Facilitating an Inclusive Classroom
A list of 7 ideas supporting autism in the classroom and creating an inclusive environment for all students.
For every 40 children born in the United States, 1 of those children will be diagnosed with some form of autism.
Where the child falls on the spectrum will determine how they act, medical issues they’ll deal with, and what their future will look like.
But regardless of their diagnosis, one thing that most children with autism share are difficulties in a classroom environment. From struggling with learning to deal with sensory overload, sitting through a long class day can be a challenge.
As a teacher, learning how to help children with autism succeed in the classroom is often a challenging, frustrating process. When that child has a breakthrough, smiles in the middle of a class activity, or makes a new friend, the reward for your efforts is clear.
If you have a child or two in your classroom who has autism or a similar disorder, keep reading. We’re breaking down 7 ways to support students with autism in the classroom.
1. Connect with the Parents
Just like any other child, each child on the autism spectrum is unique. He or she might suffer from other medical complications, struggle with specific tasks, or be uncomfortable in certain situations.
And just like the other kids in your classroom, they still enjoy some activities while disliking others.
Perhaps the best way to support students with autism in a way that helps them learn and grow as much as possible is to connect with his or her parents right from the start.
You may not be able to ask the child how they are feeling or what is bothering them. They may not even be able to vocalize what they enjoy doing. They are also unlikely to be able to tell you in-depth about the problems they face.
An IEP will likely give you some of these details. But rarely will it be descriptive enough for you to get to know what the child is like when you look past his or her diagnosis.
Schedule a meeting or even a phone call with the parent. Ask questions beyond what the IEP covers, including questions about what their child enjoys, what upsets them, and what they struggle with.
You should also talk to the parent about how he or she deals with meltdowns or the challenges that their child faces. If they’ve found success in taking a certain approach, repeating those approaches in the classroom can help reinforce positive behaviors, which will be great for you and the parent.
2. Ask for an Aide
If you have more than one child with mental or physical disabilities or you have a large classroom, trying to handle it on your own can be a big mistake.
Even if you feel capable of helping a child with autism cope and flourish in your room, you may not have the time to give the child the care and attention he or she needs.
You’ll end up stretched thin in your duties. If you can help the child, you may end up neglecting to give another child the specialized care he or she needs.
You should never see asking for an aide as admitting a weakness or as you saying that you cannot handle the child. Instead, an aide will be able to fill in the gaps. He or she can help the child with everyday tasks. After you explain something to the child or show them how to do it, an aide can then reinforce what you just taught while you move on to help other children.
If the child is having a bad day or even a bad moment, the aide will be able to give him or her the attention they need without you having to leave the other children in your class unattended.
3. Learn to Know the Signs of Sensory Overload
Individuals diagnosed with autism sometimes suffer from sensory overload. Sometimes there is too much going on at once, the noise level is too high, or their emotions are simply more than they can handle.
For some children, this can lead to a loud meltdown. Others may try to remove themselves from the situation, which could mean running from the classroom.
Either way, an episode like this can be painful for the child and disruptive for the rest of your class as well.
Developing a behavior plan that lists the signs of sensory overload in each child is one of the best instructional strategies for students with autism.
Not only can you use this plan to spot when a situation is becoming overwhelming for the student so that you can make changes or remove them from the space, but your aide, if you have one, can use it as well.
It may take time to learn all of the signs of sensory overload on your own. You can talk with the parents to get a jump start on learning the signs.
If you have a trained aide, he or she might be able to help you figure out the signs. A behavior consultant can also help if you have access.
4. Offer Options
Giving a child with autism some freedom to choose their activities in the classroom can help keep them from feeling stifled and help them stay on task.
It’s easier than you would think to give children this freedom.
Rather than creating one assignment to be worked on in class, create two or three worksheets and give your students the option of which one to work on.
This will mean extra work on your part. But the reward of watching your students actively engage with their work rather than passively completing them will be well worth it.
Having more than one assignment option also allows you to give children who need certain accommodations support without disrupting the other students or giving out special treatment.
For instance, if you know that one student is still struggling to learn words that other students have already mastered, you might put those words into one assignment while offering a more visual assignment as well that that student can work on instead.
5. Structure Your Transition Times
One part of their day that children with autism might struggle with is transitions. This could be a transition from one classroom to another, such as for gym or art class. The transition to go home for the day can be difficult as well.
The child might get overwhelmed when trying to quickly pack their book bag. They might get distracted by whatever you had them working on last and might fight you when it comes time to move on to something else.
Structuring this transition time allows you to support the child, and can also be useful to your other students as well.
Start winding down your classroom activities well before it is time for your class to go to another room or go home for the day. Instruct students to clean up their workplaces and put away all materials.
You might also assign students specific tasks. For instance, one student might collect classroom materials while the next wipes the whiteboard clean.
Then, have each student go and get their backpack (if they are leaving for the day), and bring it to their desk. This will give students with autism and other students a chance to gather things that need to go home with them. This will reduce the risk of students forgetting homework or other paperwork that needs to go home.
6. Purchase a Few Seating Alternatives
If you have room in your classroom budget or are willing to spend a bit of your own money, you might consider buying a few seating alternatives.
Regular plastic classroom chairs can be particularly difficult for autistic students. These chairs are uncomfortable and restrictive.
Alternatives like beanbag chairs, rocking chairs, or even oversized pillows on the floor offer students a more comfortable alternative. There are also plenty of thrifty alternatives available online.
These will allow students to relax and be comfortable, which will allow them to instead focus completely on the activity that they’re working on.
7. Don’t Isolate Students
When you have students in your classroom who are behind other students in learning or capabilities, it can be easy to always separate them and give them their activities to work on. But while this will help them learn, it won’t help them feel included or work on their socialization.
Creating opportunities for all of the students in your class to interact and work together, even if it’s on very simple problem-solving tasks or even games.
This is a great chance to let your students unwind and work on their social skills. It will also help the other students in your class learn that students with autism are still kids just like themselves!
Supporting Autism in the Classroom
Supporting children with autism in the classroom doesn’t have to be overwhelming or mean neglecting your other students.
Instead, with a little bit of planning and education on the needs and behaviors of autistic students, you can create an environment that is welcoming and supportive for all students, regardless of their capabilities!
