I work in a communication support service (CSS) that is part of a really good, big and busy mainstream school. In the CSS, pupils have a variety of communication support needs, but the biggest percentagehasa diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Many teachers I speak to can be anxious when supporting ourautistic learners.Last year I ran a range of training events on autism and held open classroom observations, to help our batch of probationer teachers feel more confident teaching autistic pupils.
I have collated some of their most common questionsabout observations like these, and responses from teachers who took part in them:
Question 1: Does observingthe work of the CSS help your understanding of suitable language, pace and tonefor autistic learners?
The response I’ve found is that100 per centof teachers said “yes”.Comments included: “Emphatic tone when required was useful to see”;“I see how different each learner can be and how work needs to be differentiated to suit”.
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Question 2:Does observing in the CSS help with your understanding of differentiation, both written and verbal?
The response was again 100 per cent “yes”. Teachers learnedabout strategies for managing dyscalculia, verbal differentiation, tailoring approaches forspecific pupils, and the usefulnessof short and to-the-point instructions.
Question 3:Does observing in the CSS help with behaviour management strategies for autistic learners?
Another full house. Teachers have seen the importance of schedules and breaks, and of reward systems which pupils have bought into, to give just two examples.
Question 4:Does observing in the CSS helpcreate a positive classroom ethos suitable for autistic learners?
Everyone found this useful, too. Teachers saw how pupils interacted in the CSS, which influenced how they approached their own classes. The observationsalso helped them build relationships with autistic pupils, and seemed to make pupils more comfortable talking to teachers outside the CSS.
So what do I take away from this? Well, quite simply, all teachers wanted to do well by the pupils in my base, to teach them as best as they could - and observing and learning from experienced teachers of additional support needs (ASN) or autism really helped enhance their practice, confidence and skills. It may sound obvious, but it’s powerful to see that in practice.
So my advice is this: if you are teaching a pupil with autism - or with any ASN - and you’re not sure if what you’re doing is right, then please take advice from professionals who are doing the job day in and day out andconstantly updating their practice. Go and see what they do and think about how that might work foryou.
Good luck - and don’t ever be afraid to ask questions.
Adam Black is a teacher in Scotland who, in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list, received the British Empire Medal for raising awareness of stammering
