How do we teach the hidden curriculum?

According to Myles and Adreon (2001), a variety of techniques can be used to teach students with ASD to learn the hidden curriculum. Direct teaching is the foundation, and many methods are available that teach skills directly and offer practice and generalization opportunities. A "scope and sequence" (see below) may be conducted first if it is unclear what the student already knows, or doesn’t know, with regards to the targeted skills.

Direct instruction. Based upon the results of the scope and sequence, a plan can be developed for what to teach. Children with ASD need to know the rationale behind anything they are asked to learn. In other words, they need to have it linked to something concrete, so they can understand how it is relevant to them. We can teach many skills directly by using rote memorization of basic rules of conduct in larger arenas, like "school" or "public places," and in smaller arenas, such as like "the cafeteria," or "Boy Scout meetings."

In essence, we can provide them with a "blueprint" of expected behavior in Ms. Clarke’s classroom or in the grocery store.

Instruction in the hidden curriculum can include teaching

• how to access help in situations when students don’t know what to do.
• appropriate phrases (as well as inappropriate ones) in given circumstances
• how to ask questions to clarify confusing expectations
• scripts of appropriate things students can say to the principal in the hallway, or what not to say – like the off-color joke from the locker room

Direct teaching is usually conducted in a one-to-one or small-group setting with a supportive instructor. That person could be a teacher, parent, grandparent, or any caregiver who understands the child’s need for explicit information.

Scope and sequence is a list of skills in a specific area presented in the order in which they occur. The "scope" is the determination of the variety of skills the child doesn’t have or needs to learn, and the "sequence" is the order in which those skills will be taught, following, as closely as possible, the developmental order of natural learning. To learn a new skill, we need to know the basic skills that come before it. For example, don’t introduce algebra to kids who have not yet learned to multiply and divide. The same is true when teaching the hidden curriculum. Individuals on the autism spectrum often have an uneven profile of skills in behavior, social ability, and communication. That is, a person may have sophisticated skills in some areas and be in need of truly basic foundation skills in others. Therefore, educators must establish needs to be a good understanding first of what the child knows or doesn’t know in these areas. For instance, you cannot teach the hidden curriculum item: if the teacher glares angrily at you, stop whatever you are doing if the child cannot tell when someone is "glaring."

Social stories are individual stories written to describe social situations from the child’s perspective (Gray, 1993). Social stories include where, when and why an event happens, may include how the child might feel and how others might feel, and offer choices of what the child can do when confronted with that situation. Social stories are never judgmental; they are instructive. They can be written after an event to explain what really happened or can be written before an upcoming event to prepare the child for a specific activity. For example, you might write a social story about what happens at a parade for a child who has never been to one. As the child matures and becomes familiar with social stories, she can participate in writing them along with a teacher or parent.

Social autopsies are an after-the-fact analysis of a social problem (Bieber, 1994). For instance, if two children have an argument, a social autopsy helps explain the problem, who was hurt by it, and how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. A social autopsy is never used as punishment or to tell the child what she has done "wrong." It is a supportive teaching situation used to interpret situations as they occur and offer other options, and should be seen as calming and therapeutic. The strategy can be used by anyone who has been trained in its use and is sensitive to the needs of the child.

SOCCSS, an acronym for Situations, Options, Consequences, Choices, Strategies, and Simulation is another strategy designed to help an individual with ASD work through a social problem (Roosa, personal communication). Using this strategy, after a situation has occurred, an adult and the child review what happened utilizing a worksheet-type format following the letters in the acronym as follows:

• Situation - This includes identifying who was involved in the situation, when and where it occurred as well as why.
• Options - Using a brainstorming format, the child lists every alternative he could perform to address the situation. All options suggested are written down. No evaluation occurs at this point.
• Consequences - For each option listed, a specific consequence is identified. This step teaches the individual that there is more than one way to deal with a situation, and emphasizes the cause-and-effect principle and that behaviors and consequences are connected. The message to the child should always be that he had control over every situation.
• Choice - The child selects the option that he feels is the best. This may be done by (a) ranking each of the options, (b) using happy or sad faces to identify good from bad choices, or (c) by crossing out items that are not preferable until one choice remains.
• Strategy - The student generates a plan of action that she can use to carry out her selected option. The strategy should include each of the steps that student must be followed so that the situation becomes highly predictable and structured.
• Simulation – In this final stage the student practices carrying out the strategy. Roosa (1995) defines the term "simulation" in its broadest sense to refer to role-play, visualization, writing the steps in a journal, etc. The simulation should help the student feel prepared to confront the situation confidently.

