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Strategies to Help Students with Asperger Syndrome and High 

Functioning Autism Thrive in the Classroom 


 
NOTE​: This resource may not have strategies that apply to all of the challenger that individuals with 
Autism Spectrum Disorder face. This resource is particular to those individual with Aspergers 
Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. Each case must be considered on an individual basis.  
 
Autism Spectrum Disorders 
A group of lifelong developmental and neurological disorders characterized by varying 
degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions and restricted, repetitive & 
stereotyped patterns of behavior (NCBDDD-CDC)  
 
Spectrum: S​ ome children have intellectual disabilities in addition to autism; others are higher 
functioning with average or above intellectual abilities.  
 
 
Characteristics  
Asperger Syndrome & High Functioning Autism  
● Average intellectual abilities  
● Age appropriate language skills (except social language)  
● Significant impairments in social interaction  
● Difficulty understanding social customs and rules (“hidden social curriculum”)  
● Difficulty interpreting nonliteral language (i.e., idioms, slang, jokes, sarcasm, multiple-meaning words, 
metaphors, similes)  
● Limited ability to “read” nonverbal communication  
● Insistence on sameness and rigidity; sensitive to changes  
● Difficulty taking the perspective of others  
● Restrictive and repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, &/or activities  
● Executive function deficits in planning, organization, initiating a response, sustaining effort, inhibiting 
impulses, shifting sets, monitoring self, using working memory  
● Fine motor difficulties that can affect handwriting and written expression  
● Gross motor difficulties that can affect motor activity and performance in PE  
● Difficulty with emotional regulation; can become emotionally overwhelmed  
● Anxious and/or depressed  
● Emotional vulnerability; confusion about own and other’s emotions  
● Sensory sensitivities  
● Academic difficulties can include, poor concentration and attention affecting on-task behavior, limited work 
completion, problems with test-taking  
● Behavioral challenges are typically related to all the characteristics listed above  
 
 
Differences between Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism 
Asperger Syndrome  High Functioning Autism 

Normal language development  Delayed or disordered language 

Restricted language  Stereotyped patterns of behaviours/activities 

 
Students with ASD need Predictability 
 
Strategies  This strategy is important  Suggestions for the Classroom and 
because  School 

Utilize Schedules  Students with ASD may:   Classroom schedule:  


● Have an atypical sense of  ● Display it so it is large enough for ALL to 
time   see & read  
● Be anxious about change   ● Preview schedule at beginning of the day 
● Need to know about changes  ● Highlight activities & any changes from 
in schedules ahead of time   routine 
● Struggle with transitions   ● Students can ask questions about changes 
  ● Refer to schedule throughout day at 
transitions or when asked questions such 
as, “​When is recess?”  
 
Weekly schedule: C ​ larifies what is happening 
for the next few days and shows the “big 
things” that happen during the week - field 
trips, pictures, assemblies, etc. 
 
Individual schedule:  
Daily schedule individualized for the student 
with ASD and integrates differences in his/her 
schedule (i.e., Speech)  

Develop Clear Rules  Students with ASD may:   ● Provide simple, short classroom rules 
● Need a “roadmap” to help  written in the positive (Walk in the 
navigate the school day   classroom, Raise your hand, etc.)  
● Rely on a visual “check” of  ● Collaboratively write rules with students at 
rules rather than their  the beginning of the year  
memory   ● Explain clearly why each rule is significant 
● Need to calm anxiety about  to them  
what to do in certain  ● Acknowledge when student follows a 
situations   difficult rule  
● Try to enforce a rule on peers    

Define Transitions  Students with ASD may:   ● Point to schedule & draw students’ 
● Struggle with “shifting” to  attention to the next activity  
new activities due to  ● Give transition warnings  
cognitive rigidity   ● Provide “Get ready time” with 5 minute 
● Become overwhelmed with  warning  
sensory stimulation during  ● Write # of minutes left on board  
busy transitions (chairs   
moving, students talking,  Develop & post rules, for example:  
papers & books rustling,  ● Put materials away quietly  
students bumping into each  ● Get what you need for next activity  
other)   ● Move quietly & quickly  
● Keep hands & feet to self  

Develop Consistent  Students with ASD may:   ● Clearly define procedures & routines in the 
Classroom  ● Forget what to do & then  classroom  
Procedures  anxiety increases   ● Examples; bathroom break, sharpening 
● Do better with clear routines   pencils, end of day, getting a drink, lining 
  up, etc.  
 

