Comprehension, Conceptual Thinking, and Cognition in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This is a huge area and one that is constantly changing. Kids on the spectrum are challenged in primarily two areas of cognition: Executive function, and abstract thinking. Executive function includes attention, organization and planning, and working memory. With the combination of low performance in executive function and abstract thinking, this can affect language and reading comprehension. The challenge in conceptual thinking is perhaps limited by their tendency to focus on specifics, or their ability to concentrate on details one at a time.

So what do we do with these kids in school at fifth, sixth and seventh grades when abstract thinking becomes necessary? The primary technique discussed in the literature is using visuals to prompt abstractions. I recently had an experience that definitely showed me the necessity of doing that! I was working on types of symmetry with one child in math. The assignment was to choose which type(s) of symmetry a shape had, and these shapes could have two. He chose one type, and then could not conceive of the shape having another one. Using words, which was all I had at the time, I tried to demonstrate the a shape could have two lines of symmetry… he kept saying, “But I already chose one.” I think this was an example of executive function challenges (working memory) and also challenges in abstractions.

In hindsight, if I had Boardmaker, some line drawings or some manipulatives, I could have used them to demonstrate or manipulate the shapes. I could have used visuals to try to expand his thinking. By the following week, when I returned to his class, they were on to another math concept. He did, however, demonstrate understanding of symmetry…but not more than one type of symmetry at a time!