Every year more and more children are born with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and there is an ever-increasing need for accommodations for their needs. “The future will likely present teachers with even greater numbers of students with learning disabilities” (Gerstle and Walsh 35). With these numbers on the rise, it is important that teachers and the people around them understand their challenges and needs. Children and adults with ASD struggle in many areas. They have difficulty coping with daily activities that most people take for granted. There are variations in the severity of these disorders. Some people are very high functioning and have little to no problems carrying out everyday tasks, as well as completing complex ones. However, many people with ASD suffer from severe forms of the disorder and cannot care for themselves. No matter the severity, people with autism receive support and some form of education, whether it is to take care of themselves, or to become educated and ultimately contribute to society. Those with moderate to high ASD go to school, and some eventually continue their education. Despite each person's specific difficulties, it is still possible to teach them effective writing skills. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To teach these people proper writing skills, it is crucial that educators understand them and know how to teach them. There are many teaching methods that educators can use to meet the specific needs of their students. Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders can still be taught effective writing skills through teacher understanding and cooperation, proven teaching methods, and ongoing support. Informing teachers of the areas in which students with autism spectrum disorder struggle will better help them understand and proactively collaborate with their students to provide effective writing instruction. Many students with ASD are misunderstood and do not receive the proper instruction they need, which will negatively impact their writing skills. Teachers with autistic students must take the time to understand their students and learn to work with them to teach them effectively. Once teachers understand their students and the areas in which they struggle, they can communicate with them to teach them to write effectively. It is important for educators to understand the difficulties and needs of students with autism to provide effective writing instruction. Before any complex writing instruction is given, educators must assess their students to determine where to start. In order for teachers to do this, they must understand the types of areas that students with ASD struggle with. Some of these areas include classroom distractions and learning differences. When instructors use overhead projectors to provide writing instruction, students may be distracted by the flickering or subtle sounds of the machines that other people would never notice (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 11). With these distractions, it would be very difficult for students to stay focused and would prevent them from learning the basic skills they would need to write effectively. Many students with autism are also hypersensitive to certain materials and smells, so they may reject some of the reading material required for a writing assignment. They also struggle with behaviorstypical of the classroom, such as sitting still for long periods of time, participating in class discussions, and following reading material (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 8). This will have a negative impact on any progress they may make in developing the skills needed to write. Autistic people often make sudden, involuntary comments/noises and movements, commonly mistaken for interest in participation (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 8). It is important for instructors to know the difference between these involuntary acts and actual class participation because they need to know whether students actually understand the written instructions. Students with autism often struggle with basic concepts, such as speech and language skills. If students have difficulty learning speech and language, they will also have difficulty in writing and composing. This is why it is important for educators to know how to teach students with autism, so that they can later learn effective writing skills. This can be done by gradually developing speech and language skills through a process called speech imitation training (Luiselli 99). After students have been thoroughly taught these skills, they can begin to learn the skills needed to write. Once teachers understand the potential difficulties of students with ASD, they can evaluate them to determine necessary teaching methods. Educators can begin to understand their students' specific areas of difficulty by asking thoughtful questions, such as what kinds of situations students succeed in, what gifts they might have, ways to help them learn and succeed, and what the instructor can learn from them (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 46). After instructors use methods like this, they will have a deeper understanding of their students and what it will take to teach them effective writing. Once educators understand the needs of students with autism, they can proactively work with them to teach effective writing skills. An effective way for teachers to collaborate with their students is to set high expectations. “Once you have set high but reasonable expectations for an individual student, it is critical to think about how you can help that student meet these expectations in the context of your classroom” (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 47). When teachers set these expectations for their students and work with them to achieve these goals, students will begin to grasp the necessary concepts and writing skills. Students with autism do not have the same learning abilities as other students, so it is important to “show them all the ways you read, write, listen, speak, and represent ideas, including some you may have previously taken for granted” (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 47). This will ensure that students will be able to effectively learn writing skills based on their individual needs. It is also important to gather students' opinions on which learning method they prefer because students with autism have different preferences. Many students enjoy working in groups and interacting socially, but those with autism may find this very intimidating and frustrating (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 51). Teachers should know this because it could have a negative impact on students' writing skills due to their uncomfortable feelings. With a solid understanding of their students on the autism spectrum, instructors can apply this information in the classroom to ensure theirstudents learn effective writing skills. Effective writing can be taught to students with autism using teaching methods that experts and educators find most effective. useful. Before people knew much about autism spectrum disorders, people with such disorders lived their lives constantly misunderstood in the classroom, resulting in ineffective education. Now that teachers have begun to understand them, there are proven teaching methods that can educate students with autism to write effectively. When teachers take the time to understand the specific needs of their students, they can determine which teaching methods will be most effective. Thanks to numerous research studies and expert opinions, it is easier than ever to teach students the effective writing skills they need to succeed in higher education and future careers. Over the years, experts and educators have seen a wide variety of students and have compiled a number of effective methods for providing writing education to students with autism. Some of these methods include creating a flexible classroom, using learning stations, and providing effective writing instruction. A flexible classroom is critical when teaching complex tasks like writing. Each student grows at their own pace, so instructors must create an environment where each student is provided with the help and challenges needed. Instead of instructional materials that seem focused on the middle class level, instructors should create an environment that extends to allow students who are ahead or behind to get the instruction they need (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 56). Some students with autism need a lot of attention and help to ensure they acquire the skills needed to write, while other students need more challenging material to improve the writing skills they already have. Another method of providing writing instruction is through “learning stations” (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 60). Learning stations are “special spots in the classroom where the teacher has set up curriculum-related activities that students can do on their own” (Kluth and Chandler-Olcott 60). This is extremely beneficial for students with autism because they can try different writing methods to find the one they feel most comfortable with. Writing stations are made up of different materials that students can use to create and write a story. Some stations may have paints, while others have crayons or pens/pencils. There may also be stations with computers or electronic devices to write with. The goal is to find what students with autism feel comfortable with because they will be more motivated to learn and practice writing. Two other effective ways educators could provide writing instruction are improving writing through visual imaging and using computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The study discussed in “Autism Spectrum Disorders in the College Composition Classroom: Making Teaching Writing More Accessible for All Students” asked college students with autism to write over a sequence of photos of a child running (Gerstle and Walsh 125). When students wrote about the images and their sequence, the researchers concluded that they were able to use a more vivid description than if they had discussed what was seen verbally or with images (Gerstle and Walsh 125). Teachers should consider this method of teaching writing effective for students with autism.