Difficulties in learning which children with autism can encounter

Infantile autism is one of five disorders classified as autism spectrum disorders.

Children with autism are thought to be not able to learn because of their retardation and
problems with handwriting and using the language. The aim of my long paper is to find out if
there are any strategies and techniques to help autistic children with learning and adapting to
the environment they live in. At first, I looked for books about infantile autism in libraries in
Warsaw and online. Then I searched for articles concerning handwriting deficits and lack of
speech which children with autism have. Also I tried to found any information about using
technology in teaching autistic children. What I found is that autistic children are able to
learn, but they need help from their parents, teachers and professionals. In addition, they need
a special teaching programme, based on the results of PEP-R test, which can be adapted to
their needs and the level of retardation. There are many techniques which are useful when
teaching children with autism. Another result is that autistic children cannot fully adapt to the
environment, but it is possible that these children will be able to have contact with people in
their future. Also iPad is one of the devices which help children with autism learn. The
conclusion is that parents, teachers and professionals can find a way to work with autistic
children and in the future, with the development of technology, it may be even easier to teach
children with autism.

Karolina Gsiorowska

Is there any chance that autistic children can function normally in the environment and
learn at school like other children at their age? Children with autism have always been
thought to be excluded from the society. Many people think that they are not able to learn
anything, and that is why they are often left at home with parents and with no education.
Nobody wants to help them because they think that educating children with special
educational needs is a waste of time. But since the term infantile autism was introduced,
psychiatrists and teachers have started trying to find a way to teach such children. Nowadays,
more and more school are adapted to children with special educational needs. Teachers have
to bear in mind that there are children who need individual approach and special teaching
program. Although children with autism have difficulties in learning, handwriting and using
the language, there are many ways to work with them, teach them new skills and adapt them
to the environment they live in.
Autism has been the main topic of researches which doctors have been conducting for
over 50 years. Before 1943 people did not know how to describe a disorder from which some
children suffered. There were parents who noticed similar symptoms in the development of
their children before the age of 3. These children were quiet, did not want to cooperate, smile,
laugh, talk or have any closer contact with people around them. The person who separated and
classified such children was Leo Kanner, a psychiatrist (Bobkowicz-Lewartowska 10). He
called this disorder infantile autism. He mentioned two important symptoms of infantile
autism which are called autistic aloneness and desirefore sameness. Autistic aloneness is lack
of abilities to interact with other people. Desirefore sameness is establishing routine in life
because of obsessive fears. At the same time, another important person in the field of
psychiatry appeared. His name was Hans Asperger, and he introduced Asperger syndrome.
Asperger realised that the syndrome he specified was similar to autism. This was a very
important moment for psychiatrists who finally could help their young patients. Autism

became one of five disorders described as autism spectrum disorders (BobkowiczLewartowska 11-12).
Autism is considered a behaviorally defined disorder, but there are many disputes
over its causes. Since 1943, researchers have made significant progress in describing patients
with autism. Genetic factors are thought to be one of the causes of autism. The biological side
of this disorder is still unknown, but according to Patricia M. Rodier, the probability of
having more than one autistic member of family is high. What is more, sisters or brothers of
those who suffer from autism have a 3 to 8% chance of having the same disorder (Rodier 52).
Moreover, environmental causes are also very important. For example, the more alcohol
mother drinks during her pregnancy, the higher risks of giving birth to an autistic child are.
The same goes with German measles during gestation (Rodier 53). Researchers still do not
know what are the most common causes of autism and how to fully prevent this disorder, but
nowadays it is much easier for children and adults with autism to live and function normally.
Children with autism have many difficulties in establishing emotional bonds with
other people. That is why they are often considered to be excluded from the society. These
children have problems with abnormal behavior, such as focusing on one particular interest,
collecting ordinary objects, not changing the routine of their life and not controlling their
body movements. What is more, they cannot fully communicate with people. Most of autistic
children do not talk or use gestures, even though they could because they do not have any
problems with speech organ and hearing aid. They may understand other people, but they do
not respond in any way, even with eye contact or facial expressions. In addition, these
children hide their feelings and problems from people around them (Rodier 55). They cannot
establish any form of emotional bonds with their peers or parents.

