Autism: A First Hand Experience

Autism: A First Hand Experience

Autism is characterized by impairments in many different areas. These impairments include verbal and nonverbal communication, reciprocal social interaction, imaginative creativity and restricted, repetitive and stereotypic patterns of behavior, interests and activities. Most people with autism have some level of intellectual disability ranging from mild to severe.

While living and teaching in Canada I taught all subjects at the middle school level. Inclusion has always been a top priority in the board that I worked in. In my sixth year of teaching, I would have a PDD student in my room (which falls under the category of autism). I was also very fortunate to have a very experienced special education teacher (her name was Kelly) assigned to my classroom for a part of the day. It was this experience that made me decide to obtain my special education certification and hopefully one day teach special education.

Abilities of students with autism vary according to each child. Some children are able to read, write and are able to communicate with others. Others cannot read or write, have no spontaneous speech and are usually prompted to complete activities. The student in my classroom fell under the second situation that I mentioned. Since there are such varying degrees of ability with autism, a teacher must first assess the student's capabilities in order to plan a program and create an IEP. The following is the list that myself and Kelly compiled. This list came from both from experience and research, and included implications and programming considerations for student in my class with autism. The majority of these we implemented into his program and routine.

Posted Daily Schedules - Many students with autism have difficulty with transitions. Posting a schedule of daily activities and allowing the student to check off the list as items are completed helps the student to have a more relaxed, calmer day.

Preparing the child for upcoming assignments and changes.

Visual Communication Strategies - To enhance communication, students need visual aids and cues. The use of PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) is an excellent tool for this. When a word is typed into the computer, the computer says the word and provides a picture. Sentences can be made this way. The student in my room uses this program for his journal, daily schedule and for communication. It is a great program.

Support Staff - Again, teachers cannot do it all alone! Not only did I have Kelly in my class for a portion of the day, but I also had an EA assigned to support my student. We also receive support from a speech and language therapist and an ABA(Applied Behavioural Analysis) worker.

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