[senco-forum] ASD and EAL

Hi Angharad!

You've done lots already.  I suggest that what he needs now is space
and time to adjust to all the changes.  Less is more just now.  If you
can 'let him be' to enjoy his crayons and just be aware of what's
happening around him, you'll be surprised one day to discover just how
much he has been taking in.  He won't give you the signs that he is
taking things in, he won't necessarily yet be ready to communicate
outwards either but I am sure if you can 'hold' the anxiety of not
getting a response, that you'll be doing well by him until he's ready
to take a few steps in your direction.

Many ASD children are very good at languages so there's every chance
that he will be picking English up by osmosis.  There's a new book from
publishers JKP about an ASD child brought up bilingual from birth but
I think you might find more useful another of their books written by
someone whose
mother-tongue is not English but who brought her ASD child up in an
English-speaking country - because it concentrates wholly on the early
years and on the interaction between the teacher and the child.  The
title is Teaching at Home, A new approach to tutoring children with
autism and Aspergers Syndrome by Olga Holland.

Don't be put off by the title!  It is much less about 'teaching at
home' than about getting to know how the child's mind works
and how to involve the child in his or her own education plus a great deal of
it reflects the difficulties of language and communication - from the
point of view of English as a Foreign or Second Language (EFL/ESL).

Hope that helps!! :-)

On 23/04/07, angharad waters <angharadwaters at hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> We have just accepted an ASD child into our school who has no English language ability either. We are an international school, and the boy has been placed in the Nursery class (he is of Reception class age). His diagnosis is of mild autism but he does not have any English skills (we are a British school following English NC).
> We are awaiting for the PECS packs to arrive - but in the meantime anyone have any ideas on how we can make his school life more enjoyable?
> The class is not suitable for an ASD child - too many distractions, but we have created a 'home' corner/area for him to focus on - but the difficulty is the language problems. We are not sure at the moment whether its the ASD or the language problem that is affecting his communication. The parents are keen to stree the fact that his autism is mild, that at home he communicates etc. He is responsive to music and enjoys expressing himself with crayons etc. The parents have provided an assistant for him (who has no training whatsoever) and we are trying to train her too with practical advice to assist him, not to restrain him (we have thankfully moved on from the days where she followed him everywhere and took everything from him in case he hurt himself).
> I guess what I am asking is does anyone have practical advice/activities on how we can communicate with this little boy?
>
> Angharad
> SENCO
> British School