There are many reasons why children with autism have a different relationship with
parents than other children. Firstly, they do not give any signs of being hungry or recognizing
their mother or father in the early age. They may be sick and still do not show that.
Furthermore, autistic children do not have any problems with not seeing their parents for a
long time or being separated from them. They do not scream or demand anything (Gakowski
21). When these children get older, the relationship changes (Gakowski 22). It is often said
that parents are the cause of autism development, but this statement is controversial for many
psychiatrists and researchers. According to Schopler, parents are not the cause, but they may
be the cotherapists in the treatment (Shopler 105). Parents should provide good conditions and
much attention, so such children do not feel ignored because of their lack of speech.
Acceptance and attention are essential in bringing up autistic children and developing
relationships (Gakowski 24).
There are many reasons why autistic children can encounter problems in
kindergarten and primary school. To start with, they may not be capable of having any
relationship with other children, or they cannot understand them. Children with autism are not
interested in their own behaviour which may result in behaving inappropriately towards other
people. Secondly, children with autism are often less creative, or they lead a stereotypical
lifestyle, which is full of repetition (Jagielska 10). According to Gabriela Jagielska, interests
of autistic children are very narrowed, and they are afraid of changing their daily routine or
habits. What is more, these children tend to forget about their hygiene and appearance which
may cause a social rejection (Jagielska 11).
Even though autistic children have problems with learning, they are often very gifted,
and they possess many predispositions. These children are very good at memorising a huge
amount of material. Furthermore, they may possess many gifts such as a musical talent, a
mathematical talent or a drawing talent. In addition, children with autism can easily learn to

read in a very early age. The only problem that they may encounter is abstract thinking which
leads to misunderstanding peoples intentions (Jagielska 11).
There might be slight differences between girls and boys who suffer from autism.
Miranda-Linn maintains that females had lower developmental levels and were more
unresponsive than males (Miranda-Linn 22) and in addition IQ was significantly lower for
females (Miranda-Linn 22). These two statements based on Coleman and Schopler
researches show that generally females, even though they are less afflicted by autism disorder,
have more noticeable complications. It applies to adults who suffer from autism as well as
children (Miranda-Linn 22).
One of the most observable causes of autism is lack of speech. Children with autism
have many problems with acquiring the language. Leo Kanner was the first person to notice
these problems, and he stated that all autistic children have developmental retardation in using
and receiving the language. Miranda-Linn says that about half do not acquire speech and
over 75% show abnormal speech features (Miranda-Linn 23). Those abnormal speech
features are echolalia and pronominal reversal. Echolalia is an unnecessary repetition of single
words and expressions which are said by people around. It may be even repeated with the
same intonation, but autistic children do not understand the meaning of what they have just
repeated. Pronominal reversal is when these children refer to themselves with a different
pronoun. In most cases, they do not understand the difference between pronouns I and you
(Miranda-Linn 23).
Children with autism are retarded in both acquisition and use of the language. There is
no distinction that some of them may never have any problems with the language because
delays are noticeable in every case of autism disorder. According to Miranda-Linn, autistic
children show the ability to understand simple nouns 12 months later than normal children
(Miranda-Linn 24). They may improve their speech during some years, but they still have

problems with some abstract expressions, intonation and rhythm of speech and conversations
about abstract things or topics which have not been mentioned before. Many people think that
without speech autistic children will have problem in their adult life. However, they may
function efficiently in the surrounding environment and have a social life without the ability
to speak (Miranda-Linn 25).
It is really hard to teach children with autism to speak because the majority of them do
not use their language at all; however, they are many techniques and strategies to help them
learn the language. The key to achieve that is motivation. They need to be exposed to the
verbal language as much as it is possible. There also should be much repetition and
questioning to prompt autistic children. In addition, Hart and Risley presented a method called
incidental teaching in which teachers or parents teach autistic children in the natural
environment. What is more, it is best to provide good context that is similar to childrens
interests because it may motivate them. The more natural the learning is, the more effective it
can be (Miranda-Linn 37-38). Next technique, found by Halle, Marshall and Spradlin, is
called the delay procedure. The person who teaches an autistic child has to wait 15 seconds
between each prompt. This technique applies not only to autistic children but also to every
person who seems retarded (Miranda-Linn 38). What is more, there are two other methods
which may really help to establish a slight chance to communicate with autistic children. First
is embedded instruction, which teaches to respond for yes/no questions, and the second one is
loose training which helps autistic children learn the conjugation (Miranda-Linn 38-39).
Those all methods can be combined depending on whether a child is using any language or is
not using it at all.
Another obstacle which children with autism can encounter is handwriting. Autistic
people have impairments in visual perception, and they have motor-skill problems. That is
why legibility, letter formation, spacing, sizing and speed may become problems for such

