Autism Practices

Autism Practices at JSA!

At JSA, we work on utilising fundamental autism practices across the school, in every classroom. But, what do these look like from the eyes of our students? 

Dear Teacher,

As a student with autism in your classroom, I have an expectation that you will:

Develop a positive relationship with me:

·         See me first – my autism does not define who I am

·         Talk to me in a respectful and calm manner

·         Know my learning style and how I learn best

·         Know what topics or activities motivate me

·         Set clear boundaries so that I know how to work and play with others in a friendly way

·         Do not speak about me to others in front of me

·         Tell me what I need to do, not what not to do – this is especially important to me.

Provide me with a classroom that is structured and organised:

·         With clear expectations for me to follow

·         That has a defined start and finish to activities so that my activities and materials are presented in a way I am able to organise and manage them

·         With clearly defined working areas with limited distractions including, visual, auditory and movement when I am working and in my immediate work space at my table, without mess clutter around my work space.

Provide me with an educational program that:

·         Allows me to communicate when I am upset, to tell you that I may need a break, some movement, or a quiet space to help me regulate my behaviour and emotions

   ·   Allows time for me to process your verbal and visual instructions

Meets my individual needs (cognitive, sensory and communicative) and increases my skills

·         Ensures my learning activities are at my developmental level

·         Builds in the recommendations of my therapist

·         Builds my independence to allow me to manage myself as an individual in relation to others. 

Provide this for me, and you can have an expectation that I will learn from what you teach me, I will develop and grow, even thrive, and I will learn to understand the world in which I live, to act effectively in the wider community as a lifelong learner. 

Kind Regards,

Your Student 

If you are looking to gain further insight into how you can support your students, I encourage you to tap into the ‘Mainstream Autism Handbook’ on SharePoint (School Documents>Teaching & Learning Documents).