Learning how to help the 'Sheldons' of the class

It’s easy to laugh at the antics of television’s Sheldon Cooper, from The Big Bang Theory. But it may have been a different story for his school teacher.

The character displays traits of a person with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It was with this extreme example in mind that a group of about 50 local school teachers recently attended a seminar on ASD in Schools.

The seminar was part of the Global Educators professional development sessions hosted by USQ Fraser Coast.

The presenters, Autism Consultant and USQ Education lecturer Bronwyn Bennett and Educational Psychologist John Park, described a package of characteristics which pointed to a diagnosis of ASD.

These include: Socialisation difficulties, developmental disorders, communication differences, repetitive and stereotypical behaviour patterns, information processing differences and a wide range of intellectual functioning.

Like Sheldon, children may have an inability to relate emotionally with others or not cope with changes to the normal routine. They might fail to understand simple sarcasm, or may have to sit in a certain spot. They may have an incredible memory or be a child prodigy.

'One thing on its own doesn’t necessarily mean a child has autism,' Bronwyn said. 'But as a package they tend to point to ASD. As many as 1 in 100 people have a form of ASD. (Boys outnumber girls 5 to 2.) It is consistent worldwide, so it’s the same percentage in China as in Australia or the United States.'

Bronwyn said that being able to diagnose a child with ASD and give a label to their condition was a good thing because it normalised their behaviour for them.

'They usually have an unofficial label anyway,' she said. 'They may be called emotionally disturbed or rude or a nerd,' she said. 'Often they are thrilled to know that there are others who think the same way they do. When parents get a diagnosis it allows them to look up something on Google.'

Teachers who attended the Global Educators seminar at USQ Fraser Coast were given strategies for helping students with ASD. They were told to get to know the student, keep a strict structure to their class, cue the student in to situations requiring attention and imitation, and increase support during group work.

'A child with ASD needs to know what’s happening next,' Bronwyn said. 'They need to be given visual cues because often they think in pictures, they need to have choices limited to avoid confusion and be able to see the goal or the end product.'

In response to the increased demand for this kind of specialist knowledge, the USQ Faculty of Education has developed courses within the Bachelor of Education and masters programs that specifically look at the ways children with ASD respond in the classroom, and how to develop teaching strategies accordingly.

Education Psychologist John Park said talking about ASD was a positive move.

'Our understanding has come a long way,' he said. 'We never talked about it 25 years ago.'

USQ offers courses in ASD for teachers to gain a better understanding of how children relate in classroom situations.