SOCCSS can also be used to explain a situation that has already occurred (a disagreement in study hall), or to clarify options involved in a new skill or an upcoming event such as attending the annual sixth-grade banquet. The strategy can be used for a small group or an entire class. Teachers can take approximately 15 minutes a day to use SOCCSS, selecting a situation out of a box, imaginary or real, and going over the options and choices as a group. This routine use of SOCCSS gives the child different perspectives and also provides opportunities for the other students to practice situations within simulation.

Cartooning can be used to visually explain what people think and what they say. It involves quickly illustrating people in a situation using speech and thought bubbles (hence the term "comic strip"). Two commonly used cartooning methods are comic strip conversations (Gray, 1994) and pragmaticism (Arwood & Brown, 1999). Each of these cartooning methods emphasizes that in any given situation, what people say and think may be two different things. The strategy helps the child understand the underlying thoughts and feelings of others, emphasizing that people have different perspectives and see the same situation in different ways. When children have become accustomed to cartooning after an incident, they often seek out the teacher on their own in an effort to understand something that happened. They really want to understand. Cartooning should be done privately, not in front of others. It must be done in a positive way, and involve feedback from the student.

Acting lessons afford a child the chance to practice facial expressions and verbal and nonverbal cues with a coach who is supportive, and in an environment where others are learning the same skills. For example, students with ASD can learn to interpret the emotions, feelings and voices of others as they watch others practice their roles. Acting provides many opportunities for feedback in a positive environment where this kind of practice is socially appropriate. It is most helpful if the teacher or coach of the acting group is aware of the social difficulties of those with ASD, in order to ensure a positive environment and to pinpoint specific areas of need.

Developing a plan involves helping students with ASD identify what to do in certain circumstances. We often rehearse situations or conversations in our mind before we have to actually perform them. That means we are constantly formulating plans of action, whether it be rehearsing a speech we have to give to our co-workers, making a mental plan of activities for the day, writing down a list of errands we need to run, etc. Many people with ASD do not mentally rehearse situations until they are in the midst of them, and consequently have no plan at hand. Giving kids plans (i.e., who to sit next to at lunch, things to talk about, what to do if the lunch is not what you thought it would be, etc.) helps them understand and cope with unknown expectations. Teaching the importance of having a plan and how to make their own plans is a skill that will serve students well in the future. Discussing the elements of a plan one-to-one with a supportive person at first would help develop the skill. After that, it is critical that the child receives help in generating appropriate plans, since the plans she might come up with on her own may be unacceptable because of her tendency to misunderstand the social cues and expectations around her.

Example:

Items in a plan to attend the school dance might include:

• Decide who to go with. My friends, Joey and Mike.
• Decide how to get there. Ask mom to drive two weeks before the dance so she can make arrangements.
• Decide if I will need to bring anything. Find out how much money I will need by asking mom or someone at the school.
• Decide what to wear. Nice pants and a collared shirt according to the dress code.
• Decide what to do when I get there. Probably pay a fee, and then stand with my friends. I might get a drink or some food. I can hang out with my friends. If I want, I can ask a girl to dance. If I don’t know how to dance, I can just talk to friends. If a girl asks me to dance, I will answer politely that I don’t wish to.
• Decide who to go to if I have a question or a problem when I am there. Ms. Simpson will be a chaperone. I can go to her.
• Arrange for a time for Mom to pick me up. Ask mom how long would be appropriate for me to stay.
• What if I don’t have fun? Arrange with mom that I can call her to pick me up if I want to come home early.
• Decide on a meeting time and place for mom to pick me up. Be sure I understand where and when so I am ready on time.