Teachers and Autism: What Can Be Done? Autism Awareness Week 3

As I said in a previous blog post, you don't need to receive a degree in education to be the best teacher. In fact, most people would often say their parents are the best teachers. Though Jesus was only a carpenter, He is considered one of the best teachers to this day.

But what about a licensed teacher?

I'm about to share with you some of what not only a portion of what teachers did for me, but also some things that most teachers have not even heard about yet. Having autism was a challenging experience for me because of how hard it was to process all the information. I felt left out when most students were able to answer questions while I felt as if I was an idiot.

I felt embarrassed and alone, knowing full well that while other students lifted their hands, I would be in my own world. I couldn't even do my homework without the help of my mother, who would often underline the answers from my textbook (since the context was hard for me to understand).

I don't want that for any of your students, and I'm sure you don't want that either. However, there is a way you can help your autistic student learn better. While this is no guarantee that this will immediately improve your student's learning abilities, it might be a quicker process. What I will be explaining to you is what you could do to help your autistic student enjoy learning.

I also want to apologize for missing out on the past few days. I've been working two jobs lately (I work part-time at a restaurant three nights a week) and have been exhausted. It's quite a struggle for me, so I won't be around to write every day.

Be Patient

It takes a lot of patience to teach a student with autism, or even any student in general. My mom works with fifth graders every day. Most of her students seem to be uncooperative and inattentive, making it harder and harder for her to feel respected.

One similarity between an autistic student and a typical student is that they both get easily distracted. The only problem is they get distracted for different reasons. The autistic student could get distracted just for seeing a dust bunny on his/her teacher's desk, while typical students are apparently distracted texting their friends and seeing their Facebook posts.

Apparently what you teachers want the most is for your students to respect you, and the one way you will earn respect is through your patience. By patience, I mean don't give up. Have faith in your abilities. If the student doesn't seem to follow along with your lessons, just remember that it isn't your fault. Try to understand that just because he/she doesn't listen to you doesn't mean he/she has anything against you personally.

At least be more aware of his/her situation. Know that children don't act the way they do for no reason. Back in the twentieth century and earlier, teachers were a little stricter and barely had any knowledge of people with learning disabilities. Though you can be strict today based on your method of teaching, still be aware that not all of your students are going to learn from the same method.

Students need to feel safe, and as the teacher, you are there to make sure they feel that way.

Be Sensory Friendly

As a teacher, you should be more aware about the concerns of having an autistic student. I said in the previous blog post that autistic students have sensory issues. Even the school bell or the sound of a screeching chalkboard could easily set them off. In other words, they are very sensitive to loud noises.

That's why it is important for teachers to have a sensory-friendly tone.

By a sensory-friendly tone, I mean it's important for you to speak in a soft, therapeutic voice so the autistic student can feel more relaxed and safe in your presence. That could benefit even the most typical of students as well, since we all feel relaxed when we hear a soft whisper in our ears. We were designed to feel that way from birth.

For example, when a baby cries, the mother immediately enters the room. What does the mother immediately do? She sings a lullaby with her soft, soothing voice to help the baby fall back to sleep.

Now I'm not saying you should sing the students to sleep. Apparently, that wouldn't teach them anything. What it can do is help the student feel more relaxed in the classroom so he/she can be more capable of learning.

Although it's important to have a sensory-friendly tone, it is also important to be tough if you need to be. If the students are being disrespectful, especially the autistic student, then he/she would have to understand the responsibility for their actions (which I will get to later). If you need to raise your voice when students are disrupting the class, feel free to do so. The autistic is going to have some sensory issues, he/she can't always expect your classroom to be perfect.

Make Sure the Child Pays Attention

You expect your class to constantly pay attention to you. How do you know they are paying attention? Most often, you would ask your class a question and many would raise their hands, while a fair few would not. Sometimes you would even call the child who wouldn't raise their hands at all.

What about the autistic student?

It may sound humiliating for them, but I believe it is important to call on that student even if he/she doesn't raise a hand. Although it's not our job to embarrass or humiliate them, it can be considered a lesson for them. That way it could teach them that they have to pay attention more often.

I remember how I felt every time a teacher called on me to answer a question. All the teachers I had knew I had autism, but they still called on me even when I didn't seem to listen, or even raise my hand too often. It's their job, so they had every right to do it. Every time I would go home and complain to my mom about this, her only response was, "Well, next time you might pay attention!" I would say other students aren't listening either (a typical excuse). She would respond, "I don't care about what the other students do, I care about what you do."

I also said beforehand that the autistic student can get distracted very easily. It could be a paperclip on the floor, or even just a hangnail that keeps bugging him/her, something that doesn't easily bother a typical student even though it may merely feel uncomfortable for him/her. Any of the small things could distract the child from whatever you are teaching. Sometimes you may even have to blind the windows, since an autistic student could get easily distracted by a bird or the green grass. While these mere objects don't matter to most students, it could make an autistic student's imagination run wild.

