'Agricultural specialisterne': rural employment revolution for those with Autism

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Detour to: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Vizzle - Visual Learning Software

**Specialisterne (Danish for ‘Specialists’) seeks to harness strengths that many people with Autism Spectrum Disorders possess - good attention to fine details, precision, and high tolerance for repetitive tasks. Their consultants bring the joy of work into areas where it is often missing today. The social enterprise introduced Information Systems Examination Board (ISEB) certifications for its consultants:

…A person with Asperger’s Syndrome is as capable of going to school and learning. But new surroundings, unfamiliar situations and unknown people are generally difficult for these people to handle.

Because of this, many have difficulties taking an exam.

“Many did very well in school, but not when it came to tests. Therefore, they do not have the diploma they were supposed to have,” general manager Lisbeth Zornig Andersen explains.

Therefore, exams in connection with test certifications must take place in an environment that is secure for Specialisterne’s employees…

The untraditional education and exam form was developed in cooperation with the Danish IT Society, which is in charge of certifications, and the development company Delta, which supplies teaching resources…

**(source: Danish company certifies people with autism - Computerworld)

The approach of Specialisterne in the above example falls within the philosophy of ‘universal design for learning’ (UDL). UDL calls for using curricula and materials that are flexible enough to accommodate a wide variety of learning styles and needs.

The three principles of UDL are described on the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) website as:

• Multiple means of representation, to give diverse learners options for acquiring information and knowledge;
• Multiple means of action and expression, to provide learners options for demonstrating what they know; and
• Multiple means of engagement, to tap into learners’ interests, offer appropriate challenges, and increase motivation.

One example of a program following UDL principles is Vizzle. Vizzle is an award-winning, web-based software for children with Autism as well as non-Autistic children with visual learning styles.

Here is a short overview video on Vizzle: YouTube - ‪VizZle, Visual Learning Software for Autism‬‏

And some positive results with Vizzle …

…“The main issue with my students is autism,” says Courtney Monastra, who teaches at Highland Local Schools in Marengo, Ohio. “When a parent comes in, they often don’t understand 100 percent of their child’s potential, because when there’s a challenge to communication, it is hard to see the child’s knowledge. My students are unconventional learners, and it’s much easier for them to interpret things they can see rather than hear the information from a person.”

Monastra’s school turned to VizZle, a Web-based lesson-creating resource that teaching teams can access through shared student folders and tracked assessment data.

“You can put in the [Integrated Programme (IP)] goal they’re working on and drag lessons into that goal so that every time they do that lesson, it’s measured,” Monastra says. “When you look at the end of the quarter at how they’re identifying letters, on top of documenting work in the classroom you can print out a progress graph.”

The kids’ love of technology pushes them to work outside their social comfort zone. “Their levels are so different: One isn’t verbal; one talks all the time, but his skills are lower. It’s been the first thing they can do together. We can practice taking turns using the electronic pen.”

Tailor-made reinforcements seemed ideally suited to those with autism, but is it tough to teach? “I have one student who goes in and makes his own lessons,” Monastra says. “It helps them generalize their knowledge, which is important. You can download a video from YouTube [which Monastra does at home] and put it at the end of the lesson, so my student who loves horses can watch a horse clip. Every one of my students has a focus.”

Amanda Deng found similar success in piloting VizZle in connection with Pennsylvania’s Competent Learner Model program. “One of my students really likes the Matching Board,” says Deng, who teaches at Capital Area Intermediate Unit 15 in Enola, “so I take images from his favorite cartoons and create Scooby-Doo or Sesame Street tile pairs for him to match. Another girl is quiet and withdrawn, but when I put her on the computer with a peer, she gets very excited, communicates more, and comes out of her shell. I use it a lot with two students at a time, making educational games for them that involve taking turns.

I also use Matching Board with coins, setting a target total amount with three to ten possible visual choices to reach it. They have a large and growing game-and-lessons library that you can edit or tweak and even personalize with your own voice. The kids will do just about anything for those frequent reinforcements…”

(sources: CAST: About UDL; SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT: Assistive Tech: May We Help You?)