children (Kushki 1707). Very often they might be able to write, but a lot of practice is needed
before they can do it, and it takes much time for them to write even a single word (Kushki
1709). What is more, their handwriting is often illegible to other people. Letters have different
sizing and spaces may occur not only between words but also letters. This problem may
continue, and even teenagers can have problems with handwriting. But it is possible to train
this skill by practising letter formation by adjusting pen grip, stabilizing the hand which is
used to write or letting them write as slowly as they want to, but only if it has any effect on
their handwriting (Kushki 1714-1715). These practice techniques are also essential to improve
anyones handwriting because children with autism are not the only people who have
handwriting deficits.
Individualization of teaching program is the key to teach autistic children.
They do not learn much when they are placed in a state primary school. They need to have
special exercises and care provided by specialists. Teachers and parents need to use different
techniques in order to help children with autism develop or establish relationships (Schopler
13).
The very important role in choosing how to teach autistic children plays PEP-R. PEPR is a psychoeducational profile which shows how children with autism are developed and
what you need to do to help them. This profile is very useful for methodologists and teachers
who create a special teaching program for children with autism. The test, on which the profile
is based, is mostly for children in a kindergarten or slightly younger. It is sometimes used for
older children but not older than twelve year old. For instance, when autistic children in upper
primary school do not show the same development as children at the age of seven or eight, it
is advisable to check them with PEP-R test. PEP-R gives information about many important
factors of development such as perception, emotional reactions, relationships with other
people or the ability to imitate. The test is conducted only with the use of toys and teaching

aids which allow psychologists to listen and watch carefully how children react to some
things, what they do or say (Schopler 17-18).
PEP-R does not only give information about childs development but also is used to
plan and create a special teaching program for autistic children. The exercises and the
teaching program are based on childrens families and lifestyles, their age and pupils from
school they go to. But what is crucial is that everything should be checked very carefully to
not cause any harm to autistic children. The family of an autistic child is the most important
factor of constructing this program because the child spends most of the time at home, next to
his parents, and they may have a lot of control over their child (Schopler 18-19). Teachers are
less important, but they still have a lot of impact on the program. They can help the child not
only at school but also at home when they give special homework for children with autism
(Schopler 24-25). Specialists such as psychologists, psychiatrists and others do not spend a lot
of time with autistic children, yet they help with childs adaption to the environment (Schopler
25).
PEP-R is not only helpful for teachers but also parents. PEP-R must be clear for
parents, so they understand what problems their child has or might have in the future, and
how they should react to this problems. The teaching of children with autism is much less
hard when parents are able to help with it. PEP-R gives them the opportunity to understand
why their children are not eager to do something, or why they react differently in some
situations than other children at school or in kindergarten. Furthermore, parents can teach
their children at home or give them a lot of additional exercises (Schopler 25). Monitoring
and checking their progress are essential in order to help these children. What is more, parents
should be able to tell specialists or teachers what are their children good or weak at, so the
program may be always changed according to the childrens achievements and development
(Schopler 23).

There are three factors which are very important when it comes to teaching autistic
children. The first one is the place where learning takes place. This place should be quiet so
that autistic children do not hear any disturbing noises. What is more, comfort is also
essential. The place should not be changed because a child will recognise it and associate it
with learning (Schopler 121). The second factor is time. Time devoted to learning should be
chosen according to parents or teachers free time. It should also be scheduled to one
particular hour every day. It may be a good idea to teach an autistic child before his favourite
activities. It gives them motivation, and they try to learn because they know that after a lesson
they will have fun. The routine gives a chance that a child will get used to the time when a
lesson starts and will bring the materials without teachers or parents request (Schopler 121122). The last factor is duration of learning. This one should be dependent on childs ability to
focus. The appropriate time of learning should vary from 10 up to 60 minutes. What is more,
it is almost impossible to have the same duration of learning every day because childrens
predispositions are different, and some activities may take longer or shorter than it is
expected. Also speed of activities should be adapted to childrens behaviour and involvement.
The more bored or lazy a child is, the more speed should be changed (Schopler 122). It is
essential to provide children with suitable conditions to make them learn easily not only at
home but also at school.
Parents are very important in the autistic childrens process of learning. They create
their environment, and they are their authority. Home is the place where children often want
to come back. But children with autism see their parents differently and do not have strong
emotional bonds with them. However, parents are the only people who are around their
children most of the time and help them with their daily activities. What is more, parents give
them much more attention than teachers because teachers have many students with different
problems. Parents can focus on their own child and give him as much attention as it is needed

