Autisme bij kinderen

Autism by children:

Most people never heard of autism. There are who HAVE heard of it, but have a really odd impression of autistic people (Flapping their hands as if they are birds, rocking back and forth, not responding as if they are deaf, staring into the nothing with a dumb looking grimace etc.), and of course there are a few who DO know what it is, because they have had one in their class, in their family/friends etc.

So in other words, there are three profiles/groups: 1) The not knowing.

2) The ones who think they know, but really don’t (mostly have a blurred or even negative image of autistic people, and don’t have an idea what they are talking about). a. Have seen an autistic person (once!). b. Have heard something from mouth-to-mouth. c. Have heard something on the radio/television. d. Have read something in a book/internet/newspaper.

3) The ones who DO know what they are talking about (Mostly more positive about autistic people, mostly underline that not one autistic person is identical to another, etc.) a. Have an autistic child
b. Have done a study with autism as an important element (social work, psychology, etc.) c. Have (had) an autistic student in their class. d. Have and autistic family member (that doesn’t include second grade cousins etc.!), for example a brother.

If you hear someone talking about an autistic person, don’t follow blindly what he or she says, first try to find out in which profile that person fits (the second or the third profile). That is crucial for filtering the information entering your brain. A lot of the things you hear are plain rubbish, told by a person who was trying to be interesting. Most of the times those are the people who describe autistic people as “aliens”. But they always forget that, even though they are a bit different, they ARE human, with human thoughts, feelings, capabilities, wishes, desires, dreams and needs.

In the “profile section”, there is an obvious difference between the second and the last profile: their opinion. The reason for this odd appearance is, that one of the two groups has experiences with autistic persons, and the other groups hasn’t. The opinion of the second group is based on gossip, wrong information, not understanding, imagination, and the not-knowing-what-it-really-is (which frightens a lot of people, unknowing walks hand in hand with fear), which will end as a blurry and/or negative image. While the other group, the third groups, has the straight opposite opinion. It is not odd (anymore), they know what it is, might have good experience (My experiences are that autistic persons can be extremely funny!) etc.

Please be cautious, and filter the information you receive. In case of uncertainty, please consult a book (internet is not always trustworthy!) if possible, or consult an expert. If neither of these options are possible, thrust your instinct, do NOT handle the autistic student with the information you received from the “best friend- of- my uncle’s nephew’s- classmate’s – mother- who – had the information from the Internet” or anything like that. Handle with care.

It happens a lot that teachers think there is nothing “wrong” with the student. Well, that is true. There is nothing wrong; he or she is just a bit different. And it’s not like it is written on their forehead that they are autistic (you can tell if someone has the down-syndrome, that doesn’t go for autistic people). It is not their appearance that differs, but their behaviour, they way they deal with situations, the way they respond, the way they (mis) interpret etc.

What do these students require/what are the problem area’s ? Most of the things they need/have difficulties with are things that other students need/have difficulties with too, but in a more intensive way. To show you what is needed for an autistic student to function well, and what the difficulties are; I made a step-by-step plan, consisting of 7 steps. Each step explains the situation, consequences and tips.

1) Structure. a. Have a routine: i. Monday: ii. Tuesday: iii. Etc. Always make sure your planning stays the same, for example: Monday we will do Grammar, Tuesday Speaking exercises (If necessary, use time: On Monday we will start with Grammar at 10 o’clock) . This way, nothing is unexpected, there are no misunderstandings, and no confusing. They absolutely don’t like any changes.

b. Everyone has a stationary seat/place in the class. Don’t let everyone just sit where they want to sit, this can be very confusing for an autistic student (“I am supposed to sit here, but Susan is already sitting here.). This may result in: Just standing still, not knowing what to do, completely panicking or becoming furious and attacking other students. To prevent this, let everyone have a stationary place in class during the whole year.

c. Let everyone know exactly where to put his or her belongings. For example: The coats should hang outside the classroom on the hook with your name on it, the bags have to be placed next to your table (left/right), your pencil has to lye on the right end of your table, next to the crayon etc.

If you do have to change anything (you have to go to the dentist, there is no grammar that day), explain them carefully, and let them know as soon as possible (“Usually we discuss grammar on Monday, unfortunately, next Monday there will be no grammar, because I have to go to the dentist, but the Monday after that we will have grammar again, as usual, if necessary repeat it).

2) Clarity a. Metaphorical language. Try to avoid using metaphorical language. This is confusion for most autistic people, they hear literally what you say, and don’t know that it is not literary what you mean, and this may result in odd situations.

b. Let them know what is allowed and what is not, and what the consequences are.

c. Let them know what they are supposed to do. (“When I am writing on the blackboard, and tell the whole class to take notes, you are supposed to pick up your pen and your notebook, and write down exactly what I write on the blackboard”)

d. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. Instead of saying “The homework is..” it is better to say: “Pick up your diary and write down for Friday that exercise 20 and 21 should be finished”. Otherwise they will just write it down, without knowing why and not knowing that they are supposed to do homework.

e. Write the planning down on the blackboard (See structure section). Or write it down on a piece of paper and give it to the student.

