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Teaching Categorization
Following informal assessment of a student’s skill level, design tasks to build on emerging skills to guide the student toward independence. A structured work task can be a valuable tool for teaching sorting and categorization because once learned, the familiarity and predictability of the task enable the student to focus on the new concepts being taught. Designing Work Tasks for Beginning CategorizationOnce you have determined the student’s current level of understanding and use of visual discrimination, matching, sorting and categorization through observation and informal assessment, you are ready to develop these skills into strategies. SortingSorting can be done with objects, symbols, pictures or even written words depending on the level of the student. It is best to begin at the level where the student demonstrates emerging skills to ensure a high rate of success. Because students with ASD are typically visual learners and physical features are often the first attribute children focus on, it is usually helpful to begin with two things that have clear and simple distinctive features. For a beginner such as Adam (who eats his cereal by color), a work task teaching two-way sort by color might be used. The following work task constructed for Adam incorporates this concept. Two identical clear containers were attached side to side on the right side of a small tray. The lid of each container was cut out in a square shape and a black magic marker was used to outline the edges of the cut-out. A red block was glued to the front of one container and a yellow block was glued to the front of the other. On the left side of the tray was a small box containing six red blocks and six yellow blocks. Adam was taught to sort the blocks in the following manner. Adam transitioned to the work area using his symbol schedule. His teacher accompanied him and guided him to take the sorting task from the shelf and put it on the table. She then physically guided him to pick up a yellow block from the box and hold it next to the yellow block glued to the container. She then said "yellow" and guided him to put the block through the hole in the top of the container. She used the same process with a red block. Adam’s teacher faded her support until after six trials Adam began to take a block, match it and put it in the correct container independently. When all the blocks were put in the correct containers, the teacher guided Adam to put the task back on the shelf and Adam went to check his schedule for the next activity. In this example, a simple sorting task was used to teach categorization by color. The task was designed to provide clear visual information as to what was to be done (containers labeled with yellow and red blocks). There was a definite end point (when all the blocks were in a labeled container). Notice Adam’s teacher used spoken language to emphasize the salient feature (yellow, red) and used the opportunity to teach receptive language by pairing the spoken word with the visual cue of holding the blocks side by side. The following day, Adam was able to complete the entire process independently. The teacher changed the task to require sorting blue and orange blocks, then green and purple and so on, until he was able to independently sort any combination of colored blocks into two groups. Adam was soon able to use this system to learn to sort a variety of groups of objects into two identical sets (big red bears/small red bears; pictures of Simba/Pictures of Tarzan; yellow pencils/green erasers; green colored links/small red beads, etc.). In order to provide enough repetition and practice, five to eight items of each set should be used. It is helpful to consider the individual students’ interests when choosing items to sort, especially in the beginning. If the student has difficulty learning this type of task, simplify the task by choosing sets of objects of different shapes (i.e., square blocks and cylinders). Then label the containers and cut a square hole in the lid of the container labeled blocks and a round hole in the lid of the container labeled cylinders. Increasing the number of sets required for the task can expand on this type of sorting task. For instance, sets of three different-colored objects could be used or paperclips, erasers and rubber bands could be sorted into three sets. Reviewing the task with the student upon completion offers a great opportunity to reinforce the language concepts central to the task. CategorizationOnce a student is able to sort a variety of objects or pictures, you can use the same types of systems and tasks to begin to teach categorization. Sorting identical objects or pictures can be done by visual discrimination of physical features. Categorization requires learning the underlying concept that describes the relationship between the items in the category and involves the use of language. Although students often need tangible, visual cues when learning categorization strategies, it is important to also model the use of language to describe the salient features that define the category being learned. Some examples of categorization ideas for early language users include:
Systematic Instruction for Teaching Categorization StrategiesA procedure of direct systematic instruction has been used successfully to teach students with ASD to use categorization strategies and to generalize the strategies to novel situations (Bock, 1994, 1999). Utilizing the learning strengths of students with ASD, the system is designed to minimize irrelevant details and highlight salient features. It begins by requiring a yes/no judgment of a given item belonging to a group by only one feature, then two, then three features. Procedure for Teaching Categorization by One FeatureBegin by selecting one feature item to categorize (in this example, shape). Select a label belonging to the category (circle). Prepare a group of items that do and do not match the label (circles, squares, triangles). Teach the student to take each item, determine whether it does or does not match the label and place it on a grid under the label if it matches or in a container placed on the right, if it does not match. Initial teaching procedures include physical guidance and verbal modeling of the yes/no judgments. These prompts are faded as the student moves toward independence at the task. The student is reinforced for time on task. Training continues until the student is independently able to categorize several different features. Procedure for Teaching Categorization by Two FeaturesThe same procedure used to teach categorization by one feature is used to teach categorization by two features. The first feature (in this example, circle) is labeled. The second feature (in this example, the colors red, blue and yellow) is added as labels. The student’s task is to determine if each of the items matches the features labeled on the worksheet and place it in the appropriate place. If the item does not "fit" the requirements, it is placed in the container on the right. Procedure for Teaching Categorization by Three FeaturesThe next step is to add an additional feature label (in this example, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 to shape and color). The student’s task is now to select an item and determine if it matches the labeled categories and, if so, where to place it according to its features (shape, color and number). This teaching procedure directly teaches students:
In preparing to teach a categorization task it is helpful to:
File Folder Activities for CategorizationExpanding on the example of a work task described in the sorting activities, folder games can be used to provide initial training for categorization, individual practice or a structured learning activity with a peer partner. A category folder game can be easily made by using a pocket folder. At the top of each side of the folder is a space to label the category for that side (i.e., one side could be animals that live in the ocean, the other side animals that live on land). On the front of the folder is a pocket containing a set of pictures or written words of animals that can be categorized according to the designated feature. For initial teaching, the teacher models taking a picture, using self-talk to model her thinking process, and then placing the picture on the correct side of the file folder. In this example, the teacher might take a picture of a whale and say, "A whale is an animal that lives in the ocean." Once the student understands and is able to complete the task, having the student teach it to another student can reinforce the concepts. This type of folder task may also be done with a peer partner as a game to facilitate social interaction skills. It is important to keep in mind that the categorization concepts taught during direct teaching must be generalized to a variety of settings and activities. Using Categorization Strategies to Teach Functional SkillsCategorization strategies can be taught through functional activities. The teaching strategies discussed previously can be applied to any functional skill. The abilities of the child or youth with ASD should be the determining factor in deciding which strategy is used. Functional activities involving categorization include:
Labeling cupboards, shelves, and containers with either pictures or written words is a useful strategy, not only to teach the skill but to serve as a visual cue to promote independence. Using Categorization Strategies in the Content AreasCategorization strategies can also be taught through group discussion if students have the necessary language skills. For instance, category labels could be identified and written on the chalkboard and students could be asked to generate things that belong in the category identified and then list ideas under the category label. This activity can be used for just about any academic subject. For example, for English class, parts of speech might be used (nouns/verbs/prepositions). In geography students might be asked to categorize countries by continents. In math class odd and even numbers or whole numbers vs. fractions could be categorized. Another idea is to plan an activity where students are asked to list five things that go together in some way then exchange lists with a partner. The partner’s task is to determine the commonality among the items and determine the category to which they belong. Key Points:
End of lecture. Select your next place from the Jump Pad.
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Structured teaching developed by Division TEACCH from the University
of North Carolina (Mesibov, Schopler, & Hearsey, 1994) can be a
valuable tool for teaching sorting and categorization skills. Using
this teaching strategy involves designing and making work tasks that
provide clear visual information about what the student is supposed
to do. This strategy answers the following questions for the student: