Assessments on Learning of Students With Low Functioning Autism

Introduction

The instructional setting for this task is students exhibiting low-functioning autism. There is an inclusive classroom where these students are assessed, and each of them is tested on the grounds of objective and performance with the aim of making them benefit from their educational programs. In the class are some visual instructions such as picture icons by the students and social stories to increase the students' capability of functioning in a better academic and social manner. Additionally, these visual strengths allow for appropriate behavior and keep students' attention laid on tasks. The layout of the classroom allows students to understand their work areas and expected classroom behavior including the times they are required to move. At some corners of the school are examples of finished product and writing assignments that meet each project requirement acting as guides for each student. Some student desks also contain laminated daily schedules. Some of these have marks made by water-soluble markers that indicate changes made directly to the program. At some areas, these schedules have sticky notes to show some unexpected changes including early classes as a result of external influences. The students with low-functioning autism in this instructional setting display various abilities and needs. Some of them tend to exhibit difficulty in communication and social interaction, depending on the given routines for their daily tasks and some tend to repeat the same behaviors they have always done. There is an association between repetitive behaviors and the functional abilities of students with low functioning autism (Dichter et al., 2009). The general instructional setting, with the best classroom accommodation, however, can assist the students to meet their exceptional needs. However, this does not extend to the students being far behind their age peers.

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Objective-Based Section Identification

One of the objectives of the assessment included identifying the numbers 1-10 and later giving the students a one to one correspondence of the same. In this academic entity, most of the low functioning autism students tend to lag behind in their education as they yearn for their age expectations. Even though these students are not far behind their peers without disabilities, they may still manage to a sixth-grade level as soon as they finish their formal education (Volkmar & Wolf, 2013).

Objective-Based Section Analysis

These students presented a significant challenge to the entire school and I, among other tutors were often faced with multiple difficulties to ensure their needs were met effectively. As student's exhibit social communication and behavioral challenges, they were unable to meet the required criterion to provide the best answer regarding numbers. Many tutors also tend to state that they felt slight confidence while attending to the students with autism. Additionally, this could also be seen with their parents who were further less even sure of the courage exhibited by the teachers to attend to the students. However, with a better understanding of the condition, teachers may understand that learning is always affected and one can adjust accordingly. The appropriate strategies were employed to make sure that the students could at least make a close answer to the object-oriented assessment.

There could also have existed misinformation around inclusion which many tutors do not know. This inclusion revolutionizes around being proactive in seeking the barriers that these students could have seen when taking up the assessment. These barriers hence, tend to remain a challenge even for students because they go unrealized. Many tutors tend to feel that inclusion means that students are required to be in a mainstream classroom at the best part of their time, which is not the case. As soon as this fact is misinterpreted, students may not well-adjust to better meet their needs. Students' personal needs should then be tailored to the implementation of any required adjustments.

Students in this instructional setting are non-verbal. This condition requires most of the tutors to find a way of communication that can lay a foundation for the objectives of learning. The students with this condition show many other problems including emotional ones than their peers. This creates rejection as a result of the perception of their peers of the nature of specific behavior demonstrated by the children as compared to their incompetence in academics (Volkmar & Wolf, 2013). For this reason, most of the teachers find the efforts needed in an instructional setting to see that the students develop the best of their social skills and social competence. In regards to this, teachers can make sure that the students show cooperative learning strategies.

Objective-Based Section Alignment

At this part of the assessment, a tutor could understand that it is about meeting the needs of the students with the condition to make sure that they are provided with quality education. This is presumably the reason why the students were presented with a one to one correspondence of the assessment. Alignment could also be done through making the students understand how to cope with the change and transition through reminding the students as soon as the move was looming. In that case, this instructional setting has routines which have sticky notes and permanent markers where change was being made. Therefore, this change is a good step towards understanding the needs of the students. Visual aids are also essential as they make the students in the spectrum understand and overcome any difficulties that may make their handwriting or hands-on skills challenging to present (Randi, Newman, & Grigorenko, 2010). This instructional setting also has charts with correct answers that guide the students when they should fail. These can act as reminders for the best solutions to give in case they are met with a challenge during the assessment.

