The Application of the CIP in an Autistic Child's Education

The Application of the Cultural Inquiry Process in an Autistic Child’s Education and Peer Relations

Many of the anti-social and stereotypical behaviors engaged in by the autistic child impede learning, therefore, adults must make every effort to shape these behaviors into other socially accepted forms of behavior. (Remus, 2002)

Puzzlement and Background

The setting for the puzzlement takes place in an eighth grade language arts SOAR classroom at a brand new middle school. The school emphasis is reading and writing across all classes with a goal of an overwhelming passing rate on the SOL tests by our students, so that the school starts out with a high standard of excellence. The SOAR reading program is a structured reading remediation program focused on students that need significant help in order to pass the SOL tests. Their placement into the program is based on fifth grade SOL test scores and a reading assessment test done the first week of school.

The SOAR class I teach currently consists of three students. “Tony” (all names are pseudonyms), one of the students in the program, is the focus of my puzzlement and he is a thirteen year- old special education student with autism. The SOAR classroom is full of books as the focus is literacy and excitement for literacy. The walls are filled with strategy posters that help the students with the following reading strategies: summarize, clarify, predict, and question. It is a very structured room with only one teacher and three students. The program itself is set up to have no more than seven students, but we have been very lucky to have such personalized instruction in our situation. The reading-rich environment promotes the curricular emphasis of the reading and writing SOL and county objectives. The school philosophy of success in reading and writing is prevalent in the room and in my focus as a teacher.

My role as a SOAR teacher is to help the students move from a guided, modeled approach to strategies with very low level reading material to independence and reciprocal teaching with grade-level material. The program is an 18-week course, but students are able to test out of the program if they are excelling at a fast rate. We meet every day and go through a structured format that is the same each day. This fits right in with my personality as a teacher because I like structure and small group instruction because it helps the learner so much.

My puzzlement is a situation that I think centers around my own teaching beliefs and the setting of our small class compared to larger ones. Tony, a student with learning disabilities and autism, is in all inclusion classes; however, he is often ridiculed and made fun of in larger settings compared to our small setting where he is nurtured and respected. My puzzlement is wondering what causes differences in student’s behavior towards him and how it affects Tony’s learning.

This situation is important to me not only because I care about this student, but also because student literacy is my field and my focus. If I can find out that small group instruction is the culture that is the best for this student, I can utilize this knowledge in my field. If I can find out that it is my own personal culture that affects this student, I can utilize this knowledge as well. I find it very interesting to focus on one student and what a school, teacher, and classmates can do to support one student. Other teachers have confided in me that they find it difficult to teach Tony in their class at times because of his behavior interacting with other students. Are the cultures of the other students and a large class culture contributing to Tony’s social behavior and actions? Our influence is great on our students and Tony has been an interest to me and other teachers since the first day of school. How students react to him in different situations has intrigued me and now I have the opportunity to pursue this puzzlement.

Cultural Questions

Tony, a thirteen year old eighth grader, shows many signs of presenting his “own culture.” He is very unique in that he has autism with characteristics that are unlike those of his peers. He often talks to himself, reacts to things in an exaggerated way, and is friendly, but reserved at the same time. Autism is a devastating, lifelong disorder that “leaves those affected socially isolated, seriously disturbed by loud sounds and tactile sensations, significantly language impaired, rigid, and routine-bound in their daily activities” (The Autism Research Foundation, 2002). He presents an interesting puzzlement because many students seem to take care of him and like to associate with him because he is different; they seem to take him under their wing. However, many students do not react to him in this way and see him as an easy target to bully. Tony seems to be very apprehensive and reluctant to share his knowledge as he appears to have a very low self-esteem and seems to underestimate what he can do.

