As you can imagine, having autism, especially as a young child, can make it very difficult in terms of comprehension and learning. To recap, autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopment disorder, but can cause learning differences and make it difficult to learn at the pace of those without autism.
While these children may often have “… average or above-average intelligence, … autism can still affect learning in a number of ways” (5 ways autism can affect learning, n.d.).
Children with autism often have narrow focus, language development issues, poor nonverbal skills, narrow interests, and attention issues. From my own experience with teaching children with autism, while they may be very excited to learn, they may only be interested in one subject and reluctant to learn another. For example, one child may be extremely interested in learning about all things English language arts, but then all despise learning math. Another thing to remember is that there chidden oftentimes are unable, or have a hard time, to express their emotions, which can make it difficult for those without autism who are trying to impart knowledge onto them as they do not know how to decipher the child’s actions and thoughts. This is why it is crucial to be sensitive toward how and what a child with autism is learning, and how interested they seem to be; the last we want to do is increase anxiety in these children.
Each autistic child has a different timeline when it comes to their learning development. Some “… autistic children might start to use a few single words around 12 months of age and then develop language differently from typically developing children as they get older. Or they might be able to recite the alphabet or count beyond 20 but might not be able to use language to make requests or say hello” (Learning and development, 2021).
Each autistic child also has a different timeline in terms of communication development. Some may not even “… respond to their own names, smile when someone smiles at them, or notice facial expressions” (Learning and development, 2021).
This is why paying attention to the child’s needs and development, as well as recognizing each child’s mind is unique and wonderful, is crucial to proper learning development.
Learning styles are also important to keep in mind. Each one us have a certain style of learning that helps us comprehend material the best. These styles can look like visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (hands-on) learning (Learning styles, 2021).
Autistic children tend to “… rely on only one style of learning” (Learning styles, 2021).
If the child enjoys looking at pictures and reading books, they are most likely visual. If they like listening to music or like speaking to people, they may be auditory. If they enjoy playing with and taking apart toys, there is a good chance they are kinesthetic learners. Once one figures out the autistic child’s learning style, it is much easier to pinpoint the area of excitement, or the area of anxiety.
References
5 ways autism can affect learning. Applied Behavior Analysis Programs Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.appliedbehavioranalysisprograms.com/lists/5-ways-autism-can-affect-learning/.
8 shortcuts to stay relevant in learning and development. TTA (The Training Associates). (2020, March 26). Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://thetrainingassociates.com/blog/8-shortcuts-to-stay-relevant-in-learning-development/.
Harkla. (n.d.). Autism and learning — what you need to know. Harkla. Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://harkla.co/blogs/special-needs/autism-learning.
Learning and development in autistic children and teenagers. Raising Children Network. (2021, July 26). Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/learning-about-autism/about-autism/how-asd-affects-development.
Learning styles & autism. Autism Research Institute. (2021, August 18). Retrieved December 3, 2021, from https://www.autism.org/learning-styles-autism/.
— Jayvanti Vanmanthai