Another mode of alignment would be total communication. With total communication, multiple methods of communication can be addressed into the various requirements in the classroom and the student's learning and understanding opportunities can be maximized. Some of the integral components to be used for this alignment include the use of verbal language, written language, sign language, and the use of pictures in communication. Combining all these, especially in this instructional setting, may make students get a deal of communication from their tutors. For instance, one can display each event with a picture or a symbol. Upon naming the various items in the routine, one may also use the hand sign to show the activity. With the integration of total communication, one can target each student's communication goals and encourage each of them to use and make sure that their communication skills are improved to provide concise learning objectives and activities.

Performance-Based Section Identification

One of the performances for the assessment included sorting items of the same size and later giving the students a one to one correspondence of the same. This performance-based assessment would reflect the real life of the students. As with autism students, many of them tend to show different and unique needs in practicality. These students tend to see various challenges while interacting socially and communicating with their peers.

Performance-Based Section Analysis

Children with low functioning autism are usually unable to understand the pretend actions presented by (Chan, Chen, Feng, Lee, & Chen, 2016). There is an importance in understanding the linkage that exists between academics and social and emotional lives. On the latter conditions, a deficit of their competence may lead to a disconnection of students with the school and their academics. For this case, this may make them perform poorly. Students with autism find such a task as requiring a lot of planning and organization. For this reason, this may seem a challenge to them especially when no necessary assistance is made available by their tutors. This may negatively impact the students' social, academic, and even cognitive abilities. The performance of these students regarding the arrangement of items sorting from the smallest to the largest was poor. Some of the students with mild mental disabilities tend to be below average regarding weight, body size, and height. Many of them tend to display coinciding physical problems as a result of the condition hence, poor performance in their assessments. However, most of them show interest in reaching their academic goals, even though quite a lot of time may be required than their peer counterparts. The students with autism have a potential to acquire the necessary communication skills, both on an oral and a written basis. They also showcase the abilities to become financially and socially independent people in the future.

There is an impact in this assessment where the students are unable to sort items according to their sizes. This may be influenced by stress, anxiety, and depression, including some extra mental health requirements (Magnuson & Constantino, 2011). Classrooms remain a place where these students rely on interaction, socialization, and communication with others. While trying to attend to these particular tasks, students could have had intensity on the currently prevailing stress, anxiety, and depression (Magnuson & Constantino, 2011). As a result, the students would then show poor performance while also presenting unique challenges to the entire schools and their tutors.

Performance-Based Section Alignment

The students on the spectrum may ask for additional learning and social support services to make sure that they perform well just as their peers do (Randi, Newman, & Grigorenko, 2010). Social-emotional competence is equally crucial in reinforcing the academics of the students with autism. This competency encourages better learning, perfect attendance to classes, viable student behavior and at least an engagement in regards to academics for the students (Martinez-Pedraza & Carter, 2009). Since the school is a point of focus for academic dimensions, each is required to focus on social and emotional learning and mental health.

Many schools also tend to overgeneralize studies making students with autism similar to the rest whereas they need particular attention. In that case, most of the schools ought to understand that this generalization does not favor students with autism. Most of them need a lot of time away from other students and the demands as required by their tutors in their instructional setting. Individual needs of the students also tend to dictate the frequency of the same requirements of the students in that condition and the instructional setting determines where they will alter while in the situations. The quietness of the instructional environment may also offer an excellent study ground for students with autism. This setting allows these students to get assistance from their organization and organizing the social aspects of schools.

Task analysis can also be used to shape the performance of the students in the context of various activities presented. Since daily tasks can be overwhelming for students with low functioning autism, one may choose the criterion to find out the steps that are required to complete an activity. In this instructional setting, sorting of items with sizes and teaching them one at a particular time is essential in shaping the assessment and see the best results of the activity. One instance can be given as taking and place the items on the table, look for the largest, look for the smallest, put them side by side, search for some others, try to fit them in the pair until they are fi...