Although he has a “label,” he is very high functioning, participates in a full day of regular education or team-taught inclusion classes, and seems to get along with most peers. He is in the SOAR class for reading remediation, but he is making honor roll grades. He works very hard and is extremely organized, although part of his disability makes him appear that he is not organized. He has papers scattered about, but he always knows where they are and he is always the first to turn in an assignment. He uses his student agenda as an organization tool to help him. Organization and routine are key to Tony’s success as “having a set routine each day provides children with a sense of predictability, security, and structure within a given setting” (Remus, 2002).

Tony’s teachers love him; he is helpful and friendly. When I walk into the SOAR classroom, he has all of our books and materials out for us already. He is shy around his teachers and seems to need a lot of reassurance and positive feedback in his work. He struggles with new concepts and needs help in being patient with himself. He is easily frustrated if he doesn’t get something right away.

Tony lives with his grandparents, but sees his father on the weekends and on holidays. All of his family seems to be supportive of his special needs and try to give him the tools he needs to be successful. He comes from a caring environment with high expectations. Tony is a European-American student who must deal with the cultural background of a special needs student. His autism is something he carries with him that he cannot change. This puts him in a different “social class” around many students.

We do not have a very large special education population at our school and he is the only student with autism. He receives special services as shown in his IEP. The services he receives, the progress he makes, and his attitude and work ethic are all representative of the support he gets from his teachers, his family, and several students. Part of the culture of the school that Tony has to deal with is the students that do not understand his personality despite a disability. They are students that do not accept him for who he is. It is these students that affect Tony’s self-esteem and performance in some areas.

Tony is bullied in his large P.E. class to the point that he is frightened and wanted to transfer classes. He realized that if his schedule was changed then he would not get to come to me in my small (three-person) class anymore. He did not want to make this change because he knew the best place for him was to stay in this class. The P.E. teacher seemed to think that a class of 48 students was too large for Tony and that there were too many students for Tony to interact with if some might be negative interactions. This made me wonder what a small class gave to a person like Tony. Could it be the small class structure or could it be part of my own culture affecting the decision?

In following the Cultural Inquiry Process (Jacob, 1999), I decided initially to pursue a few cultural questions that may be an influence in Tony’s situation. This thought made me question whether it was my beliefs and the program’s beliefs of a small class environment that was making a difference in Tony’s perception of the situation (CIP Cultural Question 3.1). Or was it the school’s culture that became a factor in the treatment he received in one area of the building as opposed to another area? (CIP Cultural Question 3.2). I had to advocate for him to stay in the remediation class because, technically, he is already being serviced by special education, so he is not supposed to receive the remediation class.

According to his previous test results, he did need the extra remediation and I wanted him to stay. I come from a context where I have taught many inclusion classes and share a special desire to help students with special needs. In high school, I even volunteered working with students with autism and mental retardation. I have always found myself drawn to this group. My own cultural beliefs, values, and experience in dealing with special education students is something I bring to our new school and to this new remediation program. As our school grows, our school culture will develop and continue to have impact on our students. I want my way of focus on students to become part of the culture.

As I have explored the cultural questions, I find myself realizing the importance of my beliefs and my school culture, but I think that Tony may be more of a part of what is happening in these varied situations. I think he is contributing more to the situations and reacting differently in each of them. Therefore, I wonder how his individual cultural “negotiations” might be contributing to the puzzling situation (CIP Cultural Question 3.5). It seems as if this question would lend itself to each factor that may occur and really encompasses all of the other questions that I have considered. How does Tony respond to my beliefs, the varied school culture, and his class culture? How does he bring his experience with him to negotiate a situation? How are the situations he must negotiate different from each other and how does that relate to how students treat him?

Data Collection and Analysis

In order to delve further into Cultural Question 3.5, I needed to collect information that would help me understand Tony’s peer, school, and class culture so I could attempt to understand the cultural negotiations that take place. Although it is ideal to understand the student’s perspective over a period of time, I will consider the experience in which I have dealt with Tony in the three months I have known him and use data collection methods to monitor his negotiations.

