Autism Learning Styles

Learning Styles of Students with Autism

by Gary B. Mesibov, Ph.D.,
Co-Director Division TEACCH,
University of North Carolina

Parents and professionals are well aware of the difficulties children with autism have in many educational settings. In response they have developed alternative programs and intervention strategies. Although some of these have been useful, most emphasize remediating behavioral difficulties to improve educational functioning. Another aspect of the problem, however, has received less attention: the specific learning needs of this unique population.

This article will identify some unique learning characteristics of students with autism and their implications of these educational practices. Needs addressed will include organizational difficulties, distractibility, sequencing problems, inability to generalize, and uneven patterns of strengths and weaknesses. Although none of these applies to the entire population of students with autism, these learning problems are seen in a large percentage of these students to a significant degree.

Organization is difficult for each of us and especially for students with autism. It requires an understanding of what one wants to do and a plan for implementation. These requirements are sufficiently complex, interrelated, and abstract to present formidable obstacles for students with autism. When faced with complex organizational demands, they are frequently immobilized and sometimes never even able to begin their required tasks.

Developing systematic habits and work routines have been effective strategies for minimizing these organizational difficulties. Students with established left to right and top to bottom work routines do not stop working in order to plan where to begin and how to proceed. Organizational difficulties are also minimized through checklists, visual schedules, and visual instructions concretely showing autistic students what has been completed, what remains to be done, and how to proceed.

Distractibility is another common problem of students with autism. It takes many forms in the classroom: reacting to outside car noises, visually following movements in the classroom, or studying the teacher’s pencil on the desk instead of completing the required work Although most autistic students are distracted by something, the specific distractions differ considerably from child to child.

Identifying what is distracting to each student is the first step in helping them. For some it might be visual stimuli, while for others it might be auditory. Distractions can be responding to extraneous noises or visual movements as well as not focusing on central aspects of required tasks. Careful assessments of individual distractions is crucial. Following these assessments environmental modifications can be made, which might involve the physical make-up of a student’s work area, the presentation of work-related tasks, or many other possibilities.

Sequencing is another area of difficulty. These students often cannot remember the precise order of tasks because they focus concretely on specific details and do not always see relationships between them. Because sequences involve these relationships, they are often disregarded.

Consistent work routines and visual instructions compensate for these difficulties. Visual instructions can highlight sequences of events and remind autistic students of the proper order to follow. The visual picture remains present and concrete, helping the student to follow the desired sequence. The establishment of systematic work habits is also helpful; a student who always works from left to right can have work presented in the correct sequence.

Difficulties with generalization are well-known in autism and have important implications for educational practices. Students with autism frequently cannot apply what they have learned in one situation to similar settings. Appropriate generalization requires an understanding of the central principles in learned sequences and the subtle ways in which they are applicable to other situations. Focusing on specific details, students with autism frequently miss these central principles and their applications.

Parent-professional collaboration and community based instruction are important ways to improve generalization in students with autism. The more coordinated between the home and the school teaching efforts can be, the more likely it is that the students will apply what they learn to different settings. Using similar approaches and emphasizing similar skills are ways in which parents and professionals can collaborate to improve the generalization skills of their students.

Community-based teaching is also important for improving generalization skills. Because our ultimate goal is successful community-based training, activities must be available throughout educational programs. These should include regular field trips of increasing frequency as the students grow older, community-based work opportunities in ‘real’ job settings, and community-based leisure activities.

Uneven profiles of skills and deficits are well-documented characteristics of students with autism. They are also among the most difficult to program for. An autistic student can have the extraordinary ability to see spatial relationships or understand numerical concepts but be unable to use these strengths because of organizational and communicative limitations. Skilled teachers with experience teaching to these unique strengths and weaknesses are a necessity!

Teaching students with these wide ranges of abilities requires thorough assessments of all aspects of their functioning. These cannot be restricted to academic skills but must also include learning styles, distractibility, functioning in group situations, independent skills, and everything else that might impact the learning situation. Learning styles are especially important for the assessment process because they are keys to releasing learning potential.

How does each child with autism process information and what are the best teaching strategies given unique strengths, interests, and potential skills? A skilled teacher can open the door to many learning opportunities. Adults with autism working in libraries, with computers, in food service establishments, and many other settings are evidence that they can be productive adults if given appropriate instruction. Too many education programs, however, do not recognize the unique strengths and deficits of this puzzling group of learners. A greater appreciation of their uniqueness and more training for professionals to help them understand these learning styles are the main possibilities for continued progress.

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