 
Students with ASD need Social Opportunities 
 
Strategies  This strategy is important  Suggestions for the Classroom and 
because  School 

Identify Student  Students with ASD may:   ● Give student a classroom job that highlights 
Strengths  ● Have significant strengths in  his/her area of strength  
academic areas, memory,  ● Promote acceptance and belonging by 
problem-solving, etc.   stretching the definition of “normal social 
  behaviours” 

Support During  Students with ASD may:   ● Open up your classroom for these students 
Lunch  ● Prefer the company of adults  to have a safe-space 
and not peers  ● Set up a job for the student right after 
● Not know how to join in  finishing lunch  
conversation with others   
● Become overwhelmed with 
noise, smells, and activity 

Support During  Students with ASD may:   ● Some students may need breaks from 
Recess or Free Time  ● FInd recess very stressful  socialization 
● Not have the skills to join and  ● Develop free-time clubs (chess, etc.) 
engage in conversation with  ● Select several recess “buddies” who 
peers  volunteer to help the student get started in 
● Be inflexible and cannot go  a recess game  
“with the flow” 
● Get overwhelmed with the 
physical, social, and 
emotional requirements of 
free-time 

Increase Peer  Students with ASD may:   ● Explicitly teach the skills of how work with a 
Interactions in the  ● Be unwilling to work with  partner and use pair activities 
Classroom  partners or in groups  (Think-Pair-Share, Turn to Your Neighbour, 
● Not understand the “hidden  Prediction Pairs, etc.)  
rules” about group work  ● Consider who would be a good partner for 
● Unable to read subtle  the student with ASD (i.e. patient tolerant 
nonverbal cues from partners  of a different learning and social style) 
or member of a group  ● Explicitly teach students how to work in a 
● Be rigid about the assigned  group 
task  ● Consider what might be the best job for the 
● Dominate discussion  student with ASD (for example, a student 
because of limited  who struggle with handwriting would not 
awareness of others  be a good notetaker) 
   
 
Students with ASD need Emotional and Behavioural Support 
 
Strategies  This strategy is important  Suggestions for the Classroom and 
because  School 

Support  Students with ASD may:   ● Focus on student’s strengths and find ways 
Self-Esteem  ● Be left out of social  to let peers recognize these areas of 
interactions  strength (i.e. student who is excellent in 
● Unaware of how students  math becomes the math helper/expert) 
“see” him/her  ● Catch student in positive moments  
  ● Use specific words to define positive 
behaviour (“you really listened to those 
directions”) 

Support Compliance  Students with ASD may:   ● Use language that explains the “why” of the 
● Appear rude or disrespectful,  situation 
but may not understand  ● Use your classroom rules to redirect 
● Need explicit instruction on  ● Always think Prevention (remove student 
what to do in certain  from difficult situations, get support from 
situations  your classroom routine and visuals, redirect 
● Need reminders about how  the student, take a sensory break) 
the rules apply to them  ● Don’t get into power struggles (You will 
● Struggle with transitions  lose!) 
● Have a limited awareness of   
his/her own 
actions/behaviours 

Cope with Rigidity  Students with ASD may:   ● Implement a “Question Rule”; set a clear 
● Ask the same question over  rule about how many questions a student 
and over  can ask in a given period of time 
● Get “stuck” and be unable to  ● Use the classroom schedule to get them 
move beyond the issue  back on track 

Cope with Emotions  Students with ASD may:   ● Model and teach calming strategies (i.e. 
● Have very limited ability to  take deep breaths, squeeze fidget items) 
regulate his/her emotions  ● Prompt students to take a “time away” for 
● Become very anxious when  calming (not a punishment) 
things don’t go as they  ● Acknowledge upsetting emotions, “I can 
expect  see you are frustrated with this…” 
● Dwell on past experiences   
and struggle to let go of past   
“wrongs”  

Cope with Difficult  Students with ASD may:   ● Meltdowns can be a result of the cumulative 
Behaviour  ● Seem to meltdown for no  effect of different factors 
(Outbursts and  apparent reason  ● Inhibit your natural response to talk; if you 
● Be unable to explain why  want to communicate something, write it 
Tantrums) 
he/she had a meltdown,  down 
especially in the moment  ● If you need to talk, use slow speech 
● Struggle to understand the  ● Be calm; monitor your tone of voice and 
perspective of others  body language 
● Act impulsively without  ● Talke with the student later, don’t ask 
thinking  questions 
● Engage in ritualistic,  ● You may need to compromise, it’s not about 
repeated or obsessive  winning 
behaviours   
 

