Welcome to Part 2 of the presentation about
Students with Asperger’s Syndrome, Part 2.
Over the next few slides, I’ll review some
additional behaviors you may see and suggest some possible causes of the behaviors. Think of the following behaviors that we’ve all
seen at various times in a our classrooms. As you think about each behavior, think about to
what, on a day to day basis, you would attribute the behavior: You see a student with his head on
his desk; you have a student who seems to mimic you or recite back to you what you’ve just
said; you have a student who is overly expressive or has odd speaking habits. Your
student doesn’t seem to respond to your facial expressions nor your change in tone and
conversely does not display a great deal of facial expression. This student may walk by you a
minute after you have left the classroom but does not seem to know who you are. To what would
you attribute these behaviors? Following are some possible interpretations: A
head on the desk can be seen as rudeness or sleepiness. The student was up late and came to
class to sleep. Mimicking is often an indication of rudeness or that the student is not
taking you seriously. When we have students who vigorously express themselves we
may think they are full of themselves and think they hold greater knowledge than what they
actually posses. Students with odd speaking patterns or habits may be viewed
as inappropriate. Those who do not readily respond to facial expressions or changes in tone
may miss out on important information in regards to content or assignments. Students
who do not seem to recognize you when you’ve just spent the last several hours with them
may appear to be aloof or just plain rude. Finally, a student who continuously
changes the topic or refuses to change the topic may present as being self absorbed or
uninterested in your teaching. However, when we have a student on the autism
spectrum who exhibits some of these behaviors, there may be an underlying cause.
For example, the student with her head on her desk may be having trouble filtering out some
extraneous stimuli in the classroom and may be on sensory overload. When this student
mimics or recites back what you have just said, he may be displaying the way in which he
processes information. Odd patterns of speaking may indicate a language deficit and a
flat affect may indicate the student is having difficulty recognizing non verbal cues.
When the student doesn’t seem to recognize you, this may be the result of the
student’s lack of eye contact—the student may have spent most of the class time focusing
on the board, the ground or other areas of the classroom. Finally, if a student
seems stuck on a topic or keeps shifting topics, it may be because the student is
not picking up on nonverbal cues or because of an intense interest on certain topics. In any case, you can see that when it comes to
students with Asperger’s syndrome, behaviors can sometimes be misinterpreted. If you would
like more information about how to work with students who are experiencing these
are any other atypical behaviors in the classroom, do not hesitate to speak with your
student’s learning specialist. Along with the challenges, these students often
bring with them many strengths. They are generally very reliable and punctual. They pay
great attention to detail and often have excellent memories. Students with
Asperger’s are also very good at staying on task, as long as there is not also a diagnosis of
ADD or ADHD. So, given these many issues, how can you, the
instructor, intervene to assist the student to become and continue to be a functional part of
the classroom? First, if you notice they are being left out of a conversation,
make it a point to invite the student to join in. Anticipate that there may be awkward
lulls in the conversation and you may have to help the student rejoin the conversation. Never
assume the student can read your body language or understand analogies; be direct and
say what you mean. If your meeting with the student has ended, you may have to be
direct and say, “we are finished for now”; try not to give out too much information at one time.
Allow students time to absorb and process your input. Finally, always vigorously but
respectfully maintain class rules and other boundaries. As always, use ODS as a resource for assistance
and information.
there is a blog attached to our ODS webpages,
dedicated to issues related to students on the Autism Spectrum. The web address for the
blog is: http://ods-as.blogspot.com/
ank you for your time and attention. As always,
we welcome your feedback on the information that has been presented.

Students with Asperger’s Syndrome Unique Challenges: Part 2 Behaviors in the classroom Understanding Common Classroom Behaviors and their Cause Seen from Asperger’s Students in Higher Education Behavior Head on desk Mimics or recites back Great expressive skills Odd speaking habits May not respond to facial expressions, tone Does not recognize you May not shift topic on cue Behavior Interpretation Head on desk Rude, sleeping Mimics or recites back Not taking speaker seriously Great expressive skills Overestimation of functioning Odd speaking habits Inappropriate May not respond to facial expressions, tone Leads to miscues in assignments Does not recognize you Aloof, rude May not shift topic on cue Self-absorbed, uninterested Behavior Cause Head on desk Sensory overload Mimics or recites back Time to process Great expressive skills Compensates for receptive skills Odd speaking habits Pragmatic Language deficits May not respond to facial expressions, tone Difficulty with non-verbals Does not recognize you Limited facial recognition May not shift topic on cue Does not automatically catch on Behavior (mis)Interpretation Cause Head on desk Rude, sleeping Sensory overload Mimics or recites back Not taking speaker seriously Time to process Great expressive skills Overestimation of functioning Compensates for receptive skills Odd speaking habits Inappropriate Pragmatic Language deficits May not respond to facial expressions, tone Leads to miscues in assignments Difficulty with non-verbals Does not recognize you Aloof, rude Limited facial recognition May not shift topic on cue Self-absorbed, uninterested Does not readily catch on Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome have Strengths Reliability Punctuality Attention to detail Good memory Staying on task Interventions What can you do? Invite them to join in the conversation. Expect low points in the conversation, you may have to pick up the slack. Don’t assume they can read your body language. Be Direct. Explain your feelings. Don’t overwhelm them. Vigorously, but respectfully maintain class rules and other boundaries Resources ODS ext. 2955 Autism Spectrum related blog: http://ods-as.blogspot.com/ Thank you!