Teaching your school about autism is a must each year to promote an inclusive, family atmosphere. For some reason, talking about autism seems like a taboo subject. Maybe you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you can’t possibly find the time to do it? These are not good reasons why you shouldn’t educate your school about autism. I promise, when you do, you feel SO GOOD!
The Secret to Teaching Your School About Autism: KEEP IT SIMPLE
It’s important to talk about autism in simple terms. I usually like to have an autistic student help me lead the conversation. (Ask parent permission first.) We lead a discussion about how we are all different, but we are all the same. Next, we talk about my autistic student’s interests. (e.g., “John loves gold fish crackers and watching cooking shows. Does anyone else love those things? “) Usually, the students raise their hands excitedly and say, “I like that, too!”
From this point forward, I let the students ask questions—they usually have a lot of them! I answer each question carefully. You will find that students are generally very eager and curious to learn about how neurodiverse we all are.
Let's Summarize in Five Simple Steps
- Introduce an autistic student to the class (get parent permission first)
- Discuss that all people are different-
- Even though we are different, we have many similarities
- Highlight some of the autistic student’s favorite things. Ask students if they have anything in common.
- Answer any questions the students have.
Real-Life Story:
This year, I have an autistic student who often runs out of the room and into other classrooms. One day, he ran into the library while a 4th grade class was learning. My student would not leave the room! He was walking around the room and producing vocalizations. At first the other students in the room continued to work on their project; however a few boys began to laugh at my student. I decided it was a good time to implement the 5 steps above. It was AMAZING to see how all the students became intrigued and enthusiastic about autism. From that day forward, anytime my autistic student was in the hallway, the students would eagerly wave at him.
This chat took about 5 minutes, but that 5 minutes changed their perception about autism forever!
Follow the five steps I outlined above and see how easy it is! The more you practice and just do it, the easier it becomes. YOU’VE GOT THIS!
Need more tools for Autism Acceptance Month? Check out this FREE toolkit!
