The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Educators of children with Asperger's Syndrome encounter the passions of their students be they manga, music, or medicine. Presenters will offer practical ways to harness the power of these special interest areas (SIAs) by illustrating how to integrate SIAs into K-12 core curriculum assignments. Utilizing students' SIAs can be a powerful tool to motivate students to complete academic assignments outside of their special interests. Suggestions for helping students shift from inappropriate passions to related, but suitable, interests will be highlighted. In the past decade, many areas in the field of autism have attracted researchers’ attention. Little has been done, however, on the passions of students with Asperger’s Syndrome. Thus, few professionals or parents grasp the hidden value of special interest areas. A research team of graduate students in an autism specialist training program and their faculty advisor conducted a qualitative research project to study critical questions concerning the special interest areas (SIAs) of children and youth with Asperger’s Syndrome. We will present our findings regarding the practical incorporation of SIAs into school assignments. The goal of this presentation is to help professionals and parents grasp how to practically harness the significant power of SIAs to help motivate students with Asperger’s Syndrome in completing academic assignments outside their typical spans of interests.

Based on study outcomes, three relevant areas will be addressed: (1) the rationale behind the use of SIAs with children and youth with Asperger’s Syndrome to motivate them to complete assignments in non-preferred academic areas. (2) how to adapt assignments utilizing the SIAs of children with youth with Asperger’s Syndrome, and (3) how to deal with the sensitive issue of socially inappropriate SIAs. Each of these topics is described in more detail below.

First, we will review the rationale behind the integration of SIAs into curriculum and the utilization of interests in non-preferred academic areas. Students with Asperger’s Syndrome frequently resist doing academic assignments that they see as unrelated to their SIAs, especially in academic areas where they may have particular weaknesses. Incorporating students’ SIAs into such non-preferred assignments often results in students completing such assignments with less resistance and better quality of completion. We will also talk briefly about what our research indicates are differences in the SIAs of boys with Asperger’s Syndromes and the SIAs of girls with Asperger’s Syndrome.

Second, we will explain how to adapt assignments to incorporate SIAs. We will offer examples of interest-based assignments designed for K-12 students with Asperger’s Syndrome across the core academic disciplines (e.g., how to write story problems that teach essential math skills, based on SIAs including butterflies or washing machines). Since parents often become experts in their children’s SIAs, ideas for engaging parent assistance in creating such assignments will also be addressed. Audience members will participate in designing one such assignment. We will also describe how the SIAs of children and youth with Asperger’s syndrome can lead these children and youth to meaningful post-secondary education and careers when they receive early support from parents and educators.

Third, we will address the sensitive, critical issue of socially inappropriate SIAs. While many individuals are fascinated with the SIAs of students with Asperger’s Syndrome, the question of what to do when a student’s SIA is unacceptable is a delicate one. While research regarding SIAs is scarce, it is nonexistent on the topic of dealing with socially difficult SIAs such as assault weapons, violent videos, and undergarments. Through the use of real examples, we will present practical ways to gradually expand a student’s interest to a related, but acceptable, SIA. We will also present suggestions for creating school/family partnerships to attempt to shift a student’s interest to a socially appropriate substitute SIA.

The target audience for this presentation includes regular and special education teachers, parents of children with Asperger’s Syndrome, speech-language specialists, psychologists, therapists, paraprofessionals, and other service providers. Participants will learn to use a student’s SIA to increase the student’s motivation for academic tasks and family activities. Increased understanding of SIAs will encourage educators and parents in their support of students with Asperger’s Syndrome and the use of SIA’s as academic reinforcers and motivators. The use of multi-media and student/parent anecdotes and quotes, in addition to research findings, will support audience learning.

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