TL;DR:
- April is Autism Awareness Month.
- As educators, it is important that we are aware of how to work with students on the spectrum so we can promote kindness.
Did you know that April is Autism Awareness Month? If you’re a general education teacher, you’re likely to have several students with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in your classroom. These students often have accommodations and/or notes about any quirks on their IEPs, but some students with high-functioning ASD are undiagnosed.
Journey of My Oldest From Preschool to 9th Grade
I can tell you about my oldest, Pok, who will be 15 years old in May. Pok has had an IEP since kindergarten, due to having had speech and occupational therapy as a toddler through the county. Because of this program, Child Find, we were able to send Pok to the district preschool ½ the day for continued speech, then she went to a regular daycare in the afternoon on the school bus.
When Pok was in kindergarten she was evaluated for ASD, but they didn’t come up with a diagnosis. By 3rd grade, Pok’s IEP needed to be reevaluated because she wasn’t needing academic support, only behavior and social/emotional support. She needed extra time to transition to new activities and a heads-up if the school schedule would be different due to testing or an assembly.
Whatever level of students you teach, it’s essential to be aware of how to work with students on the spectrum and to promote kindness. Click To TweetWhen in 8th grade, Pok wanted to exit the IEP. We were happy to have had it and gotten extra days in-person when the school district was hybrid in 2020-21. At that point, we said to wait until after the first semester of 9th grade. During winter break of 8th grade, Pok, who was assigned male at birth (AMAB), came out as non-binary. She dealt with a lot of depression and suicidal ideation between February-May of 2022. By April, Pok started identifying as female and wanted to use she/her pronouns instead of “they.” We have kept the IEP and concluded to have her on it through high school.
Podcast Episode from an Autism Expert with Autism Himself
I’m sharing the part about gender identity because I had a guest on my podcast this past fall, Dr. Christopher Wyatt, who is on the ASD spectrum himself and has two daughters on the spectrum. He spoke about neurodiversity and how that affects the brain, behavior, and teens’/preteens’ gender identity. His experiences living with physical and neurological differences shape his parenting. Wyatt consults with schools, businesses, and non-profit organizations on issues of autism, neurodiversity, and active inclusion.
Another Assessment Followed by ASD Diagnosis
Pok’s gender health therapist asked us to make an appointment to get a new ASD evaluation for her in March. They came back with the fact Pok is indeed on the spectrum, level 1 (high functioning). Some of the characteristics they noted that are typical for level 1 are a lack of ability to make/maintain eye contact, deep concentration on a preferred activity (for Pok, it’s drawing maps from memory), and difficulty working with others in groups (which has long been a challenge for her and is an IEP goal).
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Classroom Activities
For working with students in your classroom, Autism Speaks has many resources to use during this month. Having a Kindness Campaign at your school is a great way to celebrate this month, along with using informative videos geared toward different grade levels to raise awareness on how peers on the spectrum may behave differently. This site also has resources for working with students with ASD at different levels.
Appreciate Their Quirks
Whatever level of students you teach, it’s essential to be aware of how to work with students on the spectrum and to promote kindness. Whether you teach special education or general education, your knowledge of assisting students on the spectrum and appreciating their differences can grow with your knowledge of where to look for resources and who to ask.
About Dana Goodier
Dr. Dana Goodier has 23 years of experience in education. She has taught World Languages and English and worked as a middle school administrator. She completed her doctorate degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership early 2020. For her dissertation, she researched reasons parents were opting their students out of high-stakes testing at middle schools and how that affected the district accreditation rating.
She often speaks at conferences, providing educators with techniques to minimize off-task behavior and to increase time on task. Goodier is the host of the “Out of the Trenches” podcast, which features educators who share their stories of resiliency. She is also the author of the book, “Out of the Trenches: Stories of Resilient Educators.”
Follow her on Twitter @danagoodier and visit her website at: www.danagoodier.com
