Autism Spectrum Disorder
Specialized resources and evidence-based strategies to support students on the autism spectrum
- available resources
- 23
- available resources
- Pedagogical Strategies
- 8
- Pedagogical Strategies
- Specialized Courses
- 12
- Specialized Courses
Visual Supports
Use images, symbols and organizers to make the abstract visible: the sequence of the day, what is expected now, how much is left.
- Build the day's routine on cards and keep it in the student's line of sight
- Removing the card of a finished activity communicates progress better than saying 'it's over'
- Announce changes by updating the board beforehand, not during the transition
- Always use the same symbol for the same activity
Social Narratives
Short first-person texts describing a social situation and what to expect from it. They prepare the student before the situation happens.
- Write from the student's perspective, in short affirmative sentences
- Describe what will happen and why, not just the rule to follow
- Read it together calmly before the situation — never during a meltdown
- One narrative per situation: recess, the presentation, changing rooms
Task Analysis
Break a complex activity into small teachable steps, so the student can start without needing to grasp the whole.
- Do the task yourself first and write down every step you actually took
- Teach one step at a time; move on only when the previous one is solid
- Keep the step list visible — it is also a visual support
- Note which step the student usually stops at: that is the real difficulty
Prompting
Offer help in the exact measure needed and fade it gradually, so the student reaches autonomy instead of depending on the adult.
- Start with the least help that works, not the most
- Fade support in a planned way: physical → gestural → verbal → none
- Allow response time before helping; the pause is often enough
- Record the level of help used to see progress across weeks
Modeling
Demonstrate the expected behaviour so the student imitates it — live or on video, which often holds attention better.
- Demonstrate the full action before asking the student to try
- Use a peer as model when possible: it connects better than an adult
- On video, keep it short and show only the target behaviour, no distractions
- Ask for imitation right after the demonstration, while it is fresh
Antecedent-Based Interventions
Change what comes before the behaviour — environment, demand, routine — to prevent the crisis instead of reacting to it.
- Identify what usually precedes the difficulty: noise, transition, long task
- Adjust the trigger beforehand: cut the noise, announce the transition, shorten the task
- Offer a choice between two acceptable options — it gives control back to the student
- Record for a few days before concluding what the trigger is
Reinforcement
Make a behaviour more likely by following it with something meaningful to that particular student.
- Find out what is reinforcing for that student — do not assume it is praise
- Reinforce immediately after the behaviour, not at the end of class
- Be specific: 'you put your materials away by yourself', not 'well done'
- Space out reinforcement as the behaviour becomes established
Self-Management
Teach the student to observe and record their own behaviour, transferring control from teacher to student.
- Agree with the student on an observable, concrete target behaviour
- Give them the recording sheet — the student marks it, not you
- Agree beforehand how it will be checked, to build trust in the record
- Start with short intervals and extend them gradually
Visual class routine board
An application of visual supports: the class sequence is displayed on cards the student follows and removes as they finish.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
List the steps of your class, represent each with a symbol and post them in order, at the student's eye level.
Social narrative for a hard transition
A short text preparing the student for a specific situation that is usually hard.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Write 5 to 10 first-person sentences and read them together calmly, always before the situation.
Step-by-step task with tracking
Turns an activity the student won't start into a sequence of small steps, and shows where they get stuck.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Do the task yourself, write down each real step and hand the list to the student along with the activity.
Video model of a target behaviour
A short video showing exactly the expected behaviour, watched right before the situation where it should occur.
Materials
Objectives
Implementation
Record 30 to 60 seconds isolating the target behaviour and play it right before the expected moment.
Postgraduate: ABA Intervention for Autism
CBI of Miami
Caregiver for Autistic Children
Prime Cursos
Postgraduate in ASD — Autism Spectrum Disorder
CENES
Autism Course
Cursos Educaweb
Foundations of Inclusive Education
Instituto Rodrigo Mendes
Introduction to Autism
AFIRM — Frank Porter Graham / UNC
Selecting an EBP
AFIRM — Frank Porter Graham / UNC
AFIRM Modules — 27 evidence-based practices, step by step
AFIRM — Frank Porter Graham / UNC
AVAMEC — the Ministry of Education training platform
Ministério da Educação
15 distance courses in special education
Ministério da Educação
Escola Virtual.Gov
Enap / Governo Federal
Escola Virtual — Fundação Bradesco
Fundação Bradesco
Visual Supports packet — ready-to-use materials
Practice overview, implementation checklist, data sheets and a family tip sheet.
Published by: AFIRM / University of North Carolina · EN · PDF
Open materialSocial Narratives packet
How to write, apply and monitor social narratives, with templates and checklists.
Published by: AFIRM / University of North Carolina · EN · PDF
Open materialThe Inclusive Mainstream School
MEC/SEESP booklet on organising the mainstream school from an inclusion perspective.
Published by: MEC / SEESP · PT · PDF
Open materialSpecial Education from an Inclusion Perspective
Foundations of inclusive special education, an official Ministry of Education publication.
Published by: MEC / SEESP · PT · PDF
Open materialDIVERSA — inclusive education in practice
Free platform by Instituto Rodrigo Mendes with practice reports, articles and materials.
Published by: Instituto Rodrigo Mendes · PT · Site
Open materialThe 28 evidence-based practices for ASD
Official list of practices identified in the NCAEP review, with the methodology behind each classification.
Published by: NCAEP / NPDC — University of North Carolina · EN · Site
Open materialUniversal Design for Learning Guidelines
A framework for planning lessons accessible to everyone from the start, instead of adapting case by case.
Published by: CAST · EN · Site
Open materialInstituto Rodrigo Mendes channel
Video conferences and training in Portuguese on inclusive education in practice.
Published by: Instituto Rodrigo Mendes · PT · Vídeo
Open materialBrazilian Ministry of Education portal
Legislation, policies and official publications on special education from an inclusive perspective.
Published by: Ministério da Educação · PT · Site
Open materialProgress Center — evidence-based instructional practices
A collection of evidence-based instructional practices and support material, applicable across conditions.
Published by: Progress Center — American Institutes for Research · EN · Site
Open materialIntensive intervention — decision tools
What to do when an intervention produces no progress: how to measure, decide and intensify.
Published by: NCII — American Institutes for Research · EN · Site
Open material