9 WAYS TO SUPPORT CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

The World Health Organisation estimates that one in 160 children have Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). And with education continuously evolving, more and more teachers are welcoming into their classrooms students on the autism spectrum.

- Natasha

I have had the pleasure of teaching students on the autism spectrum for over 20 years. My experience of supporting these students have presented me with some of the most challenging and most rewarding times of my teaching career.

As a world-renowned professor and author Dr Stephen Shore, who happens to be on the autism spectrum himself, rightly puts it: “If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” This is such an important point for us all to understand when we consider our interactions with people diagnosed with autism.

The fact is that all children on the autism spectrum are unique. While there are commonalities that include differences in communication, social interaction, sensory receptivity and highly-focused interests, there is also great diversity within the autism spectrum. What defines one person with autism may not define another. It is also important to see these not as deficits, but as differences.

As we celebrate the 14th annual World Autism Awareness Day, I am pleased to share some tips on how students with autism can be best supported in the classroom.

Routine and repetition