Surabhi Verma explains what measures can be taken to assist autistic kids in school
Schooling is a very important part of any child’s as well as parent’s life and the expectations should remain the same even when the child has special needs. I first started working with children with special needs in 2003. There was limited awareness about children with Autism. My first assignment was with a child who was in the range of mild to moderate autism. The child was very able cognitively but required a lot of help in the classroom and outside to make him learn. When I started going with him to a regular school, the class teachers and the parents did not know how to manage him with the other children. With consistent efforts and inputs, he could manage in the classroom and has now completed his 12th standard. Apart from that, he also pursued extracurricular activities which included participating in games, cooking and baking. The whole journey has been full of many ups and downs but it would not have been successful if I did not have complete cooperation of the school and parents throughout.
Over a period of time, I have been able to include many more children into regular schools and I always tell the parents that getting admitted is the easiest part as compared to completing the next 12 years in school. However, the challenges still remain in helping children with autism in regular schools and I am going to help parents be more aware of a few of them and how to deal with the challenges.
Challenge 1: Making the child ready for a regular school setup
For a child with autism who has been diagnosed at an early age, the teachings start with the most basic of concepts which regular children are able to pick and learn through observations from their surroundings. To teach and educate a child with ASD, it is important to deal with any behaviour problems before introducing concepts or expecting him/her to master new tasks. We also need to determine the skills that the child may be missing but are required in a classroom setting. For an autistic child who is not able to understand the surrounding, language, names of things etc and is lost in his/her own world, learning starts with making the child aware of the basics. like the names of things around, how to communicate, taking instructions, etc. Teaching the child the alphabet, numbers, colouring, playing and rhymes come at a very later stage which is usually taught in schools at the nursery level. It is essential for the parents to provide early intervention for the child so that the child can learn the initial concepts before being taught the school curriculum.
Challenge 2: Making sure those children cope up with the pace of the regular classes and benefit from them.
For a child with autism, it is equally challenging to cope with the changes in the external environment along with learning the school curriculum. The child requires extra help to adjust with 30-40 other children in the class. The extra support can be in many forms which might be required by the child, like breaking the curriculum or tasks into smaller steps to make the child understand, making other children sensitive and to help the child whenever needed, minimising the distractions in the class, etc.
It is important for the child to connect with the class and the teacher for which in the initial days, extra efforts are required to ensure the child has a positive and fun experience at school by allowing the child to do what he/she wants and then slowly diverting the child’s mind towards the learning and the work that needs to be done. Often, a child with ASD has unique interests. Indulging the child in activities of his/ her interests will help to create a rapport and build trust which will also be helpful in learning. Don’t take for granted that the child will understand the rules, no matter how long he has been in the school system. Explain the rules clearly, and put them in writing, and make pictures or cartoon drawings that illustrate the rules of the classroom.
Challenge 3: Children teacher ratio
There are many factors which can make a child with ASD lose concentration in the class and one important factor is the teacher children ratio. If the class has more number of students, the teacher has to provide her attention to all the children in the class. So the teacher might not be able to take out time to provide extra help/inputs or check if the child is completing his/her work or not. Also, the noise from other children in the class can make a child with ASD lose focus and many a time lead to negative behaviour due to over stimulation of sensory organs.
Thus it is important to always make the child on spectrum sit closer to the teacher, and if possible, the teacher should begin any classroom instructions by taking the child’s name first and then giving the general instruction to the class as a child with ASD might have problems with generalisation and thus taking the specific name of the child will catch the child’s attention. Moreover, it is also expected from the child that he/she should be able to complete the task given independently; hence the parents must ensure it even when the teacher is absent.
Challenge 4: Transition between classes
A child with ASD finds it hard to accept any kind of change without being prepared for it and it can lead to emotional meltdowns for the child. There can be many instances of transition/ change in the school, such as, change in seating position, graduating from one class to another, moving to different rooms for different subjects, waiting for the teacher to arrive or change of teacher can be troublesome for the child. Preparing the child in advance by either telling the child or having a visual schedule in front of the child will help to prepare him/her in advance.
Challenge 5: Peer interaction
One of the biggest concerns for a child with ASD is bullying. The unfortunate part about a child with ASD is that the child might not be even aware the he/she is being bullied and may mistake it to be a way to form friendship. Assigning the child on the autism spectrum, a peer buddy is a great idea. It helps to sensitise other children in the class. The buddy also works as a mentor for the child in case the teacher is unavailable or busy elsewhere. Thus setting up a peer buddy system can lead to genuine friendships down the road, even if the interactions seem forced at first. It is equally important to develop extracurricular activities as per the interest of the child in his/her schedule which will help the child to develop self esteem, improve social initiatives and make friends with similar interests.
Overall, it is very important for the parents to remember that their child needs all the support that he/she requires. There would be good days and bad days for the child in the school and thus advocating for their child in the school is a continuous process. The parents must also remember that schooling is not only about education, but also about the overall development of the child. Along with education, inclusion is only successful when the child also enjoys being the part of the school.
The writer is Founder and Director, Sparsh For Children