How is the curriculum of schools for autistic children designed?
Creating a successful educational curriculum for students with Autism primarily involves a thorough understanding of the nature of the disability. Autism spectrum disorder commonly known as ASD or Autism is an umbrella term referring to a diverse group of neurological conditions that are characterized by developmental delays leading to difficulty with social interaction and communication, atypical patterns of activities, and behaviours like difficulty with transitions from one activity to another.
Although these factors do present certain challenges, if taken into consideration and met appropriately, they can be used as unique strengths and can help make learning more enjoyable and effective.
One of the key aspects of planning a curriculum is formulating a design. This design represents the structure or organization of the curriculum. There are various curriculum designs that a school can adopt such as subject-centred, learner-centred, problem-centred, integrated curriculum designs, and so on.
While a subject-centred curriculum popularises the traditional style of teaching where the curriculum is organized in terms of separate subjects (e.g. Geography, Math, History, and so on), the focus tends to be on the subjects rather than the individuals. In contrast, a learner-centred curriculum design takes into consideration each individual's needs, interests, and goals. It acknowledges the fact that no one-size-fits-all; and that each student is unique. The curriculum is specifically designed and customized to meet the individual needs of the learners. Such a curriculum empowers learners and allows them to shape their education through choices.
The problem-centred curriculum design is also another form of student-centred design which focuses on teaching students how to look at a problem and come up with solutions. Students are exposed to real-life issues, which help them develop skills that are transferable to the real world.
An integrated curriculum design involves the unification of all subjects and experiences. It encourages the learner to make connections across disciplines.
While there is no recipe for choosing a curriculum design, a few simple guidelines can help educators plan lessons appropriate for students with Autism.
It is important to understand the needs and learning styles of the learners. Autistic students have varied learning styles as compared to neurotypical students. While a neurotypical student may have a combination of learning styles including audio, visual, kinaesthetic, and hands-on; autistic children generally have a preference for a single learning style. This can be identified by observing the student’s preferred activities across social settings.
Setting clear standards of the curriculum is another key aspect of curriculum designing. These standards must be broken down into a set of broad objectives to be achieved based on the needs of the learners. These objectives can be grouped under various subjects to be taught. Subjects can be further sub-categorized into units and overall themes. Careful attention must be given to ensure that learning happens in an integrated manner. This approach provides for a deeper understanding of the content which helps the learner to generalize concepts better. Setting realistic goals and preparing individualized educational programs is an integral part of the process.
While planning for academics, one must not disregard the importance of cultivating Intra and interpersonal social skills like activities of daily living (grooming, maintaining personal hygiene, health, safety, etc.) appropriate behaviour in social settings, cooperation, and participation in social activities, and so on. For a curriculum to be effective, it must also facilitate the development of recreational activities like art and craft, music, physical education, and games. Such activities not only enhance the skills of the individual but also better prepare them for the outside world.
Whether you are looking for autistic, dyslexic, or ADHD schools around you, The Aditya Birla Integrated School is a one-stop educational institution that fulfills all your educational needs. Here at Tabis, our curriculum is tailor-made and specifically designed by our team of experts to help differently-abled students maximize their potential with an aim of creating happy, confident, balanced, and independent learners.
We follow a thematic approach to teaching wherein students are taught subjects through using hands-on activities and the content is integrated across various domains. Besides catering to the academic needs of the students, we at Tabis also believe in the importance of therapeutic intervention and thus offer our students various therapies like Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy as well as Behaviour Therapy, if required, thereby creating a platform for differentiated learning.
As Edmond Short says “…there is always a need for newly formulated curriculum models that address contemporary circumstance and valued educational aspiration…”
Author: Denise D’souza
Teaching Faculty – DLP, The Aditya Birla Integrated School
Also read,
How can we Support Students with Autism in the Classroom
Adopt a creative teaching approach
Factors To Consider While Looking For A Special Learning School In Mumbai
