VideoVoiceThread_Aspergers

**Asperger's Syndrome and Video VoiceThreads**
Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) impairs a student’s ability to engage in social interaction and communication, social imagination, flexible thinking and imaginative play. Asperger’s Syndrome students struggle with recognizing and interpreting social situations and appropriate responses which results in difficulties in being accepted and fitting in with fellow students.

Students with Asperger’s Syndrome don’t learn well by just being told how to interact; however, they do tend to exhibit strength in visual processing skills. Therefore, visual representation and role playing are effective methods of instruction. Similar to children with autism, many AS students enjoy watching videos repetitively. Therefore, incorporating video VoiceThread role playing activities in student’s instructional activities would be an appropriate Web 2.0 tool for Asperger’s Syndrome students. [|VoiceThread]will allow the student to view the video multiple times, discuss acceptable and unacceptable behavior and post comments and questions as the student processes the information.

Although it may not hold true for every student with Asperger’s Syndrome, in some cases the students struggle to complete a task when they are aware a mistake has been made. This characteristic may prevent the student from participating in any creation of a video VoiceThread and only allow the student to view others participating in the activity, which would decrease the instructional value of the activity. Not only would it take quite a period of time for the completion of a perfect project, but the stress level of the student would distract from the intended learning experience as well.

Additional barriers will depend on the disability of the students. Typically, Asperger’s Syndrome students like to use computer, but may need assistance with the keyboard, mouse, or visual enhancement depending on the student’s needs.

A teacher or another form of assistance would be needed for the creation of video VoiceThreads, not only to create the VoiceThread, but to keep the student on task and cooperative with other students. Once the student is familiar with the program, preparing a visual list of the steps to take to view the video VoiceThread activity and to make comments should allow the student to participate on an independent level.

@http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst16.htm @http://www.specialed.us/autism/asper/asper11.htmlWritten by Susan Stokes under a contract with CESA 7 and funded by a discretionary grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.