My Journey of Self-Discovery A Self-Advocacy Curriculum for Students with Autism Spectrum ...

150 Pages·2015·0.74 MB·English

My Journey of Self-Discovery

A Self-Advocacy Curriculum for Students with
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Instructor’s Guide

Linda Swedlund, M.S. Spec. Ed.
Leah Raiche, M.S. Ed.
Maribeth Harris, OTR/L
Central Oregon Regional Program,

High Desert Education Service District
The development of this curriculum was funded by a Regional Autism Spectrum
Disorder Development Grant from the Oregon Department of Education. Work
on this project began in May 2004 and was completed in September 2005.

Copies of the curriculum will be made available to all Regional Autism Programs
in Oregon, as well as Special Education Program Directors in Region 2. Training
on how to use the curriculum will be made available to any of the regions upon
request.

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Table of Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4
Pre-test ........................................................................................................................... 13
UNIT 1: WHAT IS SELF-ADVOCACY? ........................................................................... 16
UNIT 2: WHAT IS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER? ....................................................... 20
UNIT 3: WHAT DOES ASD LOOK LIKE IN ME? .............................................................. 30
UNIT 4: WHAT IS MY LEARNING STYLE? ....................................................................... 33
Learning Style Inventory .............................................................................................. 42
UNIT 5: WHAT ACCOMMODATIONS DO I NEED? ..................................................... 43
UNIT 6: WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER DISABILITY LAW? ..... 45
UNIT 7: WHAT IS AN IEP? WHAT IS AN EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION? ..................... 48
UNIT 8: HOW CAN I BE AN EFFECTIVE SELF-ADVOCATE IN POST-SECONDARY
SETTINGS? ...................................................................................................................... 52
UNIT 9: WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO BEING AN EFFECTIVE SELF-ADVOCATE? HOW
CAN I OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS? .......................................................................... 54
UNIT 10: HOW DO I EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
ABOUT MYSELF AND MY NEEDS? ................................................................................. 56
UNIT 11: MY LETTER OF INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 60
UNIT 12: CELEBRATING SUCCESSFUL SELF-ADVOCATES ........................................... 65
Post-test ......................................................................................................................... 67
References .................................................................................................................... 75

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Introduction

Teaching self-advocacy is teaching independence.

Carroll and Johnson Bown (1996) refer to self-advocacy as a life skill. They
propose that training in self-advocacy skills enables students with disabilities to
become more autonomous adults. Further, enhanced self-advocacy skills
provide an excellent “antidote” to the social isolation and immaturity that may
cause a significant number of students with disabilities to drop out of school.

Being effective self-advocates during their college years may also help students
with disabilities become more successful in the transition from school to
employment. In talking about bridges to career success, Satcher (1995) noted
that college graduates with learning disabilities who have the best career
outcomes were those who were aware of their strengths and limitations, could
describe how those characteristics affect their performance, and could request
from their employers services and accommodations that enhance their
productivity on the job.

Advocacy in education is training for advocacy in life. Given that the public
school system is charged with enabling students to lead full and productive lives,
it makes sense to include self-advocacy as part of that education for all
students with disabilities. The ramifications of not learning self-advocacy skills
can be very debilitating. Once students leave the shelter of high school and the
IEP, the responsibility for obtaining needed accommodations and assistance
rests with them. They will no longer have special education case managers to
provide guidance. Employers and college professors may view overt parent
involvement as inappropriate. After high school it should be the individual’s
responsibility to act on his or her own behalf.

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So, having good self-advocacy skills after high school is critical for many reasons,
but can these skills be taught? In a study designed to test the effectiveness of a
self-advocacy training program to prepare college students with disabilities to
advocate for their needs, Roessler and Brown (1998) found that students are
deficient in self-advocacy skills but that they can learn these skills in a structured
training program.

