Word problems are difficult for any student, let alone a student with mild/moderate autism.
When I first started teaching, I thought there was just no way that certain students could learn to complete word problems. Then… after some trial and error, I found that it is possible! We need to play to their strengths!
Why are word problems so difficult for students with autism?
They contain A LOT of language and are very abstract. Students with autism are concrete thinkers and have difficulty understanding language, so it makes sense doesn’t it?
Most curricula tell you to have the child read a story problem and then imagine what is happening… act it out. Our kids have a very difficult time imagining stories, let alone acting them out.
How can we help them understand?
The key to our mild/mod students with autism to complete word problems is to give them KEYWORDs to look for. These key words will tell them whether they need to add or subtract. Of course we can’t teach them every single word that they are going to see in a story problem, but the majority of them repeat over and over (ie. more, fewer, altogether, in all, etc.) In my classroom, I keep a “work in progress” anchor chart. This anchor chart keeps a running record of the keywords we have come across in story problems. Kiddos with autism have an excellent memory, so you may find that they are able to create a mental image of your anchor chart. It helped my students immensely!
Unpopular opinion?
My idea about teaching keywords when solving word problems might be a very unpopular opinion. Most educational masters and leaders would tell you that this is NOT the way you should teach kids to solve word problems. This may be the case for students accessing the general curriculum. However, for students with mild/moderate autism I have found looking for keywords works best!
If you would like some help, check out my “Story Problems for the Year” product for 1st grade. It includes a unit guide and at least one story problem for each day of the year. It is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning, but I’m sure it can be adapted to any standards. Check it out by clicking here.
