Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/20186
ficult because you can think they understand something, but over the weekend they forget and you have to start all over again. You al- ways have to repeat things with them. You can’t get discouraged and you can’t give up.” Cabading, a member of United Educators of San Francisco, says it can be helpful to ap- peal to a child’s sense of intellectualism. “Ask them what works well for them,” she ABOVE: Lisa MacFarland at Hayes Elementary School in San Jose. Years ago, a student became extremely frustrated and punched her in the kidney. “I saw stars — and I had never seen stars before. But it wasn’t intentional for him to hurt me. It was him being angry. It was the only time one of my students became violent.” Sue Allen, a full-inclusion kindergarten teacher at Coyote Valley Elementary School in Hidden Valley, advises teachers to follow their instincts when it comes to teaching chil- dren with autism. “Try different things until you find out what works for a particular child,” says Allen, a member of the Middletown Teachers As- sociation. “I allow one of my little guys to roam around the classroom at the end of the day if he’s done what I’ve asked him to do. He goes to the computer and prints out pictures. It’s the best thing in the world for him. I have another student who freezes when we start to do music and movement. He can’t deal with it. So I started asking him if he’d rather look at a book during that time, and it’s taken a lot of stress off him.” Students with autism are held to different expectations of behavior in Allen’s classroom. “I had one little boy who couldn’t sit on the rug as long as the others, so I allowed him the freedom to move around the classroom as long as he was not disturbing anyone. The other kids knew he was different, so it didn’t bother them. I’m amazed at how sometimes young people can accept those things easier than adults.” Working with students that have autism takes lots and lots of patience, says parapro- fessional Madeline Cabading, who works with autistic children at West Portal Elemen- tary School in San Francisco. “Every child is different, and you have to constantly encour- age them and not get upset with them. It’s dif- advises. “Make them feel part of the process. Show them that you care for them. Try hard to bond with them. If they don’t show emo- tion, remember that they can’t help it, but try to bond with them anyway. Often they will bond with you if you are there all the time.” It helps to watch them, listen to them and figure a way in, says Lisa MacFarland, a teacher at Hayes Elementary School in San Jose. “I had a student with major behavioral is- sues who would run out of the room scream- ing or throw tantrums,” says MacFarland, an Oak Grove Education Association member. “I realized that she was highly anxious, and that these behaviors came out when her envi- ronment seemed to be out of control. Once the structure became routine, I saw her anxi- ety level decrease and lots of behaviors de- crease. She’s very, very intelligent, but you have to find ways to access that intelligence in an untypical way. For example, she found writing very difficult, but when you put her in front a keyboard and a computer, she could generate amazing things.” MacFarland teaches students in grades 4-6 who are “reverse mainstreamed” into her class just to learn social skills. Some of them have a very high intellect and are learning why it is important to interact well with others. She uses Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum by Stephanie Madrigal and Michelle Garcia Winner, de- signed for teaching students with Asperger’s syndrome, high-functioning autism, ADHD and other social difficulties how to build so- cial thinking skills. Her students learn that each of them have “super flexible” capacities in their brains that can overcome rigid car- toon characters such as Un-Wonderer, who stops citizens from showing interest in oth- ers by asking questions, Topic Twister Meis- ter and Mean Jean. “My students with autism identify with these characters because most of the kids are super rigid,” she says. “Most other kids understand that when you look at some- body it shows you are paying attention and listening to them. But for my kids, it doesn’t come naturally.” Sometimes, the biggest challenge for teachers is to overcome the label of autism, says Peter Mundy, director of educational research at the UC Davis Mind Institute, which is devoted to the research and treat- ment of autism. “Most teachers can be effective with these children if they have the confidence to do it and someone to talk to who has the expertise to help them get over the hump of feeling that they don’t know what they are doing,” says Mundy. “My advice to them is this: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t try to take all the responsibility; work as a team with special education teachers, gen- eral education teachers, parents, psycholo- gists and others.” Tips for teaching students with autism > Speak simply and give plenty of time for an individual with autism to respond to questions. A 3-4 second delay is not uncommon. Repeat your question and wait again. Use a calm voice. > Don’t assume a nonverbal student who seems not to be listening can’t understand. > Remember that students with autism learn and process information better if it is presented visually instead of auditorily. > Understand that their rote memory is typically superior to their understanding. > Reduced the amount of visual “clutter” in the classroom. > Use natural lighting from windows to reduce visually distracting fl uorescent lighting. > Carefully consider where a child with autism will sit in a regular education classroom. A child may do best seated in the front of the class, facing away from the doors, windows and shelves, to minimize visual distractions. > Post “visual schedules” of transitions between activities, so children know what is expected of them and experience less anxiety. This can be with words, pictures or both. Source: Los Angeles County Offi ce of Education NOVEMBER 2010 | www.cta.org 17