I work with Tony in a small setting that differs from the settings he is in the rest of the day. I believe I have built rapport and trust, but it is difficult for Tony to open up to his teachers because of his autism. He seems to work well with his SOAR classmates and responds well to teacher direction. I wanted to compare this to his other class behavior as well as student response toward him. I had Tony’s teachers fill out a questionnaire about his behavior negotiations in their classes. I found great consistency in their responses to the questions. Just as in my class, Tony seems comfortable and happy; however, he must deal with many more students in other settings. His language arts inclusion teacher claims that, “he was frustrated during a situation. He banged his fist on his notebook and told the students to stop. When I asked what was happening, he refused to answer and redirected his attention to his notebook.” I asked his resource teacher about her class with Tony and ten other students, and she said that sometimes when interacting with his peers, he withdraws and will not look at anyone. “He can’t concentrate and will often focus on drawing or creating diagrams. He tends to be confused because he isn’t always sure why the event has occurred and as he becomes more agitated, he expresses more anger.”

Some situations from his environment that trigger negative interactions or withdrawal from Tony are teacher reprimands, adolescent social contacts that he doesn’t understand, teasing, bullying, and quick or frequent transitions in routine. These aspects of peer and teacher classroom culture are difficult for Tony to negotiate. He will either react in a negative way or will withdraw into his own world. In interviewing his math teacher, I found that Tony easily is set off by teasing or bullying from other students. Once this happens, even when the situation is resolved, he will not let it go. He will mumble repeatedly about the situation for the entire class. He will get agitated and cannot redirect his attention. This is an example of how “autistic children may fixate over one particular object for extended period of time, thereby limiting their experiences with other objects and individuals” (Remus, 2002). Tony’s way of negotiating the situation is to focus inward and to not deal with his peers.

I am aware of the bullying situation with which Tony has had to deal. I know that the school counselor sees him on a regular basis. In observing Tony in P.E. class with his fellow students, I saw this inconsistency in behavior at work. Due to Tony’s autism, he may react unpredictably in his situations. Sometimes he withdraws and sometimes he lashes out at the students. In P.E., he was playing basketball with fellow students. They were not passing him the ball and he seemed to interpret that as mistreatment by his peers. Instead of asking for the ball, he lost his temper and got visibly upset at the other students by mumbling and creating arm and hand gestures. He seemed to have no control over his actions and emotions. This is different than when he gets frustrated by a teacher or a friend. If that occurs, he focuses on something else quietly and will not look at the teacher or respond.

I gave Tony a reflection questionnaire. He seemed to be positive about his classes and about the SOAR program in general. He is not often willing to open up and tends to give very simplistic responses, so I think the best collection of information is the teacher responses.

Tony is a well-behaved student who wants to succeed. He wants to do well, but has trouble controlling some of his actions. Instead of acknowledging his differences and communicating his needs, he tends to withdraw and exhibit autistic behaviors like exaggerated movements of his arms and face, making noises, fidgeting, chewing objects, or doodling and drawing. His way of negotiating his identity in a situation is to isolate himself by stopping his socialization, using exaggerated movements, or having a temper outburst. When he does this, he stops self-monitoring himself and his behaviors increase. Tony received a day of out of school suspension because of pointing his finger in the position to suggest a gun. I know that Tony often makes this gesture, but does not intend anything by it. In class, he would not tell me why he was out of class that week. He did not even acknowledge it. I found this interesting and I think that Tony often deals with issues inwardly.

How about peer reactions to Tony? Many of the students react in a positive way. Tony has one or two close friends, many acquaintances who say hello, and a few students who give him a hard time. In the small class setting of my class and his resource class, Tony really does not have negative peer interactions. In the larger classes, if Tony has an outburst, there are certain students that will try to encourage negative behavior. Tony does not know how to self-monitor his behavior, so, instead, he negotiates his behavior depending on the class environment and his peers’ input. The routine, structure, and individualized instruction of a small group setting really seem to foster comfort and stability for Tony. He needs a learner-centered approach where learning occurs best in a positive environment where he feels valued and acknowledged with positive interactions (Fox, 2002).

