Self-Management Strategies to Support Students With ASD

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often struggle with a series of executive functioning (EF) deficits that make independent behavior in general education settings difficult. Consequently, teachers or paraprofessionals often are required to devote limited time to externally manage various organizational and on-task behaviors of this population. Self-management procedures are a promising strategy that can promote independence and skill-development in students who struggle with EF deficits by teaching them how to assess and manage their own academic and social behavior in the classroom. This article describes a series of self-management procedures. These include self-monitoring, goal setting, self-instruction, and self-graphing. Prerequisite steps for consideration before implementing a self-management procedure are discussed and information on how to implement each strategy is also outlined.