8 Things Teachers should Know About Kids with Autism
Children with autism face unique challenges. There is a major need to understand how the world is experienced by children with autism. When autistic children start going to school, they need teachers who understand autism and have an idea of how these children perceive the world around them, so that they can provide the required aid for autism. For teachers, understanding the neuro-developmental disorder and tailoring their behavior according to the needs of the kids may be a bit difficult. However, with the right knowledge and resources, they can help children on the spectrum thrive in their academics and other activities.
Here are some things teachers should keep in mind when teaching children with autism:
1. Behavior is equivalent to communication
All behavior of autistic children happens for a reason. It tells you, even when the words of the child can’t, how the child perceives the things happening around him/her. Negative behavior of an autistic child interferes with his/her learning process. However, it’s not enough to merely interrupt these behaviors. Teach the children to exchange the negative behaviors with proper alternatives, so as to allow real learning to flow.
Teachers need to believe that autistic children want to learn interacting properly. They don’t want the negative feedback from “bad” behavior. Usually, negative behavior indicates that the child is overwhelmed with disordered sensory systems, doesn’t understand what the other person expects of him/her, or the child can’t communicate his/her needs or wants properly. Teachers need to look beyond the child’s behavior to find out the source of his/her resistance. They may keep notes on the things that occurred immediately prior to the behavior — settings, activities, time of day, people involved, etc. Teachers may figure out a pattern over time.
2. No assumptions should be made
When not backed up by facts, an assumption is merely a guess. An autistic child may not understand or know the rules. Even if the kid hears the instructions, he/she may not have understood them. The kid may have known it yesterday, but is unable to retrieve it today.
A teacher should ask herself that does she really know whether a child with autism knows how to do the task he/she is being asked to do. If a child suddenly needs to visit the bathroom every time the teacher asks him/her to solve a math problem, may be the child doesn’t know how to do it or is scared that his/her effort won’t be good enough. Teachers need to stick with an autistic child through enough repetitions of a task, to the point where the child feels competent. A child on the spectrum may need more practice than other children to master tasks.
3. Autistic children may need breaks to allow time for self-regulation
A carpeted, quiet corner of the room having some headphones, books and pillows, allows such a child a place for re-grouping when the kid feels overwhelmed. However, the place should not be too far and physically removed that the child can’t rejoin the classroom’s activity flow smoothly. Providing such a place to a child in the classroom is a good step to provide an aid for autism.
4. Tell them what they should do in positive, instead of imperative
“You made a mess near the sink!” is a mere statement of fact for an autistic child. Kids on the spectrum usually are not able to understand that what the other person actually means is “Please rinse your paint cups and throw the paper towels in the dustbin.” Teachers need to understand that they should not make a child guess or having to find out what he/she should do.
5. Don’t make a situation worse with your behavior
Even though teachers are mature adults, at times they can make improper decisions in anger. A child with autism truly doesn’t want to disrupt a classroom, show anger or melt down. A teacher can help such a child overcome it faster by not responding with any inflammatory behavior. By behaving properly, a teacher can offer the necessary aid for autism, when such a situation occurs. Avoid the following types of responses, as they prolong a crisis rather than resolving it.
- Raising the volume or pitch of your voice: Children on the spectrum would hear the shrieking and yelling, but not your words.
- Mimicking or mocking the child: Name-calling, insults or sarcasm would not embarrass a child out of his/her behavior.
- Making accusations that are unsubstantiated
- Invoking double standards
- Making comparison of an autistic child with his/her sibling or another student
- Bringing up unrelated or previous events
- Placing an autistic child in a general category (like “all children like you are the same”)
6. Avoid sarcasm
In case, a child knocks all of your papers accidentally on the floor, and you respond with “Great!”, the kid may take you literally and may repeat this action regularly.
7. Avoid idioms
Phrases like “Zipper your lips”, “Open your ears”, and “Put your thinking caps on” would leave a child on the spectrum completely wondering and mystified.
8. Provide clear choices and don’t leave the choices open ended
You will get a better response when you ask “Do you want to draw or read?”, than when you ask “What do you wish to do now?”
Although teachers need to know a lot apart from this to provide an aid for autism to autistic students, the information above would help teachers get some idea on how to communicate and behave with autistic children. Teachers should always remember that they are teaching children only, even if they are on the spectrum, and should behave with them gently and with love. Teachers have a big role to play in the lives of children, and if teachers are willing to put some effort, they can certainly smoothen the road to learning for autistic children.
