Working with children who have Autism

I am very interested in teaching special education, more specifically students who have autism spectrum disorder. This summer I worked at a summer camp with a child who had autism and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Working with Alex got me interested in working with students who have autism. In this blog post I want to discuss ways to help children with autism be integrated in the classroom. As teachers we have to know how to teach children with autism and learn strategies that will make them an integrated and important part of the classroom. The first strategy is to be consistent. Students with autism have a hard time adapting to new things. If they know and learn a schedule or procedure the day will run smoother because they are not guessing about what is coming next. If there is going to be a change in the schedule or activity the teacher or aid will need to notify the child so they can prepare for this. This change may cause the child anxiety, but this will only happen every so often. It is beneficial to have a schedule and protocol for activities so the child does not have to keep guessing about how things are going to be run throughout the day. The next technique to help students with autism in the classroom is to reward good behavior. Since students with autism have difficulties functioning in certain social situations it may benefit the classroom and student if the teacher sets up a reward system for good behavior. An example of this would be if the student had a chart and whenever they behaved in an appropriate manner they got to put a star on their chart. Each time they received 10 stars they get a reward. The key to this system is to know your student. The reward would need to be pre-chosen so the child knows what reward they are working for. If they really like the reward they are more likely to behave. This strategy worked really well when I worked with Alex this summer. Every time he behaved when we were walking to a new activity or during transitions he would get to put a rock in a plastic baggy. Every time he got 10 rocks he would get a reward. The last strategy I want to discuss is to have a ‘safe’ place for the child to go. When a child with autism becomes frustrated or upset they may begin to throw a tantrum. It is beneficial for the teacher to talk to the aid and the child and discuss a place for the child to go when they begin to feel like they are going to have a tantrum. This could be the hallway, office, gym, etc. If they child can recognize or at least be removed from the classroom to cool down then they don’t become a distraction. This strategy also teaches the child to identify when they are going to have a tantrum and then to remove themselves. These strategies helped me when I was working with Alex at camp and will help teachers with autistic students in the classroom.