Autism and SLPs

Perspectives from a Speech Language Pathologist

Information for Teachers

“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good teacher.” Temple Grandin, PhD (and has autism!)

With the prevalence of autism on the rise, teachers will see an increase in the number of children with ASD in the classrooms. Like the name suggests, it is a spectrum disorder meaning that each child will be completely different and each will come with their own special needs, interests, and abilities. Like a famous quote suggests, “If you have worked with one person with autism, you have worked with one person with autism.”

What Do I Do Now?

First, become familiar with special education terms, especially the IEP. An IEP is an Individualized Education Program designed to meet the child’s needs. Every child who qualifies for special education services will have an IEP. Below is a web-site covering the basics. http://www.concordspedpac.org/WhatIEP.htm

Second, try to discover as much information about the child as you can from the special education teachers, parents, and even the child if he/she is old enough. Discover their interests, their dislikes, what bothers them the most (lights, noise, fire alarms, etc), all in an attempt to decrease situations which may create a serious meltdown.

Third, have a classroom discussion about each person in the class and what makes them special, so as not to single out any one student. Talk about how Jimmy needs to wear his bulky ear muffs when the morning announcements are read because the sound bothers him or Suzie’s rocking back and forth when she is nervous. It never ceases to amaze me how compassionate students can be to others.

Lastly, have a bulletin board in the class that states what every child with autism wish you knew (from Ellen Notbohm’s book).

1. I am first and foremost a child.
2. My sensory perceptions are different.
3. I am a concrete thinker and interpret language literally. I don’t understand figurative language and jokes.
4. Be patient with my limited language and vocabulary.
5. I am a visual learner. Words do not mean as much as pictures.
6. Focus on what I can do instead of what I can’t do.
7. Help me with social interactions.
8. Understand what causes my meltdowns.