Unit 3: Building Community Jordan B, Derek G, Monica G, Natashia P

BRIEFING PAPER -- THOM

There are some evident problems in the classroom that involve Thom. Thom has permission to eat his
healthy snacks during the class periods. However, this is not the case because Thom is bringing in
candy and not bringing in healthy snacks. The reason why he brings food into the classroom is because
he has eating issues in which he can only eat certain foods and sizes which requires more time. Instead,
Thom gives out his candy rather than eating it for himself. The kids in the classroom pick up on this
and have become distracted from classroom activities. The teacher assigns a challenge at the start of
class and the students only have a limited time to complete the task with a partner. The kids become
distracted with Thom’s candy and don’t end up focusing their attention to the challenge. However, as a
result of Thom handing out candy, students seem to be including him in group activities.

THE PROBLEM?
The teacher is concerned that if Thom stops handing out candy,
the social interaction between Thom and the classmates will be lost.

• How do we develop relationships with the students?

• How can the teacher refocus their attention on the activity?

• How is Thom going to be included if he does not give out his candy?

• How do we approach Thom in a positive manner and tell him how handing out his
candy has become a distraction?

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

1. Cut the candy off and tell Thom he can no longer bring in any food.

If the candy is cut off, and Thom can no longer bring in any snacks, there are several outcomes. While some problems may
be solved, other problems may be created. The issue of class distraction will be reduced, as students will not see the need to
get their treats from Thom. However, the elimination of the snack will be a big change to Thom, and can affect him
negatively. According to the Autism Society of Canada, many people on the Autism spectrum may be challenged with
other health concerns, such as Gastro-intestinal problems, in addition to issues with eating, chewing, and swallowing
(Autism Society of Canada, 2009). Individuals like Thom may also need to take a little longer eating meals, as they follow
their eating patterns, and routines. (ASOC, 2009) Some individuals on the Autism Spectrum will only eat foods that are in a
certain flavour category, such as salty or sweet (Wheeler, M. 2004) As all cases of Autism are different, Thom has an
individualized eating plan. When his prescribed snack is removed from his schedule, some of these issues may be
aggravated. While the rest of the students will not be distracted, Thom may be too focused on his unfinished lunch, and not
be able to complete his challenge.
Unit 3: Building Community Jordan B, Derek G, Monica G, Natashia P

2. We let him keep the candy and tell him that he can’t share his candy.

If Thom is allowed to eat his unhealthy snacks, but not allowed to share with the rest of the class, there may be more than
just health risk involved. As stated in option 1, the unhealthy snacks may aggravate any Gastro-intestinal or eating
problems, but the separation from the rest of the class can hinder any inclusive learning, as it will show individual
favoritism. The Autism society of Canada mentions that interactions with peers are very important for students with autism,
and that there are many learning strategies that can be used to achieve this. For example, a classroom may use peer tutoring,
group projects, or a buddy system to help integrate all the students together (Autism Society of Canada, 2009) If Thom is
segregated because of his snacks, it may be more destructive to his learning, than allowing him to share with the class. Both
ways, this option can be hard on both Thom, and the rest of the class, and there is still no motivation for them to complete
their daily challenges.

3. The teacher will give out snacks once a week on Friday and we could integrate Thom into the snack
treats by getting him to hand it out. The snack will only be offered every Friday if the students
complete all of the challenges. The teacher will pull Thom aside and ask him to bring in healthy
snacks instead of candy.

If all students receive a snack on a Friday after all the challenges are completed, there would also be several outcomes. If
Thom is still permitted to have his own snack every day, he would be able to keep control of his eating issues as long as it is
a healthy snack. The rest of the class will not feel left out because they will get their own snack on Friday, given they finish
all their daily challenges. However, this option may be hard on the other students who feel it is unfair that Thom receives a
snack everyday regardless if he finishes his challenge or not. In that case, Thom may again need to deal with the social
consequences.

DECIDE ON ACTIONS:
As a group we choose option number 3. We chose this method because it’s less a distraction for
the class and it offers a reward for encouraging students to complete there challenge. This gives an
opportunity for students to be motivated to complete their tasks and look forward to an award at the end
of the week. “Group rewards and individual accountability are held to be essential to the instructional
effectiveness of cooperative learning methods (Slavin, R., 1983, P. 34).” When rewarding a student, the
motivation and drive to learn increases as well. Providing simple items like candy would be beneficial
in practical teaching methods. When working in groups, the teacher may want to go over some
different teaching methodologies to include Thom in the group and give everyone an equal opportunity
to be involved.
“…the reward that offers the greatest potential for both classrooms and workshops is the basic human
need for social validation. Everyone wants to feel they can offer something of value to others. Thus, by
creating a situation where the output from group work will be scrutinized and challenged by peers from
other groups, we are creating an environment that promotes both group cohesiveness and learning
(Michaelsen L, 1997).”

Thom can be included in both the group activities this way he is still interacted with the other
classmates by being the student to hand out candy. Students will still maintain a relationship with the
student if the teacher initiates Thom to hand out the candy.
Unit 3: Building Community Jordan B, Derek G, Monica G, Natashia P

References:

Autism Society of Canada (2009). General Characteristics of Autism.

Retrieved from:

http://www.autismsocietycanada.ca/understanding_autism/characteristi

cs_of_asc/index_e.html

Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth (2007). Success for all learners:

a handbook on differentiating instruction. Winnipeg, MB: Author.

Michaelsen, Larry K. (1997) Designing effective group activities: lessons for

classroom teaching and faculty development. Faculty, Instrucion and

Organizational Development. Dezure, D. (Ed.). Stillwater OK: New

Forums.

Updike, Mary-Ann (2009). Messages of Misbehaviour [PDF Document].

Retrieved from: http://introtoinclusivespecialed.pbworks.com/f/Class

%2016-150.pdf

Wheeler, Marci (2004). Mealtime and children on the Autism Spectrum:

beyond picky, fussy, and fads. Indiana Resource Centre for Austism.

Retrieved from: http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/Medical/mealtime.html

Slavin, Robert E (1983). When does cooperative learning increase student

achievement? Psychological Bulletin 93 (3), p. 429 – 445.

Unit 3: Building Community Jordan B, Derek G, Monica G, Natashia P