (PPTX 102KB).

Download and view Kind hands (PUB 138KB).

Touch does not necessarily only mean physical and interpersonal. In this presentation, students learn not to touch other people's possessions and how touching others possessions makes others feel. 

Download and view Not mine do not touch (PPTX 216KB).