Organization

Verbal individuals with autism have particular difficulty with organization. They cannot learn to organize themselves without our support. These students often have messy desks and lockers, and papers and books strewn on the floor around their desks. They often cannot find the assignments they need unless we help them organize. When I say “we,” I mean teachers, school staff and parents. A village is needed to help organize these students!

Parents need to make sure the child places completed assignments in the proper folder. In the morning, school staff need to help the student hand in assignments. Teachers need to make sure that homework assignments are written in the proper places, that worksheets are placed in the proper folders, and that the student packs the books he or she needs to complete these assignments. Some students have a set of books at home to solve this problem. With this kind of support, we can teach them how to get somewhat organized after several years! Every year teachers expect better organization and have higher demands.

One of the reasons these individuals are disorganized is that they do not take the time to put their assignments and homework in the proper places. They often feel rushed at the end of a class and shove their homework in any folder. Part of their rushed feeling has to do with their problem with time--in particular, with not knowing how long it will take to put assignments in the correct places, how long it will take to get to the next class and how these tasks relate to the elapsing of real time. They need to be taught about time through the use of stopwatches and timers.

Many verbal individuals with autism do not believe in doing homework, and so, are not motivated to organize it. They believe homework is actually schoolwork and therefore should be done at school. They have other things to do at home. We have to acknowledge that this is accurate. So what do they want to do at home? Most students need to rest or take a break from social interactions. Usually they are playing on computers to relax. We do not realize that when they are at school, they are expending a great deal of energy being social and learning social rules.

Organizational tools help with study skills. Written schedules and planners or assignment books are easily used with highly verbal individuals with autism who read. If a student does not read, assignment books can help his parents know what to work on and how to perform the task. Make sure assignments are clear to the parents because the students often forget what is required. We need to teach these students to identify the most important task for them to complete each night. They also need to learn how to divide a long-term project into parts and how to accomplish a part each night.

Another organizational strategy is making lists for the student, which includes lists of things needed for a class or a list of activities, such as the morning routine. Color-coded folders, books and notebooks help the student find the materials needed for a certain class. For example, red could be for science, and blue, for math. The student finds all his red things when it is time for science and all his blue things when it is time for math. Containers with hanging files that are brightly colored also assist the student in being organized.

Individuals with autism do not know how to organize their materials to begin and complete activities. As a result, they can become more organized using the physical structure of the classroom, individual work systems and a work/break routine. The work/break routine involves alternating between working and taking a short break, less than five minutes. Work time initially lasts from a few seconds to a minute. The goal is to increase work time to 20 minutes when they are five years old. As they get older, it can be increased to 60 minutes or more with a ten-minute break. To teach the work/break routine, select tasks that have visually clear beginnings and endings and are activities the student enjoys. This type of task will entice the student to the table. Enticing is better than pulling or forcing. It means that the student is motivated to work. Try to avoid using force. Also, be sure to keep work activities separate from break activities. For the work/break routine, break up the task into small segments and allow the student to take a short break between segments. As the student tolerates working, increase the time of the segments, which means increasing the length of the task.

A simple example involves putting shapes in a sorter. First present three shapes to the student and have him put them in; then give him a short break, saying, “Time to play,” or “Time for break.” Use a timer during the break so that the ringing of the bell indicates that the break is over. (Break activities can consist of things we think of as work, such as puzzles or coloring.) After the break is over, tell the student, “Time to work.” Assist him to the table and have him insert three more shapes, giving him a short break when he is done. After the student tolerates this, increase the number of shapes by one, so that on the second day, the student is asked to insert four shapes each time; on the third day, five shapes; and so on, until he is able to sit and put in all of the shapes. As the student sits for more shapes, be careful not to put out too many pieces on the table, lest the student become disorganized and confused. I have found that somewhere between five and ten pieces becomes overwhelming to a student. You will know when the student is overwhelmed if you increase slowly because you will see him shut down and stop working. Take some pieces away and see whether the student can perform the task again. Too many pieces interfere with the student’s ability to complete the task, even tasks he is able to complete.

The work/break routine can be applied to a wide variety of activities. Other tasks that assist in teaching the work/break routine include the use of many preschool toys and activities, such as nesting cups, ring stacks, puzzles, completing items on a worksheet, folding towels, and washing tables. Activities such as sitting in a circle or attending to a lesson can be broken into work/break segments. For example, if the student can sit at a circle for six minutes, give him a break after five minutes and before a meltdown. After a break of five minutes or so, have him return for another five minutes.

The work/break routine helps students with autism engage in tasks on our demand. Many young students can complete different activities, but cannot do them when requested to by an adult. This is often viewed as noncompliance. The work/break routine teaches these students to tolerate our demands and reinforces them with a preferred activity, which we call a break. They call it being able to do what they want, when they want! The work/break routine can be incorporated into a schedule. Daily individual schedules, monthly or long-term schedules and schedules within schedules--all visual organizers-- will be discussed in the last chapter.