#13 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #13:  Show the child the outline you made of their day at school.

During the Suggestion #9, present to the parent and the child the plan of the child’s day at school that you created for Suggestion #7.  Go through the day that the child will have.  Focus your attention on the child and determine if they show any anxiety from some of the activities.  Ask the parents if they feel the child will have difficulty with any part of the day.  Don’t be fooled if the child showed no outward signs of stress, but the parents still believes a particular activity will be difficult for them.  Autistic children don’t typically display their feelings until they become very overwhelmed by them; but they are feeling a lot, you will just see very little signs of it in their face or demeanor. 

If the parents and the child have no concerns about your plan for their day, give them the plan and ask the parents to review it with the child the nights before the first day of school.

If they do have concerns, take notes of what they have concerns about and determine if you can be proactive and modify the child’s schedule in order to remove the problems before the child’s first day.

#14 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #14: Determine how dependent the child is on the parent to communicate for them.

During Suggestion #9, ask the child a question directly and notice if the parents answer the question for the child rather than waiting for the child to speak.  Many autistic children have difficulty communicating with others; because of this, the child may rely heavily on the parent to communicate their needs for them.  Ask the parents if the child ever becomes distressed when they drop them off at school or daycare, and if so, have they put any practices or therapies in place to help the child with separation anxiety?  Additionally, ask the school therapist or councilor if they have any recommendations on handling separation anxiety. 

#12 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #12:  Show the child their morning routine.

During the meeting in Suggestion #9, walk the child through the morning routine that you have created for them in Suggestion #5.  Exp: Coming into school, setting your back pack there below your desk, getting out your pencil, sharpening your pencil, sitting in your seat.  Ask the parents what they think of the routine.  Ask the child if they have any questions.  Remember, the morning routine should be relaxing for the child after transitioning off of the bus.  Because autistic children have difficulty communicating with others, they often find comfort in knowing exactly what they need to do and this routine will calm them.  However, if the routine includes any less preferred activities, simply knowing what they need to do will not help.  Based on the feedback from the parents and child, alter the morning routine if necessary.

#11 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #11:  Review list of school rules with the child.

During the meeting in Suggestion #9, bring out the list of School Rules that you modified in Suggestion #4 and show them to the parent and the child.  Ask the parent if they already reviewed the rules with the child.  Ask the child if they have any questions.  If you are able to retain the child’s attention, read out loud any rules that the child will need to know before they enter the classroom (like safety rules on the bus ride, or items that they will not be able to bring into the classroom).

#10 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #10:  Review with parent the questions that you have about the child.

During the meeting in Suggestion #9, review the questions that you sent to the parents from Suggestion #8.  Focus especially on the child’s likes and dislikes.  If you are not able to set up a meeting, call the parent and review the questions over the phone.  If many of the likes of the child are outdoor activities, perhaps swimming, then ask the parents for more likes and dislikes about indoor activities, especially activities (like drawing or reading) that may take place in the classroom.  Also find out likes that you may be able to tie to learning activities.  Example, if the child likes animals, this may help them with studying science or biology.  If the child is interested in dinosaurs, you could find some stories with dinosaurs for Language Arts.

#9 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #9:  Schedule a meeting with the child and parent.

Set up a meeting with the child and one or both of their parents (or primary care givers).  Try to arrange it so that this meeting will take place in the child’s primary classroom and try to allow for about an hour of time.  During the meeting, observe how the child reacts to the classroom, how long either you or the parents are able to maintain the child’s interest, and the overall activity level of the child.  Note if there is anything in the classroom that the child gravitates toward or they find fascinating.

#8 101 Ways a Teacher Could Help a Child with Autism

Category: Before the Child’s first day in the classroom

Suggestion #8:  Write down questions you have for the parent.

Prepare a list of questions for the child’s parents that will help you know the child better; make the list taking into consideration the information that you have already gathered in Suggestion #2 and #3.  Contact the psychologist in your school to see if they have a list of questions or literature that would aid you in making your list of question.  Ensure that your questions include the child’s likes and dislikes.