From Awareness to Acceptance: A Guide to Autism in the Classroom

vivek.kjk@gmail.com — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 04:50:27 +0000

Super happy to contribute to the Blog of Teach-O-Gen this month. Based in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia they are doing amazing work with inclusion and professional development.

Take a look at the article I have written and the contribution by Amna Moin.

April is the international month of ‘Autism Awareness’ and yet this year we have seen a shift across social media to the term ‘Autism Acceptance’. This is a very interesting change, which demonstrates the shift to a social model of accepting the differences in people.
Whilst the term Autism was first noted in 1911 (Eugen Bleuler, British Journal of Psychology), the presentations of behaviours or presentations most commonly associated with Autism are documented as far back at 1747. It is therefore heartening to see a shift to acceptance after such a long time.

There are lots of misunderstanding around the term ‘Autism’ and the majority of people associate Autism with the media portrayal of being non-verbal, poor eye contact, and challenging behaviours. Whilst often present, Autism is extremely complex and sometimes these presentations are very slight. Another big misconception is around vaccination (first raised in 1998 but discounted in 2002) which is known not to be a cause. This is where we should probably start.

What is the cause of Autism?

When I first had known contact with Autism, both in teaching and in social circles, my primary thought process was around the ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ of Autism. We think that this information is vital to our practice and support. I quickly realised this is a conversation for people with far more experience and research skills than me and that a ‘cause’ is still some way from being identified. Differences in people are as simple as ‘we all have unique fingerprints’. Doesn’t it follow then that we should all have different strengths and challenges? I reframed my thinking to ‘does it matter’. Instead of using my time identifying a ‘reason’ I began to focus on ‘what to do’. Our learners have barriers in the classroom. They all do. Some will be happy, some grieving. Some struggle with literacy and others with numeracy. Some struggle with emotions and some with executive function. We could go on but look at every child in every class and find a way in which their individual differences require support or differentiation. We shouldn’t change any of them.

Is diversity important?

Diversity in life is a blessing. We need artists, performers, lawyers, doctors, bus drivers, road builders and delivery people. We need everyone in order to live the lives with which we are graced. There is a place for everyone; there is work for everyone; there is a pathway for everyone. The social model of ensuring that we all belong in our communities is the key mindset needed when working with young people. This mindset also requires us to have representation throughout our school structures. A topic for another conversation.

What should our focus be for children with Autism?

There are three levels of Autism, and just like our fingerprints, each person with Autism experiences it differently. There are common traits that help us identify the strengths and challenges but not all traits need to be present in order for the condition to be identified. This makes training for the support of Autism (or any diversity) difficult because not one size fits all. Once you have taught one child with Autism then you are skilled at teaching one person with Autism – not all people with Autism Our focus should always be on what that learner requires right now.

How do you work that out?

There is a process to follow when working with any child that is struggling, whether we suspect a literacy, numeracy, communication or other barrier. Our first step with any learner is to listen and observe. It may sound simple but it is often the one thing forgotten in our busy schedules. Listen to the child, the parents, the teachers and any specialists involved. Observe the child and identify the biggest barriers. The process of ‘assessing’ (what is going on now, how is everyone feeling, or even academic assessment) informs us of what we need to do. We then ‘plan’ what we are going to do, where we are going to start and how we are going to measure success. Next we ‘do’. We implement the plan, the strategy or the intervention. Once complete, we review and amend the next steps.

How do we ‘listen’ to a non-verbal learner or a child who is too young to communicate?

We need to ‘listen’ to their behaviours. All behaviour is communication and young people are very good at ‘telling’ or ‘showing’ us how they feel, or what they need, if only we take the time to observe carefully and meet them where they are

‘My learner keeps escaping the classroom, they just won’t sit with me, I don’t know how to help. I have no relationship and so I can’t teach them. All I can do is sit them outside the class with an assistant. I know this is not good but I don’t know how to work with them.’

This was an exasperated teacher who wanted to do better.

A common scenario. The first thing this teacher needed was to build a relationship, but they didn’t know how. The simple act of placing the assistant with the class, when they were underway with their work, and the teacher giving the child 1:1 time outside the classroom, enabled them to bond. There was a lot more work to do after this first step, but having established a relationship that work could begin. Even this first step is progress and should be recorded.

Are you experiencing a challenging learner in the classroom?

Take a step back. Ask yourself ‘what do you see?’. Does the child who won’t pick up a pencil have pain? Does the child who refuses to read struggle with eyesight? Does the child who hits out/others experience communication delay? The child’s behaviour will always tell you the story. It may be a complex story; it may take years to unravel; progress may be slow and not age appropriate but ask yourself “does it really matter?”. What matters is that this learner belongs in your room. This learner makes ‘their’ progress. This learner is accepted and supported.

We should not be naive enough to think that this process is simple, or that it doesn’t take hard work. We may need an alternative method of measuring progress; the progress may not be academic and it may take longer than one academic year. Sometimes additional professional support through a ‘team around the child’ is essential. Our role in any child’s life is to meet them where they are and help them make progress. They will reach their own potential in their own time.

This is the awareness and acceptance that those with Autism need.

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