A TEACHER'S VIEWP INT: THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AUTISM
BY JENN ADAMS
First off, let’s start with a short introduction. I am a certified special education teacher with almost 10 years of experience working with individuals with autism on a daily basis. The thoughts and information I plan to share here are purely my perspectives of the time I have spent with these individuals. Some of the information I wish I had known from the beginning, and a lot of this I learned from the amazing young people I have been blessed to work with during my career.
This is not intended to provide you with research or evidence-based best practices with a lot of scientific backing. It merely is the information I have gained from working with the population, and things that have worked well with student after student that I have had success with. My hope is by sharing this information that you (a parent, teacher, family member, caregiver, or provider), can take it with you and apply it when you find yourself working with someone with autism.
BASIC THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AUTISM
"If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." – Stephen Shore
The definition of autism gives a broad idea about that person you may be working with. Please note, every person is unique, different, and has strengths and weaknesses regardless of any diagnosis or label. Autistic individuals deserve respect and understanding in those strengths and weaknesses, just as we all do.
Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties in social interactions and complexities in non-verbal and verbal communication. Further, individuals on the spectrum are prone to repetitive and restricted behaviors.1
Many individuals with Autism struggle to understand social norms, effective communication, and don’t handle changes well. They love routine and completing things in a repetitive manner. This is a great asset to their personality throughout life. Another characteristic is that they have sensory sensitivities. This means loud noises, crowded places, and overstimulating environments can be difficult to navigate for them.
USING ROUTINES, STRUCTURE, AND SCHEDULES
As mentioned before, autistic individuals typically thrive off of routine, structure, and schedules. I have also found this to be true in my classroom. Having a set way to do something that is routine and predictable makes us all feel comfortable. So, having clear expectations, a schedule, and a plan of how events will go is helpful when working with individuals with autism.
Many of my past students used a visual schedule that provided them with a list of the daily activities that they would encounter during the day. This could also be a great strategy to use in the home or out in the community to provide that stability for them. Visual schedules often have images or pictures connected to the information, but a simple checklist written or typed out could also be a great resource.
BEHAVIOR IS COMMUNICATION
In my opinion, this is the biggest takeaway from all the information I'm sharing. The interesting thing is that it applies to all of us, and not just one group of people in general. Human behavior is the entire range of what people do, including thinking and feeling. And there are reasons why we do, think, or feel that way. This is known as a function of behavior.
When you can determine why someone is behaving in a certain way you can understand how to help them if that behavior needs to change. A young child with limited verbal skills will point to things or even cry to get the attention, and get the item they
- What is autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Times of Autism. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from timesofautism.com/what-is-autism
