I went to Barb's presentation on Friday and it was very different from what I expected. I did not realize that she is mute and had a sever type of autism. It was interesting to see her type out what she wanted to say and to see her story behind her book. I was really amazed at how great of a writer she is, her high vocabulary, and witty humor. Even though she needs a little bit of extra help writing, she still does a phenomenal job.
The presentation by the psychologist, Barb's friend, was enlightening of what it is like to be an individual with autism and how it affects you. She also gave me a lot of insight of how I can help the students with autism in my class. A main point she said was learn from those you serve. This is true of all my future students; I should learn from them in all situations and all types of people. It is important to make connections to our students with autism because if we can find a connection to something they are interested in or like, then they will become more successful. Where is the student comfortable? Take them to that place, whatever it is, whatever they are good at, and it will help them to succeed.
Also, build on their strengths that they already have and develop them further. For Barb, her strength was writing, but it took awhile for anyone to notice because they looked at her disability and not her as a person. As a teacher, it is important to seek the motives of every student and to help build on what they are good at. Treat the person, not the autism. That is something that will not change, so it is crucial to focus on the person because they desire friends, companionship, and success just like anyone else. It is also important to remember that students with autism may be hyper-sensitive to things around them, whether it is knowing if you are honest or if it is a noise in the room.
The presentation made me feel a little bit uncomfortable at first because I have not really been around anyone with autism and the ones that I have been around have been young students. It was neat to see how much her friend cared about her and how many friends she had. It was so sad when she was asked what her childhood was like and her response was lonely. Unfortunately, this is probably true for a lot of students. As a teacher, I feel like it is part of my responsibility to make sure a student with autism, or any child for that matter, feel included and accepted into the classroom.
It was a great presentation and I am glad I had the opportunity to go. It was very insightful and very different from anything I would have ever gone to.
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