How Do We Get Children With Autism to Better Interact With Their Environment?

Children with Autism interact better in an environment that provides structure, opportunities to interact with peers and interventions are catered to their specific needs and behaviors.

Inclusion is a concept that is becoming more prevalent in today’s age, especially in the Singapore context. Understanding that children with Autism may have sensory sensitivities and unique needs, incorporating different strategies in the environment can effectively improve how they interact and, subsequently, how they learn. While there are many tools that can be used to enhance the quality of the learning environment for these children, focusing on the main ones like the structure of the environment, having peer interactions and tailoring interventions specifically to the child can help ease the process for these children to interact with the things around them.

Structure of the Environment

The structure of the environment can greatly influence the interactions children with Autism engage in. An environment that is organized and orderly can create a feeling of calmness and security in these children, which subsequently promotes independence and creates opportunities for them to learn and understand (Watson, 2022). The familiarization of their environment through structure can help them pick up routines and have a predictable order of events for the day, which is why the structure of the environment should be taken into consideration when getting children with Autism to interact with the environment. One example that can be used is a visual schedule which displays clear illustrations of the routines or events for the day. Doing so supports children with Autism in processing information through visual cues, rather than relying on just auditory and communication processing skills (McCorkle, 2012). The reduction of information overload by providing a simple visual aid can help these children understand the structure of the environment they are in and, therefore, improve their ability to predict the changes in routines and be comfortable in interacting with the environment where they can feel secure.

Peer Interactions

Peer interactions can also be vital in helping children with Autism learn how to better interact with their environment. While it may be a struggle to engage in meaningful conversations with these children, presenting the opportunity for children with Autism to be around neurotypical children can teach them how to imitate social interactions with others when these interactions are being modelled for them in the natural environment. Research by Nahmias et. al., (2023) studied the differences between children in an Autism-only setting, mixed-disability, and general early education. The study noted that the general early education group provided greater implementation of practices to support social and peer relationships, eventually leading to positive impacts in their cognitive, communication and adaptive behavior skills. Encouraging inclusive environments for children with Autism to interact with neurotypical children can build on important social cues and skills.

Tailoring Interventions

Lastly, tailoring interventions to the needs of children with Autism can help target specific behaviors that can help promote interactions in their environment. Interventions like Naturalistic Language Intervention target the development of expressive language in these children using methods like prompts and feedback (Lane et. al., 2016). Incorporating these interventions in the environment can help children with Autism learn how to express their wants and needs, which is an important skill when engaging in social interactions with others so that they are understood. While expressive skills may be difficult, having an interventionist to help teach communication skills between the child with Autism and the things or people in the environment can become a vital tool in making them more independent when navigating through a conversation with others. Hence, tailoring interventions can greatly impact the child with Autism when learning how to interact with their environment. 

Conclusion   

The provision of space and opportunities can push children with Autism to step out of their comfort zones. Though implementing these strategies may come with challenges, such as increased child-teacher ratio or limited space in the classroom, the benefits that these children could reap would be vital in building their individuality and skills. Hence, understanding inclusion in the learning environment is a major key to implementing these strategies and getting children with Autism to better interact with their environment.

References

Lane, J. D., Shepley, C., & Lieberman-Betz, R. (2016). Promoting Expressive Language in 

Young Children with or At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Preschool Classroom. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(10), 3216–3231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2856-8

McCorkle, Susan L. (2012). Visual Strategies for Students with Autism Spectrum 

Disorders.  LC Journal of Special Education, 6(4). 

Nahmias, A. S., Crabbe, S., Marcus, S. C., & Mandell, D. S. (2023). The Effects of 

Community Preschool Characteristics on Developmental Outcomes for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 38(4), 268–282.

https://doi.org/10.1177/10883576221133495

Watson, K. (2022). Good autism practice for teachers : embracing neurodiversity and 

supporting inclusion. Critical Publishing.