The data collection methods of questionnaires, student reflection, and participant observation have helped me to understand Tony’s role in negotiating his cultural identity within the class culture and the school culture. The primary mode of Tony’s negotiations seems to be isolation and negative interactions; however, more than not, he will isolate himself in a certain larger context. Ann Locke Davidson states, “ identity manifests itself in complex ways, its salience and meaning shifting also with contextual meanings” (Davidson, 1996). Tony’s shifting negotiations depend on the class culture in which he finds himself.

There are no other students with autism at the school, so Tony must face a lot on his own. The small class structure gives him the stability he needs to self-monitor his behaviors. The large class structure is beginning to teach him how to monitor his behaviors positively, but also challenges the way Tony negotiates his behavior.

Interventions

In developing interventions for Tony, I had to return to the cultural question that his negotiations in different class environments were contributing to the puzzlement. Tony seems to connect to certain students, but many bully and tease him. When this happens, he isolates himself with movements, gestures, and comments that are representative of his disability. The special education borders that Tony must deal with influence how he acts in his environments. In autistic children, “anxiety releases both chemical and hormonal responses which in turn arouse the neurological system into an agitated state. When too many stimuli are taken in through their senses, the child responds with sudden loud outbursts in an attempt to block out any unpleasant sensations” (Remus, 2002). We, as teachers, must help these students in their interactions and their reactions so that they may learn the best to their ability, despite their disability.

There are many interventions that would be helpful to Tony in reducing the borders that affect him and contribute to his situation. One suggestion I have is to request that the guidance counselor meet with Tony on a weekly basis to ensure that he is adapting to his classes and he is interacting positively with his peers. Perhaps the counselor and other teachers can help in employing a peer group or buddy system for Tony in all of his classes so that he can receive help and support from certain students. In my small class, the other students really “take care” of Tony; perhaps he needs this in his other classes as well.

Tony’s teachers must teach him what behaviors are acceptable. Jonathan Kimball (2002) states, “unless we can determine more precisely how behavior and interactions influence each other, we cannot optimize the influence of our instruction.” Tony needs positive feedback from his teachers and his peers. His self-esteem is low and he needs help in bringing it up to a level where he can be satisfied and happy in school. Perhaps Tony could stay after school to get involved with a club or he could help a teacher with projects. The behaviors that autistic children exhibit can be very disruptive to others, so we must help our autistic children in how they negotiate their behavior. “Maladaptive or socially unacceptable behaviors occur when individuals haven’t learned to regulate their own behaviors in response to other people’s actions” (Remus, 2002). We must teach them. By increasing the amount of positive reinforcement for socially acceptable behaviors, less desired ones should soon diminish.

Another way that Tony can deal with what is going on in his world is to write about it and reflect upon it. I plan to devote time in his SOAR class on Fridays for some reflection writing about how he is doing in his classes, what things he is learning, what makes him happy at school, what he dislikes at school, etc. Reflection writing may give him a chance to delve into the issues of his anxiety and apprehension in the classroom and around his peers and teachers. This is a way of monitoring his behavior in the context where his negotiations are taking place.

According to autistic research, “autistic children learn better when teaching methods include the use of consistent daily routines, consequences for inappropriate behaviors, and task organization” (Remus, 2002). Tony’s teachers must realize that a change in routine or a provoking situation will immediately affect Tony’s ability to learn. His affective learning domain is affected and teachers must use intervention techniques. Another intervention that will help Tony is to observe him and respond to his non-verbal attempts to negotiate his behavior. Teachers must help Tony label his actions as they occur and help teach him socially acceptable ways to protest and disagree with his peers or an event. A teacher must act as an interpreter to others in order for the proper and positive communication to occur and then continue. Tony needs to be aware of his actions and needs his teachers’ assistance to help him with positive interactions and not negative negotiations.

Teachers need training in order to teach all students social skills and reciprocal social interactions. If all classes were able to really delve into character building and social skills training, all students would learn how to negotiate their situations in a positive way (Koegel, 2003).

