FAQautism

We are continuing a conversation about teacher attitude – about welcoming students with autism into a typical classroom. In the podcast “Teacher Attitude 1,” we talked about the first of three basic principles for educators to consider when welcoming students with autism into the classroom. In this podcast, we will continue the discussion.

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You can check out the discussion about the first principle, “Person First,” by clicking on the “Teacher Attitude 1” post on our website: http://FAQautism.com. We will continue that discussion with two more basic principles for teachers to consider.

2. FRAME OF REFERENCE. Autism is very complex, making it difficult to make generalizations. Each person has uneven strengths and deficits in a number of issues that impact their ability to learn, to interact with other people, to communicate, to follow directions, and to tolerate change. For example, one student may appear on the surface to be “higher functioning” than another student with autism in the class because they are on grade-level academically. But, in reality, that academically-typical student may not be toilet trained or may have other issues significantly more challenging than those of the “lower functioning” student. For example, the “lower functioning” student may be much more flexible, cooperative, and attentive. Or, for example, a person with an extraordinary memory for facts and figures may not be able to apply any of that knowledge to daily life. These are just a few examples of the challenges teachers encounter in the face of the inability to place students with autism in neat categories.

3. NATURAL ASSUMPTIONS. It is natural to assume that a person who is unable to talk does not understand language. But the unevenness of autism actually prevents us from following that line of logic. Sometimes our fluent talkers are distracted by their own conversations or are oblivious to other people, while some non-verbal students have age-level abilities to understand conversations around them. Along the same lines, we tend to assume a person with wandering gaze is not interested or not paying attention. But that is not necessarily the case. Or we assume a person who throws an object to the ground is protesting the request to participate in a class learning experience when, actually, they are dealing with some marked sensory issues that make it difficult to hold that object. Over time, we realize the complexity of autism and learn to avoid assumptions, giving each individual the benefit of the doubt in areas such as communication, social interaction, self-help, sensory issues, and restrictive, repetitive interests, behaviors, and activities.

TIP FOR THE DAY: Educators are, of course, sensitive to and responsive to individual differences in all their students. But autism magnifies the issue, making it necessary for even the most experienced teacher to review these principles when students with autism enroll in their classes.

NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com

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