Students with ASD need Academic Support 


 
Strategies  This strategy is important  Suggestions for the Classroom and 
because  School 

Support Work  Students with ASD may:   ● Catch the student when they are on-task;, 
Completion  ● Get “stuck” due to cognitive  don’t wait until they are not working to 
rigidity  interact 
● Show little interest in  ● Develop a work completion chart to check 
“pleasing people” (teachers,  off tasks as they are completed 
parents) for good grades  ● Negotiate order of completion 
● Be bored with grade-level  ● Consider whether handwriting demands are 
academic work  interfering with completion; allow work 
● Be unable to organize self to  processing softwares 
get work done  ● Provide organization supports, such as 
● Struggle with “whole” and  graphic organizers, checklists, outlines, 
over-focuses on the details  skeleton notes 
● Model calendar keeping and list making 
● Consider technology such as laptop, phone, 
etc.  

Support on-task  Students with ASD may:   ● Seat student with ASD near on-task peers 
behaviour  ● Be easily distracted by inner  ● Allow student to use buddies for help 
thoughts or sensory  ● Watch for signs of student losing 
sensitivities  concentration 
● Be overloaded with sensory  ○ Increased movements  
stimulation  ○ Facial expressions 
● Be stressed and withdraw  ○ Vocalizations 
into inner world  ● Redirect off-task behaviour before it 
● Lack organizational skills  escalates:  
● Overfocus on details and be  ○ Take a note to the office 
unable to “see” the whole of  ○ Clean the whiteboard 
the task  ○ Redirect the student back to 
task 

Support test-taking  Students with ASD may:   ● Be sure to give prior notice for tests; write 
● Become anxious with tests  on weekly schedule so student will not be 
● Be impulsive in responses  surprised 
● Have poor handwriting that  ● Allow student to take test in RSP room or 
slows down test completion  elsewhere 
● Break test into several parts to take at 
different times 
● Watch for confusing or nonliteral language 
on tests 

Monitor Instructional  Students with ASD may:   ● When nonliteral language occurs in text or 
Discourse  ● Struggle to understand  in oral instruction/discussion, explain what 
nonliteral language  it means 
● Not read nonverbal  ● Avoid sarcasm; students will be confused 
communication cues  and frustrated 
accurately  ● Use statements, not questions 
● Have limited working  ● Monitor mixed messages 
memory affecting response  ● Slow down your rate of speech, chunk 
to oral directions and  directions, pause between each 
instructions   instructional point, write on whiteboard 
● Write directions on post-it note at student’s 
desk 

Resources 
 
Resource  Description 

Ontario Teachers’ Federation: Teacher’s  A website that details teaching strategies that can be 
Gateway to Special Education:  implemented for any student who needs them, regardless of 
https://www.teachspeced.ca/node/1  formal identification. This site serves as a collection of 
resources for teachers to easily access and implement with 
their students.  
 

The Aspergers Society of Ontario   The Asperger’s Society of Ontario is a not-for-profit 


http://www.aspergers.ca  organization founded in 2000 by parents of children with 
Asperger Syndrome and concerned professionals.  

Autistic Self Advocacy Network  The autistic self advocacy network seeks to advance the 
https://autisticadvocacy.org  principles of the disability rights movement with regard to 
autism. ASAN believes that the goal of autism advocacy 
should be a world in which autistic people enjoy equal 
access, rights, and opportunities. They work to empower 
autistic people across the world to take control of their own 
lives and the future of their communities. 
 

Autism Spectrum Education Network  Aspen is a national volunteer non-profit organization.  


aspen.org  ASPEN provides families and individual whose lives are 
affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, and nonverbal 
learning disabilities with:  

● Education about the issues surrounding the 


disorders 
● support in knowing that they are not alone, and Sn 
helping individuals with ASDs and NLD achieve 
their maximum potential 
● Advocacy in areas of appropriate educational 
programs, medical research funding, adult issues 
and increased public awareness and understanding 

Grasp: Global and Regional Asperger  A non-profit organization providing support, education, and 
Syndrome Partnership  programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorders 
and their families. 

 
 

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