Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Organization for Autism Research have released a multimedia manual that provides strategies for secondary school teachers whose classrooms include growing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorders.
“Understanding Autism: A Guide for Secondary School Teachers” is a print and Web instructional resource designed to enhance learning for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. The text-based manual, developed by FPG investigator Jessica Dykstra and scientist Kara Hume, now serves as a hands-on complement to a series of training videos that the Organization for Autism Research released on DVD and YouTube.
The guide offers practical strategies—such as a safe “home base” in the classroom and visual supports like step-by-step schedules—to improve and maintain a safe social and emotional environment for all students. It also addresses challenges such as avoiding meltdowns and offers advice on helping students who withdraw.
“Today, middle and high school teachers educate far more students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders than ever before, although many do not feel prepared for this challenge,” said Samuel L. Odom, FPG’s director and the principal investigator of FPG’s Center on Secondary Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. “This toolbox is a valuable resource.”
Teachers, families, and administrators can access the multimedia manual by visiting: http://csesa.fpg.unc.edu/resources/understanding-autism-guide-secondary-school-teachers
News Services contact: Thania Benios, (919) 962-8596, thania_benios@unc.edu