An informal survey of high school special education case managers and parents
of target students in Central Oregon was conducted by the authors to look at
the perceived need for self-advocacy skills (N=30). A review of the data
indicates 90% of teachers and 100% of parents surveyed feel self-advocacy skills
are very or critically important, and yet teachers reported they are providing
information on self-advocacy skills to only 33% of target students. They are
providing information on disability and learning style to only 25% of target
students. Seventy percent of these teachers said they do not have materials
available to teach these skills. They reported that only 29% of target students
actively participated in their last IEP meeting. With respect to who is getting
information to regular class teachers of target students regarding their disability
and needed accommodations, responding teachers stated it is usually the
teachers themselves (92%) or the Autism Specialist assigned to their site (92%).
Only 8% reported that the target students are sharing information about
themselves with their teachers. Clearly, parents and teachers in the survey
consider self-advocacy skills to be important, and yet the majority of target
students are not receiving training in self-advocacy issues and are not seen as
active self-advocates.

To summarize, research indicates that students who are effective self-advocates
are more successful in school and later on in life. Research also indicates that
self-advocacy skills can be taught successfully. Parents and teachers feel that
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self-advocacy skills are important but that most students are not active or skilled
self-advocates. The purpose of this curriculum is to give transition-age students
with Autism Spectrum Disorder the skills to advocate effectively for themselves.

Who is this curriculum for?
This curriculum is designed for transition age (14-21) individuals who are receiving
special education services as students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. These
students may be referred to as having “high-functioning” or “mild” autism. They
may have a medical diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, Autism, or Pervasive
Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified. Most of these students are
receiving their education in regular high school settings. The curriculum is most
appropriate for students with cognitive abilities in at least the average range.
Students with significant oppositional or non-compliant behaviors may not
benefit from this curriculum.

Who should present this curriculum?
This curriculum is designed to be presented to target students by an adult
instructor who knows the students well and who has at least a basic knowledge
of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Instructors may include special educators,
counselors and Autism Specialists.

An overview of the units in the curriculum:
Unit 1: WHAT IS SELF-ADVOCACY? Students will be introduced to the
concept of self-advocacy. (2 sessions)
Unit 2: WHAT IS AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)? Students will learn
about ASD and the behaviors and characteristics associated with it. (1
session)
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Unit 3: WHAT DOES ASD LOOK LIKE IN ME? Students will explore how ASD
affects their performance in school and work situations. Students will
develop ASD profiles of themselves. (2 sessions)
Unit 4: WHAT IS MY LEARNING STYLE? Students will learn about their
individual learning style by completing a learning style self-assessment.
They will also learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the various
types of learner. (3 sessions)
Unit 5: WHAT ACCOMMODATIONS DO I NEED? Students will learn about
specific accommodations that might be appropriate for them. (1 session)
Unit 6: WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER DISABILITY LAW?
Students will learn about the three federal laws that may impact them as
individuals with disabilities: the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). (1 session)
Unit 7: WHAT IS AN IEP? WHAT IS AN EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION?
Students will learn about the components of an Individualized Education
Program (IEP) and analyze their own IEP. They will also learn about the
evaluation required for special education eligibility. (2 sessions)
Unit 8: HOW CAN I BE AN EFFECTIVE SELF-ADVOCATE IN POST SECONDARY
SETTINGS? Students will learn about their rights and responsibilities in
postsecondary settings and why having good self-advocacy skills will be
so important after high school. (2 sessions)
Unit 9: WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO BEING AN EFFECTIVE SELF-ADVOCATE?
HOW CAN I OVERCOME THESE BARRIERS? Students will learn about
personal and external barriers to effective self-advocacy. They will also
learn strategies to deal with these barriers. (1 session)
Unit 10: HOW DO I EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
ABOUT MYSELF AND MY NEEDS? Students will learn strategies on how to
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effectively communicate with others, especially teachers and employers.
(2 sessions)
Unit 11: MY ‘LETTER OF INTRODUCTION’. Students will write a letter of
introduction to share with teachers and employers that details their
strengths, how they are impacted by their disability, and
accommodations that might help them. (4 sessions)
Unit 12: CELEBRATING SUCCESSFUL SELF-ADVOCATES. Students will take a
post-test and participate in a self-advocacy game. (1 session)