(Schopler 129-130). Parents role is strongly linked to teachers role in the process of learning
because they need to exchange new ideas how to teach and react to childrens with autism
behaviour. According to Schopler, in the past these two roles were not thought to be
connected so teachers and parents did not know what was happening at home or at school
with a child. It led to misunderstandings and hostility between teachers and parents (Schopler
130-131).
Verbal language is another way of teaching children with autism, which can contribute
to their development. If children listen to their teacher or parent, they automatically learn new
words. It does not mean that they will use these words in the future, but there is a chance they
may. The first way to use verbal language in teaching autistic children is giving instructions.
Instructions should be simple and short, often accompanied by nonverbal language such as
pantomime, gestures or drawings. It is very important to monitor autistic children to see if
they understand what is being said and if they react to the instructions. If any problems occur,
and they are not able to do an exercise because they did not understand the instructions, the
language should be changed and most probably simplified (Schopler 126). Teachers and
parents cannot let autistic children learn in silence. Even using single words may be beneficial
to childrens learning (Schopler 127). Verbal language is very important when it comes to
teaching autistic children because it helps them with the most important aspect of social
interaction which is communication.
As it has been already mentioned, children with autism do not function normally in the
environment. Parents are the first people to monitor their children, as they spend most of the
time with them. What is more, they are the first people to notice that their child may suffer
from autism spectrum disorder. They are concerned about their child, especially when they do
not use speech, do not respond to his name or show the signs of stereotypical behavior
(Jagielska, 9). Every disability causes much stress in family. When an autistic child is the only

child in a family, it is very hard for parents to accept this fact and to maintain good
relationships in the family (Gakowski 41). What is more, autistic children do not feel any
emotional bonds with parents, which may be the cause of depression in family (Gakowski
49). These children are not interested in other peoples feelings because they live in their own
world, full of stereotypes and routine. They are indifferent to the world that surrounds them,
and it often results in many psychological problems in family.
Parents are not the only people who have contact with an autistic child. When these
children start going to school, they meet their peers. Mostly, children with autism have no
interest in being next to other children. The interest may occur when they are in upper primary
school (Jagielska 11). But in the kindergarten and lower primary school they do not notice
anyone else. They do not need company to play because they often create imaginary friends
(Jagielska 10). Also autistic children have tendency to isolate from others or to ignore them
which may hurt others feelings. Sometimes they behavior can be violent and aggressive, and
it leads to the exclusion from peers at school (Jagielska 10). It is really hard for autistic
children to establish a relationship with their peers because of their disorder.
Autistic childrens interests are much more different than their peers interests. They
are very narrowed which means that they are only interested in one specific thing or activity.
The interests might be connected with history, daily routines or paranormal activities. For
example, they may be interested in dinosaurs and read a lot about them or they can be
interested in the schedule of trams and buses. What is more, they do things repetitively, such
as watching the same cartoons even multiple times in a row or programmes about science and
animals (Jagielska 10). Their interests and activities do not change much because they like to
have their own routine.
Nowadays, there is a wide variety of technology which helps people with everyday life
and activities. Technology is also supposed to help children with autism because it gives them

the opportunity to communicate with people and learn. One of the devices used for children
with autism is the iPad. According to Tin Fan, who conducted a research on using the iPad to
improve learning and communication among children with autism and special needs at the age
of 9 to 11, every child with autism improved when using the iPad (Fan 32). These children
were supposed to learn 2-5 letters every month by using iPad applications. Then they were
checked at the end of every month to see if they made any progress and if applications work
as they are supposed to (Fan 31). What was worth noticing during this research was that
childrens visual discrimination was improved. It means that autistic children were able to see
similarities between visual images more clearly and easily (Fan 32). In addition, the iPad
applications motivated these children because they praised the children after any correctly
finished exercise. Furthermore, the applications used during this study were met with
approval of teachers because they could use the iPad with any student. This device gives
many opportunities and different exercises for pupils on different levels of learning (Fan 32).
The technology changes rapidly, and because of that there is an application called Autism App
which can help every pupil with autism spectrum disorder (Fan 33). Tin Fan says, the iPad is
an effective teaching tool for children with autism spectrum and the iPad can be very
engaging, motivational and portable (Fan 34). That is why, the iPad is considered to be very
helpful in teaching autistic children because it can make teaching much easier and more
beneficial.
Taking all into consideration, infantile autism is not a disorder which is an obstacle for
childrens education and development. There are many techniques and technologies which can
help autistic children learn and grow up. Even though they are retarded, and in most cases
they lack speech, it is possible to provide them with enough education to lead a normal life.
The researches which have been conducted for around 50 years show that with much effort
and time dedicated from parents and teachers, the results of teaching autistic children may be

rewarding. The three factors mentioned, which are difficulties in learning, handwriting and
using the language, do not have that much impact on the development of children with autism,
as psychiatrists used to think some years ago. The technology is still changing and
developing, techniques are still being discovered by teachers and psychiatrists and researches
are still being conducted to find more about causes of autism and how to prevent it. That is
why, it is probable that in the future it will be much easier to work with such pupils and help
them in their daily life.

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