Out in the open

Today I read the story called My Friend with Autism to help my students understand their classmate who has Autism. They listened really intently to the story and I could tell they sensed the importance of what I was reading. We talked about how this boy doesn't speak, but that it is still important to talk to him and that it might be nice to give him some extra time to make eye contact because that is something he is working on. We talked about the time this child took a girl's bracelet and how sometimes he doesn't understand when kids' have hurt feelings or when he bumps into someone that it might make them upset. I ended the discussion by asking the class what they would do to help my student with Autism and one boy said he would pray for him so he might not have Autism anymore. What a thoughtful idea. I wish it worked like that.

I really think that with young children it is important to be specific when we talk about something like this. It's important to use the word Autism and to name the child that has it because it helps the kids really understand what we are talking about. There is nothing wrong with the fact that this child has Autism, but there are things that I can do and the children can do to help him reach the goals that he is working towards which requires a certain level of understanding. At first I thought it would be weird to talk about him while he was out of the room, yet really, it was helpful for the children and I think they gained a better understanding of some of the behaviors/things they see in the classroom. I think talking about Autism and letting kids ask questions or share thoughts will ultimately help them become more knowledgeable, compassionate, and understanding people who don't fear people with disabilities. I of course got permission from both the child's parent and the SPED teacher before openly discussing this child and his differences and I am really glad that we took some time today to talk about Autism.