How to use this curriculum
This curriculum can be taught in individual or small group (2-4 students) settings.
Thirty-minute sessions are recommended. Many units will take multiple sessions.
The curriculum includes both instructor and student manuals. Instructors will
need to make copies of the student manual for each participant and place in a
3-ring binder. The student manual is not intended to be used without guidance
from an instructor using the instructor’s guide. Most materials needed to teach
the curriculum are included. Needed materials for a particular session are listed
at the beginning of that session’s description in the instructor’s guide. Suggested
outlines for teaching each unit are also included in the instructor’s guide.
Instructors should carefully read both instructor and student sections of a unit
before teaching that unit; some will require a little advance preparation time.

Recruitment of participants
The need for self-advocacy instruction should ideally be addressed at each
student’s IEP meeting. If the IEP team decides that the student requires specially
designed instruction in this area, then a goal is written to address this need. This
curriculum could be one of the tools used in providing specially designed
instruction. An informational letter for parents that describes the curriculum is
included at the end of this section. Instructors may choose to give this letter to
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parents of targeted students at the IEP meeting or just prior to beginning the
curriculum.
Student pre- and post-testing
In order to determine what your target students know and don’t know about
self-advocacy, both before and after they have been exposed to the
curriculum, the authors suggest you administer pre and post tests. The pre-test is
at the end of this section; the post-test is at the end of Unit 12 in the Instructor’s
Guide. Because you may not get the best results if you ask the students to write
out their answers, the best-case scenario would be to give the test in an
individual interview setting with each student. If this is not possible, you may
need to add additional sessions. Allow students alternative ways to complete
the test if writing is too difficult or aversive (e.g. dictate answers to another
person or a tape recorder, type answers). Explain to students that the purpose
of the test is to find out how much they know about self-advocacy. The test will
not be graded but it is important for them to do their best.

Student challenges
Individuals who are on the high end of the autism spectrum (for whom this
curriculum is designed) usually have problems in the areas of communication,
social interaction, thinking and acting flexibly, and sensory processing. Some
common learning difficulties that may impact student performance as they go
through this curriculum include:
• Difficulty understanding complex language, following verbal directions,
and understanding the intent of words with multiple meanings
• A relative weakness in comprehension and abstract thought
• Thinking that tends to be rigid
• Difficulties with change in routine or transitions between activities; a desire
for structure and routine
• Problems with motor coordination; handwriting is difficult for many
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• Difficulty attending and staying focused, easily distracted
• Difficulty understanding the rules of social interaction
• Lack of interest in the things that reward typical students (e.g. intrinsic
rewards, grades, praise)
• Poor organizational skills
• Anxiety and stress
• Sensory sensitivities

Strategies for instructors
• Avoid verbal overload. Keep directions concise and use visual supports.
• Limit your use of non-literal language (e.g. idioms, sarcasm). Check
regularly for comprehension.
• Use written schedules and checklists to establish routine and expectations.
• Whenever possible, ‘warn’ the students of upcoming transitions and
potential changes.
• If needed, provide alternate ways for the student to complete the writing
assignments in each unit (e.g., the student dictates and someone else
writes).
• Provide an environment that is as distraction-free as possible.
• Provide clear written expectations and rules for behavior.
• Provide incentives for participation that are meaningful for the students
(e.g. the students earn participation points for a pizza party at the end).
• Provide a place for student materials to be kept between sessions.
• Allow ‘breaks’ if stress level seems high.
• Avoid argumentative interactions and power struggles.
• Be aware that normal levels of auditory, visual and tactile input can be
too much or too little for some students.
• Regularly remind your students about confidentiality – what others say in
the group stays there.
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