Develop realistic expectations - Teach and interact at the child’s current level, rather than the level at which you want him or her to be. You will know if you have gone ahead, in terms of an increased pace of instructions, teaching, or other demands, when you observe and take feedback from the child. Here are some things to look out for that might be indicators for change of pace: vacant facial expression, declining or lack of responses, or fluctuating attention level and focus. Assess the children's’ skills to determine where they need support. Remember that younger children are not as capable of self-regulation.
Collaborate with the child - It is not a rule that learning needs to happen in a designated area- only at a table or a specific corner of the room. Be flexible in your teaching methods and adapt to the child’s interests and activities. If the child moves around in the environment to explore, take that as a teaching opportunity, or an occasion to build rapport and listen to what the child has to say.
Provide structure and consistency - Let children know what to expect and what is expected of them in class. For this purpose, you can use routines, clear rules, visual schedules that provide visual reminders of what activities to expect or when they get a break – use pictures and stickers to help with this as language could be a difficulty. Predictability helps to decrease stress, and increase cooperation. When children know what to expect, they are able to prepare in advance. You can also use sand timers, or clocks to show how much time is being allotted to various tasks.
Ignore challenging behaviours and Do Not React - Challenging behaviours essentially refer to meltdowns. Meltdowns may include screaming, crying, flopping on the floor, kicking, grabbing, and other behaviours that children may display to communicate their distress. Unless they end up causing real physical harm to themselves, you should ignore these difficult behaviours. Do not try to suppress these as these are coping mechanisms! Once the meltdown is over and the child is calm, evaluate the environment and try to eliminate things that might cause stress. Distract and redirect the child so that they are not so focused on this uncomfortable thing, but give them time to calm down first!
Some children thrive when given structured hands-on or visual activities - Many children do very well when given a hands-on/visual activity. Examples include playing a computer game, sorting objects by colour or object type, completing a puzzle, constructing a model car, tracing or coloring in a picture, etc. As another example, some teachers teach academic skills through sorting tasks. For instance, an activity about learning colors would require the child to put all the yellow chips in a yellow cup, all the blue chips in a blue cup, etc. Keeping a child focused with an activity they do well at is a great way to encourage calm behaviour. However, if the child is feeling overwhelmed or frustrated from the activity, allow a break or a change in the task.
Communicate with parents and other significant adults in the child’s life - Identify coping mechanisms or methods that help your child by talking to their parents. Every child is different and it takes a village to watch them and identify what works for them, especially when they are not able to do this for themselves. Once you have figured out something that works, communicate with the child’s ‘village’ so that, as far as possible, there will always be someone who knows specific ways to help the child.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – You do not have to have all the answers. If your child is exhibiting behaviour you don’t know how to handle, reach out to professionals, parents or other teachers for help. A fresh perspective or a similar experience with other children might give you ideas on how to move forward.
Lastly, talk to other students about Autism and keep them informed – You are not the only person your child will be interacting with at school. It is important for other students to be aware, understanding and willing to help. There may be situations where you are not around, or where another student may bully/trigger/get frustrated with the child. They might try to talk to them or play with them when they are not in a state to interact. Having students be aware of when to approach, how to approach and how to help is crucial.
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