Case
Non Verbal Autistic Student

Mrs. H has a non verbal autistic student who will take part in some assessments soon involving analysis of previous academic work. The student refuses all academic assignments but has no behavior issues in the self contained classroom. How can Mrs. H develop a portfolio of assignments for possible assessment data when the student refuses all efforts?

Solution #1
I worked with a nonverbal autistic set of twins a few years ago. It was difficult to get the students to do any type of academic assignments, but I found that one student LOVED to get on the computer. The other one was into wrestling. I used the things these students like to get them to work for me. I would give them time to do the things they liked to do, after they did what I asked them to do. It took a while to put this system in place, but it worked.
Solution #2
I worked with a student that had autism last year. She knew all the information but when you would sit her down to do assessments she would not answer any of the questions. Teaching the student with other assignments by giving her a sticker for each item she completed. This positive reinforcement worked to get the student to complete work. This was not always completed in the same location. I would do a few questions in one area and then relocate. This gave the student the idea that she was not being "tested" all the time and was more willing to work on her sticker book. Of course keep in mind that is the student is non-verbal there must be some form of Augmentative and alternative communication device.
Solution #3
I think getting to know this student on a personal level, and trying to find out what they love to do outside of the classroom is a great start to understanding why they are doing this. Try different ways of communicating with this student. These students may enjoy a different setting in doing these assignments. Try computer work, or even work on the iPad.
Solution #4
Mrs. H needs to use the expertise from the child's special education teacher. There are many different ways for the students to complete alternate assignments. It's important to use the other teachers as resources when working with a challenging child.

This is a good solution. It is vital to educate yourself and become aware of strategies that can help difficult situations.

Solution #5
You could try doing hand motions like thumbs up, thumbs down, showing you the answers on fingers, or even see if they will use a white board to respond. It could be that they need something more entertaining.