Βασικές αρχές και μέθοδοι της δομημένης διδασκαλίας για τα άτομα στο φάσμα του αυτισμού [Basic principles and methods of Structured Teaching for persons in the spectrum of autism]

This conference proceeding is focused on presenting the theoretical principles and the educational strategies of Structured Teaching, which differs significantly from most traditional teaching methods which rely heavily on the use of verbal prompting. The starting point of Structured teaching is that autism is another "culture" and the role of the educator is to create bridges between students with autism and other people, building on research on the distinct cognitive features (such as visual thinking) of persons with autism. The underlying principles of Structured Teaching refer to the systematic assessment of emerging skills and the collaboration with parents. The primary goal of Structured Teaching is the structuring of the learning environment to make it meaningful for students with autism, which in turn will encourage spontaneous communication. The main body of the paper describes in detail the fundamental components of Structured Teaching, such as the structuring of the physical space, the use of daily schedules and work systems and educational material, so that it contains visual instructions and visual clarity