Autism through Eyes of a Special
Education Teacher
By: Allison Stoll
When Heather asked me to write a
few paragraphs on Autism spectrum disorders for her blog, I jumped at the
chance. I normally do not think of
myself as a writer, but I will give it a go.
I have been teaching now for 2 years and boy have I learned a lot about
children with special needs, more specifically, children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder. When, I started thinking about what to write, I figured that the most important thing to provide
were links to helpful resources that I
use daily in my classroom.
Before I get into the helpful
resources I use in my classroom I would like to mention one thing first; when
the district tells me that I will be getting a new student with Autism, I never
quite know what to expect. That being
said, all children with spectrum disorders are different. Some are verbal, some are not. Some children display hyperactive behaviors,
some are so lethargic it’s hard to get them engaged in any one activity. Some
children are self-injurious, hit, bite, or spit while others can’t get enough
hugs, kisses, or squeezes from you. I
graduated from the College of Charleston with a B.S in Special Education;
however this does not mean a thing when teaching a child with Autism. There are no handbooks that tell me what to
do; I basically fly by the seat of my pants on a day to day basis. As soon as I get one behavior under control,
another behavior rears its head. THIS IS AUTISM IN A NUTSHELL!!
As many of you know, children with
Autism are naturally very visual.
Therefore, my classroom is a very visual environment. For instance, in the bathroom there is a step
by step sequence to using the toilet, the classroom rules are pictures instead
of words, every center/play item is labeled with a picture, and there is a
visual daily schedule so my student know what will happen at various times of
the day. This is a necessary step to
having children with autism in a classroom.
You must provide them with a visual reminder of your expectations. Verbally telling them what to do is not
always enough. I have found a wonderful
website called http://www.boardmakershare.com/. On Boardmaker Share, you can find many
activities such as games, social stories, communication boards, picture
symbols, and interactive computer activities. You must have a version of BOARDMAKER
software to download activities, however I’m sure most of you children receive
speech and language services in school or privately. Look for some helpful materials that you
could use at home and ask your speech and language pathologist to download them
for you. Most SLP’s have access to
BOARDMAKER software. It is awesome!!!!
Speaking of SLP’s, there is a
wonderful website called “Speaking of Speech.” (http://www.speakingofspeech.com/) I have found everything from social stories
to games on this website. Go to the site
and check it out. I especially like the
materials exchange tab on the right side of the web page. There are some very useful materials developed
by Speech and Language Pathologist from all over the country.
As I said before, many children
with Autism are very visual. Therefore,
teaching them to use technology such as a computer or iPad is a wonderful
idea. There are a few interactive
websites that that my students love. The
first one is http://www.starfall.com/
. It’s a wonderful website that teaches
letter recognition, letter sounds, and beginning phonics. The children enjoy choosing a letter and
watching the animation that goes along with each letter. The best thing is that it is absolutely
FREE!! You just have to have Flash
downloaded on your computer.
Finally, I have found that other
parents of children with Autism are the best resources for people like me. They have been “around the block” so to speak
and know what works for them. Therefore,
I love coming across sites that are developed by parents for their
children. Hiyah.net (http://www.hiyah.net/) is one that I love and
I use it as an activity that children in my classroom can work on
independently. Hiyah.net is educational
software made for children 18 months and up who struggle with developmental or
language delays due to Autism or other disabilities. It was developed by a mom of a child with
autism. There are social stories, song
downloadables, and other educational games.
All the child has to be able to do is click the spacebar. It’s really that easy. My favorite is the “Goldilocks and the Three
Bears” story. It’s kind of weird, but
the kids love it.
I could probably go on and on about a billion
other techniques I use in my classroom, but Heather told me that I only had to
write about 300 words. Well, I have
written almost a thousand. I just have
so much to say and so much respect for families of children with autism. It truly is a fascinating but mysterious
disorder. I love my job and would not
trade it for anything else (except for maybe a food critic, not the writing,
just the eating.). It’s amazing to see
how much my students grow and progress in the time they spend with me. The old saying “It takes a village to raise a
child” holds true for children with autism.
I am only one aspect of early intervention; I could not do my job
without Autism Itinerants, speech and language pathologists, occupational and
physical therapist, and parents. It
truly does “take a village.”
