Does the teacher know?

Ofcourse parents inform the school about the autism of their child.
It's the only way to realise the best support possible for their own child.

But it's a pity that in some school relevant information disappears in the files, which are often burried in a dark corner behind a closed door.

During meetings teachers are told about the child and the treatment plan/IEP, but my experience is that most teachers are willing to stick to the all the individual steps of the plans, but they tend to forget most of them during their busy days.

Some teachers even forget the child needs special care in- and outside the classroom, is my experience.

Ofcourse you can call for a new meeting with all people involved, but it costs a lot of time and some people don't like that at all.

So I began writing a leaflet for the teachers, mentioning the fact that autism is a neuro-biological disease.

After that I mentioned the special characteristics of my son, not forgetting that he has trouble reading faces, often forgets that he's put his homework in his bag and overlooks it, and that he needs a silent classroom to be able to take in relevant information.

The leaflet closes with advice to prevent problems,
like writing homework on the blackboard,
enabling him to leave the classroom first so he can walk alone to the next classroom without the crowds pushing him aside, etc etc.

At the back there was always a list of phonenumbers of people who were good in dealing with him, like his favorite teacher, the pedagogue and his brother in another group, and I'd put my email at a visible place so I could be reached for questions at all times.

Every year at the beginning of the schoolyear and after christmas all the teachers got a leaflet, and my son had one glued in his agenda.

No teacher was able to look me in the eyes and tell me he didn't know after that.

Worked well!

Yes, autistic children are assaulted by teachers too.

Dealing with autistic children changes parents and teachers.
They have to change, because it's important to take the abilities and disabilities of the autistic child into consideration.

One of the things I've learned as a parent is to examine my motives before I want my autistic children to do what I want.


What do I want to achieve?
Is it useful?
Useful for what or whom?
How do I want to achieve it?
Are there easier ways to achieve it?

Does my autistic child understand what I want?
Does he see the use of it?

etc etc.

I've learned patience, self reflection, understanding, and examining my own motives as well as those of others. And it taught me a lot about my child and autism.

Each child can be seen as a burden or as a rich source of change and inspiration.

I was shocked when I heard how some teachers were dealing with my children.

My children have been ignored, shouted at, humiliated, slapped and bullied by teachers.

I've never stopped telling them that teaching is not about pouring knowledge in and over a child, or using the child for owns own ego.

Like Maria Montessori said: the child should be the beginning, the child needs to develop itself and we are here to create the right circumstances and environment.

You don't belief that teachers are sometimes loosing it?

Here's an example:
The boy is a non-speaking autistic boy at Pittsburgh Public School.
The woman is his teacher.
The recording is made by the teacher's aid.




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