This is where you have to keep watch of them "sleeping with their eyes open." What I mean by that is when they get their head stuck in the clouds, allowing their imaginations to take over. You may see them shifting their eyes towards the ceiling, or staring vacantly at you, but not following along with your movement. That is a sign that the autistic student has his/her head in the clouds. That's when it is important to "wake them up."

Don't be afraid of how the other students would react. They'd probably laugh or make fun of him/her, but you must make it clear that the student must pay attention. If the other students are laughing at him/her, make it clear to them that picking on the student isn't tolerable and they must apologize.

Teach Them Responsibility For Their Actions

Now this is something I've been teaching parents as well. You have to teach the autistic student the responsibility of his/her actions. They may not often know that what they do is wrong, but they still need to understand the consequences if he/she isn't behaving properly.

One of my relatives had an autistic student who would constantly follow two kids around in class. Although he was only feeling lonely, he was unaware that his obsessive behavior bothered the two students. When they warned my relative, she told him that he wouldn't be sitting next to them anymore. When he asked why, she told him the truth with as much of a calm voice as possible. Even though he still didn't get it, he still had to face the sad part of reality.

Although my relative knew the situation of the student, she still had to tell him because he has to learn that he can't just follow two other students around obsessively when they didn't consent to that.

I remembered being told to apologize to my entire classroom when I accused them of something they didn't do (to which I don't exactly remember what it was, but I think I yelled at them for making fun of me). I felt embarrassed and shameful when I apologized, but I think every person does. Therefore, I understood the consequences of my actions.

It is important to note that it's more of the parent's job to teach their children to take responsibility for their actions. Most parents let their autistic child get away with things, but that makes the teacher's job even harder. It will actually trigger the child's lack of respect for the teacher and this is not tolerable.

When Temple Grandin punched a student for making fun of her, she was prohibited from riding any horses, which was her favorite hobby.

It won't feel good for the student now, but he/she will thank you later in life.

Tell Parents About Child's Progression

It is very important to inform parents about their child's progression. The parents shouldn't be kept in the dark, or else they wouldn't know if their child is being held back or not. Not many autistic students would often tell their parents how their day at school went. I couldn't even tell my mother what I had for lunch at the cafeteria every day, mostly because I didn't like the food, nor did I eat it much.

If the child is not progressing properly in his/her subjects, they must be aware of it immediately. That way they can figure out how they can help their child. As a teacher, if you have any ideas of how the autistic student could improve his/her abilities, don't be afraid to share any ideas to the parents. This is what I mean when I tell you that parents and teachers should be working together.

Teachers, if you think after-school tutoring would increase the student's ability, I recommend you try that and let the parents know why it would be a better plan. After-school tutoring gives the autistic student direct, individual attention and makes it easier for the teacher to keep him/her from distractions. As a result, parents may see some dramatic progress.

So teachers, if you have any ideas - whether it is after-school tutoring or special education - let the parents know immediately. Parents want their children to succeed and become independent adults. As I said before, sometimes it is best to hold them back a grade if they don't function properly. Don't be afraid to inform parents about this idea. I stated in a previous post that it takes more than once for an autistic student to learn the same thing.

Overall, parents and teachers must work together. It is very important.

Teach Them in Ways They Can Learn

The fact that it takes more than one time for an autistic student to learn the same thing really depends on the student. Sometimes your teaching method just might not work on them. So the best way to get through to them is to teach the student in ways he/she can learn.

For special education, I was given simple Math and Reading lessons. They started out teaching me to read and spell simple words such as "it" and "the" and "me." As it turned out, writing was my special way of learning. Though I didn't start speaking until I was six, I spoke in full sentences when I was eight years old. Grammar and Math were my favorite lessons in special education (reading not so much; but now I love it), so I think this helped me learn how to find my voice.

It's obvious that you have other students to think about so it might be harder for you to know how you can teach the autistic student without giving the typical students a hard time. This is why I suggest the autistic student be homeschooled (which I will get to in my next blog post). That way he/she would find an easier way to learn.

Otherwise, be simple and straightforward with your student. That makes it easier for the other students as well. When a student is simple-minded, then it would be best to teach the student in a simple way. They also like it when you are straightforward, since he/she would get caught up in his/her imagination if you try to explain it too much (something many teachers do).

Conclusion

Again, I'm sorry for the delay. I have two jobs as a busser in a restaurant and a Personal Care Aide. It can sometimes waste my energy when I have to aide a student during the day and buss tables at night. I also apologize if this isn't enough information for you.

If you want to share your teaching experience with an autistic student, feel free to leave a comment below. This might give other teachers some ideas and help another autistic student. On my next blog post (which I'm hoping to post this week), I will be explaining the pros and cons of traditional and homeschooling an autistic child, and concluding which I believe is best suited for him/her.

Thank you very much for reading, and God bless you!