Autistic Friends:
As I embark upon a teaching career as a Special education teacher I’d like to know what I should do when a general education teacher doesn’t want an autistic student to have a comfort item in class?
Personal opinion is that the general education teacher should ignore it provided that the student isn’t using their comfort item to harm or distract others. This is unlikely to fly with most gen ed teachers because let’s be honest, some (not all) gen ed teachers are kinda bigots.
So is there a compromise, a half way suggestion I could make? Can y’all give me some suggestions that will pacify gen ed teachers and still support autistic students. I don’t want gen ed teachers ripping stuffies or cat ears out of the hands or off the heads of my autistic students and I’ve absolutely witnessed that happening in schools.
And yes, I can report teachers who do this to school boards, or teaching boards but honestly that’s a long term solution and I want things that will resolve the situation now.
I want my autistic students to KEEP their comfort items ON their person but I want to know if there’s a way they can do that without having it become a THING for the gen ed teacher
I don’t know if I’m asking this question right but I hope some of you get it and can give me some suggestions.
Autistic students and faculty with iron-weighted vests, protective glamours for verbal stims/echolalia, invisibility charms as comfort items. With ear defenders on to protect from overwhelming sounds, it’s harder to hear strange voices calling. You quickly learn to modify stims so they double as protective acts, that the things you need to do to function at home can also keep you safer with just a few tweaks. It’s a relief when you learn that nobody here will bat an eye at the same things kids at home called you “freak” for. They think they understand, and in a way, they do.
- how your school life could be affected by you being autistic
- how you can productively work around those difficulties, or
- what accommodations you can ask for
so i thought i’d combine all those questions together and talk about everything i could think of about the subject!
Because the video seems quite content heavy, here are my “brief” (yikes...) notes for what i wanted to talk about!
(there might be some things mixed in here that are to do with other disorders/disabilities instead, like dyspraxia, sensory processing disorder as a standalone diagnosis, etc, but to start with some parts of being autistic that could affect you at school are:
- sensory overload if it’s loud/bright/smelly due to sensory sensitivities
- sensory underload if you have to work in silence or aren’t allowed to stim due to sensory processing issues
- difficulty keeping up with the lesson because of trouble processing verbal information
- difficulty writing due to coordination problems/holding a pen being painful for long periods of time/problems with fine motor skills/etc (could be more to do with dyspraxia or other common comorbid conditions)
- difficulty picking out key information, leading to sparse notes/notes with gaps because you took too long writing something easier and missed the next bit/jumbled notes
- trouble remembering information due to executive dysfunction
- trouble concentrating due to executive dysfunction (could also be because of anxiety/sensory overload/overwhelm) (or also specifically because of difficulty tuning out background noise)
- trouble understanding the lesson because of how it’s taught (autistic people might need things explaining in several different ways before we understand)
- difficulty working in groups because of trouble with social skills/anxiety relating to this
- trouble with peers (e.g. bullying/being easily distracted) leading to anxiety/distraction/trouble concentrating) (although this can be a problem for anyone, autistic people might be more vulnerable)
- not being able to ask for help when you need it (either because of difficulty expressing yourself, difficulty communicating, or anxiety leading to reluctance to ask)
- being (or going) semi- or non-verbal (not being able to form speech and express yourself verbally)
- difficulty answering questions correctly because you interpret the question differently/incorrectly, or alternatively because of trouble recognising or expressing your own thoughts (alexythimia)
Some accommodations I can think of off the top of my head for those things are
- for sensory overload or underload - headphones or a hat to muffle noise in class, scented hand cream, cuticle cream or lip balm, stim toys
- being able to leave classes very slightly early between classes might be helpful too, so you’re not in the hallways when everyone else is/it’s very crowded/it’s very loud, to help protect you from overloading and keep your stress levels as low as possible.
- for trouble with keeping up in class (maybe due to verbal processing/struggle taking notes/fine motor skills difficulties) use a laptop or record your classes/lectures.
- get copies of any lesson plans/powerpoints/documents/worksheets they use in class - even more helpful to have ahead of class to follow along with the lesson plan as its taught.
- take a copy of your textbook home if this isn’t something students can normally do (so you can reference it later/go over class material if you got lost in class/have somewhere to look for answers for any questions you have) - good for key point summaries/end of chapter reviews, if you struggle to pick out key points yourself.
- have a teaching assistant with you in class - they can help to repeat content or instructions that you missed/forget, to explain anything you don’t understand, and answer extra questions/rephrase things teachers have said.
- if the stress of working in groups is particularly difficult for you - have a set group/one person in your class as a partner/buddy so there’s always someone familiar/comfortable.