Monitoring

In consideration of CIP cultural question 3.5, I have seen that Tony does negotiate his behaviors according to the situation in which he finds himself. I have collected data that shows Tony’s struggle in his peer relations, which cause him to withdraw or react negatively depending on the situation. It is my job in exploring this issue to communicate to Tony’s teachers on how they can better assist Tony in monitoring his behavior and getting the most productive education. Tony’s education should not only include academics, but should also include assistance and teaching in peer interactions and self-monitoring of behavior. Tony also needs to be able to trust his teachers and his peers in order for learning to occur. After consulting with other teachers, we will need to communicate continually with each other so that we can collaborate on the best strategies to help Tony with his relationships.

Tony will only be in my SOAR class for one more week and then I will continue to monitor him in his other classes. The P.E. teacher has seen some positive change in Tony, and Tony is now a member of the school’s wrestling team. I expect that Tony will have a bit of an adjustment period as he leaves my class of three students and begins a new class at the change of semester. I am talking with the new teacher about the findings in this case and am hopeful that she will help implement some of the strategies. I believe that Tony has come a long way in his learning and with help, he will continue to be on the honor roll, participate in school activities, and learn to monitor his behavior.

I will meet with Tony again to help him prepare for his SOL testing. As we concentrate on the reading strategies he has learned, we will also work on his behavior monitoring. This is going to be a very crucial tool for Tony as he enters high school next year. He will have a much larger culture of students with which to negotiate his interactions.

Conclusions and Implications

In looking back at my original puzzlement, I wondered what caused differences in student’s behaviors toward Tony and how itss affected Tony’s learning. As I developed my cultural question, I looked further into how Tony dealt with other student’s behaviors and how his interactions affected how he could deal with a situation. I have found that Tony’s learning is affected when he cannot deal effectively with a situation. Tony negotiates his situation depending on the culture around him and he must have teacher and peer assistance as he learns what is appropriate and what is not.

In looking at my own teaching practice, I see how the affective domains of learning can really shape a class culture. In my small class, there is a “sheltered” feeling of trust and security. I teach larger classes as well, and I would like them to have the same feeling. In my other classes, I need to be aware of the students who may be negotiating their own behaviors based on some other influence. In observing all students, I can help these students to make the most of their situations despite external influences.

Other teachers can take from this discussion an awareness of each individual student in the classroom and that an inclusion class may require different elements to consider, such as students like Tony and their negotiations of different contexts.

Schools need to be aware of varied classroom culture and that special education students need to learn the appropriate behaviors, but need to see them modeled by their peers and teachers effectively. We need to offer all of our students the guidance they need to interact with all people and to use positive interactions in the learning place. Collaborative learning is the key to student learning, but sometimes we must foster and mold this learning tool to make is effective for all students. Cohen (1998) states, “the personal-social factor of cooperative learning groups can help break through social isolation and social differences so the content can be taught effectively and individualized.” Teachers must make an extra effort to provide the necessary collaborative arrangement that takes into account the cultures of the class so that they may promote the very best learning situation for all students.

References

Autistic Research Foundation. The puzzle of autism. Retrieved December 10, 2002, from http://www.ladders.org/tarf/tarfresearch.html.

Cohen, E.G. (1998, September). Making cooperative learning equitable. Educational Leadership, 18-21.

Davidson, A.L. (1996). Making and molding identity in schools. Albany, NY: State University of New York.

Fox, R. (2002, July 11) Premises of learner centeredness. Class handout.

Jacob, E. (1999). Cultural inquiry process web site. [Online]. http://classweb.gmu.edu/classweb/cip/.

Kimball, J.W. (2002, Summer). Behavior-analytic instruction for children with autism. Focus on autism and other developmental disabilities.

Koegel, R.L. (2003, Winter). Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 5.

Remus, M. (2002). Autism and school based programming. Retrieved December 10, 2002, from http://www.telusplanet.net/public/nremus/programming.htm.