Many of the students with autism who take standardized tests are able to handle the required academics; if not, they should be considered for alternate assessment such as the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment (WAA). An important factor seems to be the setting/environment for the test.
Students with autism may have a wide variety of characteristics that impact their performance on assessment. Be sure to review information from other areas (e.g., motor/sensory, social/emotional/behavioral, etc.) for additional suggestions which might be appropriate for this population.
For students with autism, especially those functioning at a high level, the following test taking strategies have been shown to be successful:
- Allow the student to take the test in isolation. This allows the student to talk through the test or read it aloud to him/herself. Many students with autism prefer this to having someone read the test to them.
- Give the student a structured setting, with visual cues.
For questions about this information, contact Marge Resan (608) 267-9158
Last updated on 6/17/2008 2:50:10 PM
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