A friend i met back when i was in my teens and who i still message through the internet recently sent me a message saying that she was going to be helping out with a autistic child next term at the school where she is a teaching assistant.""
One part of the message that still amazes me is the part of" the class I am working in next school year will have an autistic boy he has quite extreme autism so I am quite scared as I know nothing about it "
yes she is going to learn as much about it as possible now.
but thats because she wants too.
but this shows that schools are still putting children with ASD'S with Teaching Assistants that are not trained or have any understanding of autism.
Yes she will only be helping out on days where his main teaching assistant is away.
but this is not fair on the teaching assistant or the Child ..
EVERY ONE KNOWS MY STANCE ON mainstream Schools for autistic kids.
i believe AUTISTIC KIDS should go to AUTISM specific SCHOOLS where my SOn now goes.
i have seen the the difference it makes
You can sign my petition at
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/autism-schools/
i replied to my friend .
here is the reply.
you will need to visit www.nas.org.uk .
just prepare your self for what seem's like a very cheeky kid.
they can be very literal and like routines to stay the same.
but all autistics are different .
they find it hard to understand or accept social rules.
they can seem indifferent and show really challenging behavior.
notice i say can because not all display autistic behavior .
its sometimes is only apparent when they face situations they can not deal with.
such as unstructured time such as break times or lunch in the dinner hall.
Its no good expecting autistic children to follow normal school rules.
also a lot of kids with autism get given detentions so they miss break times.
quite a few autistics i know relish these as it gets them off the play ground .
its complex and you will have to learn from the child.
if something upsets an autistic child its no good forcing the issue.
they get lows and depressions more than normal kids.
and a simple thing like being told they cant sit in a certain chair can destroy them.
also a lot of kids with autism have movement tics and can be very fidgety and a lot also have things such as adhd and add as well as OCD but like i say they are all different.
the very best thing you can do is ask if you can talk to there parents and let them give you a insight into the child.
even they will be learning evrey day about there child.
one thing i do know from experience is never to raise your voice or get angry with an autistic child or adult.
its hard not too.
your point of view does not matter in their mind.
they do not show empathy for others and it can seem like they almost spiteful.
but the fact is they really cant help it and punishments and shouting at them does not work.
Daniel has been shouted at school in the past and even sent out of class where he walked out of school .
i think your school should offer you sort of autism awareness
course.
also if you attended anything like that you would invaluable to a lot of schools. as there are in 1 every 100 kids with autism and only a a very few TA's and teachers in mainstream schools knowing anything about it.
autistic kids need some where to go melt down and let it all out.
I my self dont think autistic kids should attend mainstream school. one its not fair on the child. Two its not fair on the teachers who are not given training and Three its not fair on the other kids either.
but this government let LEA's place such children in mainstream schools and no one really knows how it destroys the child's mental health and well being unless you see it for yourself.
as the child gets older (daniel went through normal infants and junior school)and two special needs schools which were not autism specific/ and one special needs school all most destroyed his mental health. they thought they could make him normal. by forcing him to do normal Neuro typical things.
its not just the teachers having no understanding its the whole school environment.
it causes major problems.
if you was to see the same children who just could not get on in mainstream and non specific special schools in an autism specific school you would not think they were the same children.
daniel actually likes school for the first time since starting.
Saying that its very rewarding seeing an autistic child progress .
although my stance is although its unavoidable and having seen my own son nearly destroyed by teachers that had no understanding of autism and schools that did not have the right facilities to cope with autism i think mainstream school and even special schools who only have training in learning difficulties and physical disabilities are not the place to teach autistic kids.
but thats me.
I'm just going on what my son has been through.
but i also know hundreds of families who have been through the same thing.
You will have been put in the deep end.
you have to have the patience of a saint .
be prepared for tantrums out of nothing .
they can be very very polite and them extremely rude.
they will be either being extremely quiet or never let anyone else get there point out.
they dont like making eye contact.
some teachers demand this off kids and its something you should not force on autistic kids. just because they are not looking at you does not mean they are not listening.
also if they seem to understand it does not mean they understand.
they can sometimes seem older than years but then they can seem younger than their years.
most autistics will have an obsession about something. this can change day to day or last for ever.
they expect you to know and like it but wont want to know about your hobbies or likes or their peers. this cause conflicts between them and other kids who easily dislike being dissed so friendships are hard to keep and make .
they tend to dismiss things they dont like and they are honest so expect them to be quite rude.
not all are like this.
some are verbal some are non verbal.
some are very very verbal.
like i say they are all different each and every one.
they just satisfy the triad of impairments which gives them their
ASD.
Good luck.
let me know how things go.
but if you can ' i advise trying to chat with their parents.
no one knows their child like them.
dont i go on.
did i say i was autistic.
you would not guess would you ..
but everyone has a little autism.....
take care
robin
so you see
LEA'S and schools are still not doing all they can....
