how does autism affect learning

How Does Autism Affect Learning?

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The National Health Services or NHS have defined autism so eloquently. According to them, autism is not an illness or a disease. Instead, it is a developmental disability that a person is either born with or has its symptoms gradually develop at a very early age.

It is for this reason that it doesn’t have a “cure”. It is not a medical condition that can be “treated,” after all.

Unfortunately, it can still affect numerous aspects of one’s life, including learning. So, how does autism affect learning? Aside from answering that question, we’ll share tips on how to improve your child’s learning efficiency, including the use of learning programs such as Brain Retrain.

Is Autism a Learning Disability?

No, it is not. According to Autistica, UK’s national autism research charity, a learning disability is a lifelong disorder typically diagnosed at a very early age, just like autism. It can also hinder a person’s behavior and social interaction, but their similarities end there.

There are genetic differences between the two. At the very least, a learning disability only affects one’s intellect.

Meanwhile, autism is defined by a more complex spectrum of traits or behavior rather than be limited to particular cognitive functions. That is why the varying degrees and types of autism are also referred to collectively as autism spectrum disorders or ASD.

That said, there are indeed people with autism who also have a learning disability. That is why these two disabilities are frequently confused with each other.

To be more precise, the organization Autism Speaks stated that 31% of children with ASD also have an intellectual disability in their recent statistical report.

How Does Autism Affect Learning?

Aside from having an increased risk of developing an intellectual disability, people with autism also have a different learning experience than others.

How Does Autism Affect Learning in School?

Are you wondering how does ASD affect learning in the classroom environment? Here are just some of the crucial points:

  • Children With Autism Don’t Develop at the Same Rate

Being a developmental disability, it is clear that children with autism won’t develop at the same rate as others. Most parents even discover their child’s disability this way after comparing their child’s progress with other children.

For instance, children with ASD might take until three years of age to start putting words together to form short phrases. If that’s the case, they will definitely struggle to follow a school curriculum paced for typically developing children.

  • Their Attention and Interaction Can Be Severely Limited

Autism also affects one’s attention and social interaction. For example, it is common for people with autism to find it challenging to maintain eye contact.

They’re also prone to missing essential social cues during their interactions due to their limited focus or attention span. Hence, this will understandably impact how much information they can retain from their teachers’ instructions.

  • They See Things Differently

Autism can also, unfortunately, impact a person’s understanding and perspective. They find it extremely hard to imagine themselves in other people’s shoes. They also tend to be zoomed in and have a more narrow focus. 

For instance, a child with autism can remember the details of a story they just heard but can fail to summarize or provide its main idea. Thus, a teacher would have to adjust explanations to make things clearer, a privilege not always provided in a traditional classroom setting.

  • They May Lack the Skills Needed to Enhance Learning Further

Finally, learning is a complex process that requires various skills like time management, thought organization, and even emotional control. All of these can contribute to a quality learning experience.

Unfortunately, many children with autism still need to develop and refine these skills further before enjoying the same level of learning as an average kid.

facts on how does autism affect learning

What Challenges Do Learners With Autism Face in the Classroom?

Apart from how autism affects learning, other factors further make the classroom a difficult environment for a child with autism. Some of the most common ones are:

  • Changing Rules and Expectations

An individual with autism has a different way of viewing things. You can’t expect them to recognize social cues the way an average person does. Hence, people with autism, particularly children, thrive with well-established rules.

Unfortunately, rules and expectations constantly change in a classroom setting. For instance, one teacher might require students to raise their hand and stand up to answer, while another teacher doesn’t. This can be confusing to understand and follow for a child with ASD.

  • Changing Routines and Structures

Lesson structures, schedules, and routines in the classroom are also in constant flux. After all, switching things up every once in a while makes lessons more interesting for the average learner. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for children with ASD.

  • Lack of Tolerance

If someone asks us, “What challenges do learners with autism face in the classroom?” This is probably going to be our top answer.

Keep in mind that teachers are humans too. Their levels of tolerance and empathy towards those who are “not normal” may vary widely.

If adults themselves can already find it hard to make certain adjustments, how can you expect kids to follow suit? That is one of the reasons children with ASD tend to get bullied a lot.

Will Homeschooling Make a Difference?

According to an annual report published by the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S., the government enacted the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (or IDEA) back in 1975.

It has made public school education in the country free, appropriate, and accessible even for children with special needs. That includes children with specific learning disabilities, physical impairments, and of course, autism.

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that your child can enjoy an optimal educational experience. As mentioned above, many factors can get in your child’s way of learning in a classroom setting.

Instead, you might want to consider alternative learning solutions like homeschooling. With this method, you will be able to offer your child an individualized educational plan tailor-made to fit his specific needs.

We understand that not all parents have the skills and experience required to teach a child with autism. It can be overwhelming and emotionally draining, even at the best of times. Fortunately, you can hire a tutor who specializes in autism to help you out.

There are also training programs that you can also take to learn more about teaching children with autism. After all, hiring a full-time tutor can be quite costly.

How Does an Autistic Child Learn Best?

Now that we’ve answered the question, “How does autism affect learning in school and in general?”, we can finally move on to the next crucial question: “How does an autistic child learn best?

Suppose you want to take on the challenge of teaching your child yourself, are there any tips you should keep in mind? Below are some key points.

Children With Autism Tend To Be Visual Thinkers

Support your lessons with visual aids, especially those that involve a lot of abstract concepts like words and numbers.

Avoid Long and Complicated Verbal Instructions

Children with autism can find it challenging to follow and remember long sequences, so keep your verbal instructions short. Any task that involves more than three steps should either be simplified or have its instructions written down.

Prioritize Your Child’s Natural Talents and Interests

You’ll be surprised how much children with autism excel in the areas they are most interested in. A lot of them are good at art, music, computer programming, and more.

We highly recommend prioritizing the nurturing of these skills as they can be turned into skills that can later be turned into a profession.

Use Tools

Lastly, there are many helpful tools and programs that you can use to improve your child’s learning. For instance, the Brain Retrain program by DreamWeaver House and SFK Media Corp is a great product to enhance both behavior and literacy skills. It can certainly make you worry less about how autism affects learning.

Brain Retrain

Brain Retrain CTA 4

Want to minimize autism effects on learning? We recommend looking into Brain Retrain. It is an expansion of the Reading Movies program.

Originally, it is a series of book movies specifically designed for children with autism. What sets them apart from other movie-type learning tools is their patented Action Caption technology combined with frequency brainwaves to stimulate the brain’s natural healing ability.

Brainwave exposure is a non-invasive and non-ingestible form of treatment. This alternative method works by using specific audio frequencies to trigger specific energy responses from the brain.

Meanwhile, Action Caption seeks to strengthen literacy skills through watching movies with clear and engaging captions. These two methods combined are a powerful learning combo that we believe any autistic learner deserves.

Conclusion

Autism may be a life-long hurdle that can affect various aspects of life. However, there are ways to work around its limits and make the most out of it. Learning, for instance, can be challenging, especially in the traditional school system.

So how does having autism affect learning? Students with ASD tend to have a slower learning pace. They also get bullied a lot by their peers that can further aggravate their mental strain.

That makes the individualized learning approach a homeschooling system provides ideal. We also recommend taking advantage of various learning programs specifically designed for learners with autism.

Brain Retrain is one of them. It is a learning program that includes literary classics turned into movies, equipped with DreamWeaver House’s patented Action Caption technology. It also makes use of brainwaves to further stimulate the brain’s development and learning processes. Most of all, it can minimize the autism effects on learning.

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