3) Verbal contact. a. A lot of autistic students absolutely don’t want to be the centre of attention. So a well meant gesture can be taken differently. Sometimes it is better to leave the student alone, and handle when needed.

b. If you are speaking towards the class, it might happen that the autistic student doesn’t listen. He has not heard his name, therefore he doesn’t have to listen. In fact, he might not hear it at all, that you are talking. There are a few things you can do: “ Winston and the rest of the class, I have an announcement to make”, or first talk in general, en then talk to the autistic person.

c. Verbal contact can be very difficult for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, that doesn’t only goes for the contact between the teachers and the student, but also for the student and the other students. They might be a bit clumsy when it comes to social skills. They do/might not know how to deal with situations such as jokes (They don’t accept it when someone makes a joke about them, but do not know they can hurt other’s feelings as well when they are making jokes about others), fights (“it’s not their fault”), having a conversation (laughs when it is not meant to be funny, blabbers something out, hurt other’s feelings without knowing, not responding, breaking in the conversation, start a new topic when others are completely focused on the topic they are discussing now, making faces, etc.). The student his behaviour is usually considered as odd, unusual and sometimes even crazy by his fellow students. This makes having social interaction even harder. Keep in mind that, even though they hurt someone by saying something wrong, it is not meant that way. It was just another attempt in having verbal contact. Being a teacher, there is not much you can do about it. All you can do is, if you have the permission to, tell the class why he acts different, and try to make them more understanding.

d. See Metaphoric language section.

e. Most have some difficulties with noticing, for example: Raising your voice because you are angry. They have no idea that you are angry, all they can hear is that you speak up. Mostly they don’t recognize sarcasm either. So perhaps it is better to say you are angry instead of raising your voice, this way, the autistic student knows how you feel, and doesn’t have to search for an explanation for why you are speaking up.

4) Non-Verbal contact. a. Most autistic people are not “capable” of noticing non-verbal responses such as raising your eyebrow, yawning, sighing, nodding. So if you truly want the student to, for example, stop talking: Just say it, making clear what you want using body language doesn’t work (for most of the autistic persons), then you should make use of clear verbal contact.

b. A lot of autistic students have a bit of trouble with making themselves clear by using body language. Some of them even can’t. It is easy to recognize who can and who can’t. The ones who can, well that would be obvious: Examine them and see how their expression changes when you talk etc. The ones who can’t will either stare at you without any expression or sign that they are listening, or continuously say: Yes (I hear/understand you). This may be a bit frustrating at first (It might feel as if he is making fun of you, but really, he is not!), but it is well meant. This person has learned that if someone talks to you, you should respond, and if you can’t, let the person know you are listening/give feedback. In other words: There are three groups.

1.1 The better socially-developed group: Has no or few problems with (non-verbal) communication. Responds with facial expressions (frowning, smiling, yawning, looking away etc.).

The less socially-developed group: 2.1 The “zombie” group: Seems as if they ignore you, or just stare at you without saying a word or wearing any expression at all. Does not respond properly. 2.2 The “over-feedback” group: It seems as if they do anything to make you as frustrated as possible, by responding every time a word slips out your mouth.

5) Physical contact. a. It is better not to touch an autistic student. Small gestures of proud ness like patting them on their head and shoulder might give YOU a good feeling, but might be horrible for the autistic student. A lot of autistic students are hyper sensitive. This means that a gentile pat on the shoulder can feel like being hit. They will think they are being punished, instead of praised.

b. Some autistic people are keen on touching others (for example: touching noses), but are not so keen on being touched themselves. Please keep in mind that whatever an autistic person does (touching, making jokes etc.), isn’t per definition allowed to do to them or at them.

6) Visual support a. Sometimes visual support can be a huge relief. It makes things more clear for autistic students (Example: Instead of just writing down what the planning is for that day, make pictures of the things you are planning to do). Sometimes words are not enough (student still does not know what to do), to gain control of that situation I would suggest to make use of pictures or as a lot of people call them: Picto’s. This can prevent a student from panicking or not working.

7) The student’s well being. a. It is very important to keep contact with the parents on a regular base, they can provide you of information about the student, and tips of how to handle that student in different situations, and give explanations for situations that occur in the class (such as fights, different behaviour, not paying attention) etc.

b. Another important element is keeping track of his progress in school: 1. Is he paying attention? 2. Does he really learn from things at school? 3. Does he understand everything? 4. How to deal with a dairy? 5. How to deal with his timetable? 6. nstructions given by the teacher? 7. That he has to go to his next class when the bell rings? 8. How does he handle unexpected scenario’s? 9. Does he adept to that situation? 10. Panic? 11. Wait for instructions? 12. Doesn’t do anything at all? 13. Becomes grumpy/angry? 14. Does he make his homework? 15. How is the relationship between him and his classmates? 16. Does he have friends? 17. Is there any contact? a. Is this students ignored by his classmates? b. Does he ignores them? 18. Fights? a. How are his grades? b. Is he active in class? c. Comments by your colleges and the student’s parents.

Please be aware of the fact that autistic people are splendid in copying other people, so always question yourself if he does that because he knows he should, or does he do that because someone else in his class did that?

I hope this handbook was useful for you and the student. It was fun for me to write, though sometimes hard due to my enthusiasm to write a hundred pages about autism. Another reason for me (now) to make the writing of this handbook a little bit more difficult is that I am not so good in English. I also had the urge to put a lot of examples in this handbook, for I am literally “brought up with autism” (two autistic brothers, babysitting autistic children, guiding them (school and social skills), being an au-pair on vacation), therefore experienced a lot (I have laughed my lungs out at some moments!). I hope I am able to change the opinions of certain teachers, and that they will become more open for autism, through spreading this handbook.