Effective Instruction

Effective Instruction of students with disabilities draws upon effective methods or instructional techniques that educators use to facilitate learning. The difference lies in how, when, and why the strategies are implemented. Strategies such as visual schedules, highly structured materials and directions, teaching sequence for simple facts, and sensory-specific activities are some examples of strategies that assist in effective educational design. The document Ten Effective Teaching Principles provides some basic effective instruction guidelines.

One of the keys to effective instruction for students with autism spectrum disorders is to provide direct, systematic instruction in all deficit areas. Students with ASDs often require extensive instruction and practice in a variety of settingswith different instructors and peersbefore they truly master, generalize and maintain a skill. In addition, the staff needs to provide environmental, academic, and social supports to allow each student to access the curriculum and socialize with peers to the maximum extent possible. When putting support systems in place, it is imperative to explicitly teach the student how to use them.

Educational programming for students with ASDs is ideally shared by a team of professionals and family members which include general education teachers, special education teachers, speech/language pathologists, and occupational therapists each bringing their discipline-specific knowledge, techniques and strategies to be implemented across the student's day.