Science at KS2 and autism spectrum disorder

At KS2 the challenges include the range of topics studied, encompassing living and inanimate materials. The child will need to make links and to explain ideas to others. Critical thinking, about positive and negative effects, may be difficult, as will talking about their work and its significance. The pupil may be very sensitive to advice or criticism and will need support in a subtle way. Working with others is likely to still be a challenge too. The pupil may also struggle with open-ended activities and be looking for one correct answer

You can:

• Look out for issues of poor self-image related to communication difficulties
• Use clear boundaries in group work, based on respecting each other’s input and taking turns
• Use examples of different scenarios where there are a variety of answers, such as

Q - How fast can a car go?’

A - It depends on the car itself and other factors - the environment and the driver and so on.

• Use structured worksheets for recording, which are based around a logical sequence of thinking.  They should ask relevant questions, or speak in the first person, to develop scientific enquiry. For example, ‘What were you trying to find out?’ or ‘I am trying to find out about…’
• Introduce new words carefully, in context and recap key words before pupil feedback or discussions.
• Refer to the pupil’s own ideas in discussions. Get them to apply these ideas to other situations, helping them to generalise. Lead them into critical thinking by looking at what happened in the activity and how it could have been improved or how it could apply to another situation, through more targeted question.