- If you struggle with being distracted, seeing if you can sit apart from certain difficult people, or in a certain place in the classroom (like the front, or the edge of a room so you’re not so surrounded by people)
- being able to leave class if you need to in an emergency (e.g. sensory overload/meltdown/panic attack/overwhelm) - e.g. having a card you get out and put on your desk when you need to leave in an emergency so you don’t have to wait to be dismissed.
- having a quiet space to go to at school e.g. a staff room or a designated empty classroom.
- disclosing your disability to relevant teachers/staff, asking whether your teachers are trained/informed about autistic people, and specifically your needs. (Disclosure is a personal choice and is for your own benefit - you don’t have to do it. (The National Autistic Society a leaflet with lots of autistic traits on it and some accommodations that could be a helpful springboard for your own disclosure letter/writing.) Disclosure via email/letter can take some anxiety out of the conversation as you can prepare in advance + have answers to likely questions prepared (less stress on communication skills and processing).
- for difficulty speaking in front of people, being excused from giving presentations/speaking in front of the class (you might instead give a presentation to a smaller group or just your teacher)
- If you are or go semi- or non- verbal, it’s also good if your teacher knows about that, so they know not to push you if you’re not answering. Sometimes I’m taking too long to answer, people repeat themselves loudly because they think i can’t hear them (instead of me having trouble processing what they’re saying and how to respond) so If you do a big head shake for example, to show that you’ve heard them but can’t reply, that could help communicate to them that you’re paying attention but can’t speak about it.
- if you have difficulty asking for help due to anxiety, a traffic light system of understanding might help. You have a green, amber and red card for understanding that you used to show when you were stuck, and the teacher would come over to you and answer your question. (You don’t have to stop the class/speak in front of the class to ask for help.) Can be easily used class-wide or just you.
- if you have difficulty asking for help due to communication difficulties, highlighting the section/sentence that you’re stuck on could help - instead of having to phrase a question, you can just say ‘please could you rephrase this’, or ‘explain what this word means’ etc. (erasable highlighters are good, or translucent sticky notes if you can’t write on something like a textbook) (highlighting also stops you forgetting which bit you’re stuck on.)
- assistive learning devices, and things like those coloured plastic sheets that you can put over handouts to read, printing handouts on different coloured paper, or pencil grips -these examples are basic; there are lots of good technology/electronic aids
- having extended deadlines for independent projects if you specially request them (if you struggle with executive dysfunction), or instead, your school might will want to deal more with ‘the root of the problem’ by supporting you in getting over the thing you’re struggling with. E.g. for executive dysfunction difficulties, giving you time management strategies/monitoring your work more closely to help remind you/motivate you instead of extended deadlines. (Putting the framework into place for you to complete things on time and supporting you to do this). This may mean extra ‘classes’ at school to go over skills like time management and organisation.
So, general tips for coping with school are:
- Speak to relevant people, telling them your needs/difficulties and asking what help/accomodations/resources are available to you, as well as doing your own research into what could help you
- Structure your life as much as you can- to reduce stress and make sure that executive dysfunction isn’t being a big background mental/capacity drain - like using a bullet journal, planner, apps, alarms, visual prompts for timetables, and routines
- Take time out + prioritise your (autistic) health as best you can, like
stimming
making a safe and sensory-friendly environment to come home to and recharge after school/college/university
carrying a pouch of little stimmy things with you, making sure your clothes are sensory friendly,
making sure you have things like ear defenders/headphones/sunglasses/gloves/hat with you if you’re getting sensory overload
making sure you have sensory friendly food in (and also some foods that don’t need any/much preparation if you’re having a bad day but need to eat)
thinking about what you really enjoy/find calming and scheduling in time every day to do that (also, special interest things!)
And finally, join societies/clubs/something that you’re interested in as a means to meet people. It can be easy to be isolated at school or college as an autistic student, especially if you don’t like or can’t do the things that students typically do to socialise, like party, drinking, or spontaneous plans. Benefits of clubs/societies/evening classes:
something in common is a great basis for approaching someone to make friends with them because it
gives you an automatic conversation opener! It’s easier to be like “hey, I heard you like (a thing), I really like that too, especially (this particular part of it)!”, than if you’re just approaching them with a blank slate.
a structured environment (easier to excuse yourself and to know what to do when you’re there
So, I hope that if you’re finding school tricky, there might be something in there that could ease things a little for you. An important thing to remember that if school is hard for you, it’s probably not because you’re not trying hard enough, but maybe because it’s not accessible for you. Keep going! ✨
“To what extent is it possible to compare the ways in which methods of communication are being taught to autistic students who cannot use spoken language to communicate their complex ideas?”
Read this blog post to explore how online schools, like Sunbeam World School, support autistic students. Contact us today!
Read this blog post to explore how online schools, like Sunbeam World School, support autistic students and promote their overall development. Enroll now !
