Time with Adam: A Musician with Autism
Cheryl Ogonowski
The school where I teach music for students Kindergarten through Fifth Grade was selected as the site for two self-contained classrooms for students with Autism. My understanding of the challenges these students face was limited, so I sought help from experienced colleagues. Since I am not a music therapist, I was not expected to use music to teach social skills, coping processes, or adjustment to transitions in daily routine. Knowing that my role was still that of a music educator allowed me to focus on how I could adapt the lessons that my general-education students were engaged in, yet make the lessons age and socially appropriate for my new AI classes.
Understanding common tendencies of students with Autism was a priority. I learned that AI students can have high intelligence, but lack in communication skills, and that routine and predictability provided comfort to students. I used icons on cards to outline the general activities planned for each music class, giving the students a preview of what was coming next to reduce the anxiety of sudden transitions. Some students in the classes may have sensitivity to overstimulation (too loud, too bright, touching, etc.). I prepared to make accommodations, as each child can have a unique Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) that could require adjustments to have less (headphones to reduce sound) or more stimulation (squeezing a student’s head or shoulders). When a student begins to feel overwhelmed, he or she may use some sort of stimulation (stim) to regain comfort. In my classroom I have observed hand flapping, rocking, clapping, pinching, biting, spitting, sexual stimulation, and banging or slapping a student’s own head or belly. Without preparation, an observer can find those reactions to be somewhat shocking, yet they fit within learning theorist Vygotsky’s ideas of the “zone of proximal development.” (Hourigan and Hourigan) The “comfort zone” to which students return when facing cognitive challenges for which they are not quite ready applies to these students as it does all learners, but an AI student’s comfort zone might include more physical expression and be much less easily overlooked. Students with autism are commonly also challenged with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), a strong urge to complete a routine before moving on to another activity (counting, turning lights off/on, playing a stepwise path on an instrument, etc.).
Another common characteristic appears to be a delay in cognitive understanding, but is actually a delay in processing. This may mean waiting longer for the student to sort through the stimulus arriving in the brain before getting a response. One paraprofessional described this phenomenon as similar to listening to several radios tuned to different stations, yet being expected to pull information from just one. To accommodate for this, as well as to encourage verbal participation, a colleague suggested singing a familiar phrase, but leaving it unfinished with the expectation that the student will complete it. While there have been many painfully long silent fermatas, the technique does create an itch that eventually needs scratching for most students and provides a space for initial musical interaction.
To learn more about Autism and my particular students’ needs, I relied on the knowledge of paraprofessionals, who had consistent interaction with the students and could explain influencing events that might affect learning. They also had direction from the classroom teacher regarding the most recent “Individual Educational Plan” (IEP): a plan for each student’s learning developed by a team of educators along with input from the parent(s). Paraprofessionals also assisted selected AI students who joined another class of students at their grade level during their music time.
It was during one class with second graders where the general education students were first able to see the advanced musical understanding Adam had been showing while attending music with his self-contained classroom. With a page showing the melody of a familiar tune in icons, Adam was the first to be able to play the intervals in rhythm on the xylophone. When I announced that a student was ready to share, the class response indicated they were clearly impressed with someone’s quick success. When they heard Adam play, realizing it was he who had the problem solved so early on, we heard someone say, “Whoa…”, and the group erupted in applause! They celebrated his learning, while I celebrated theirs.
Adam could easily match the beat in musical examples with both movement and instruments. In lessons that focused on dynamics or tempo, he responded appropriately, and anticipated upcoming changes after repeated listening. Adam could also match pitch with his voice and needed less repetition than others before being able to sing a melody. While
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