5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Teaching Autistic Children

Learning is an integral part of the development of autistic children.You could provide support for autism by teaching autistic children.However, there are some common mistakes to avoid when teaching autistic kids.A big mistake to make when teaching autistic children is to communicate poorly.It is ideal that prior communication should be established for autistic children to learn from you.Try to use short and simple sentences to communicate with autistic children.Another mistake to avoid when teaching autistic children is not using visual support.Autistic individuals typically are better at visual skills than verbal ones.It is important to use visual support because they help autistic children to learn better.Teaching an autistic kid typically involves multiple parties.It is important to work with school authorities, parents, and even the autistic child.You will likely have more success teaching autistic kids with the support of others.Consider common mistakes to avoid when teaching autistic children:

Poor Communication

Communication is one of the most crucial parts of teaching.A mistake that could be made when teaching autistic children is not communicating with the autistic children.The idea that speaking is communication is proper, particularly in relation to teaching an autistic child.However, autistic children are likely to have difficulty with communication.Although autistic people also struggle with verbal communication, nonverbal communication is difficult for autistic children.The use of jokes and metaphors might confuse autistic people,It is essential to be conscious of how you communicate with an autistic child.Try to consider the use of 'KISS', which means to keep it short and simple.This means you should try to eliminate the unnecessary parts of communicating.Try not to overload autistic children with multiple instructions at once.Being talkative is another communication mistake that might negatively impact teaching children with autism.It is important to remember to be concise in teaching children with autism.

Ignoring Sensory Environment

Autistic people have a spectrum of differences from neurotypical children.Amongst this spectrum, some autistic children have sensory issues.One of the common mistakes to avoid when teaching autistic children is to ignore the sensory environment of an autistic child.This means that autistic children could have different sensory reactions to sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell.An example is that autistic people typically have better visual and hearing abilities.An autistic child in a noisy classroom likely suffers more from the noisy environment than neurotypical children.Although it could be challenging to accommodate the sensory needs of autistic children, it is essential when teaching children with autism.The sensory environment of an autistic child will likely affect the performance of the autistic child.Some environments have more distraction to the autistic child.The sensory environment could also lead to meltdowns in autistic people.Sensory overloads are also more likely in autistic children in poor sensory environments.Since autistic children are prone to sensory issues, try to consider how to create an autism-friendly sensory environment.

Not Using Visual Support

Visual support is an important part of learning for autistic children.Pictures and models are more likely to be meaningful for autistic children.A common mistake to avoid when teaching autistic children is failing to use visual supports.One of the benefits of visual support is that it reduces the need for verbal communication. Some autistic children struggle with verbal communication.It is important to determine when visual support might be better for teaching an autistic child.You can consider the use of a visual timetable and materials with visual support.This can create a sense of routine for autistic children.The visual support work could also help autistic children remember the classroom rules.Visual support can also help teach autistic children in visual ways.Some online tutorials and videos can present information in a visual manner that autistic children might understand better.It would be important to consider the aspects of your teaching that you can include visual support.

Working Alone

It might be easy to forget that teaching a child involves many stakeholders.However, more often than not, the education of an autistic child is typically the collaborative effort of multiple parties.A common mistake when teaching autistic children is working alone and ignoring other support systems.It is possible to argue that the most valuable stakeholder in the education of an autistic child is the autistic child.This is why it is so important to establish regular contact with the autistic child.Consider the manner of speaking to the autistic child and asking for their feedback.The school authorities are another important part of teaching children with autism.You can refer to the school authorities for support to teach an autistic child.For instance, You could request visual support for all the children.Also, try to work with the parents of the autistic child.Regular meetings with the parents can teach the performance of an autistic child.In the case of homeschooling, it is still impossible to find alternative support systems.

Being Inflexible

Some autistic individuals struggle with any changes.A mistake to avoid when teaching autistic children is also to be rigid.In a situation with no compromise between an autistic kid and you, the autistic children will likely not learn.One of the reasons autistic people struggle to learn is that the educational method does not suit them.Since autistic children naturally struggle to change the education system, inflexibility towards the needs of an autistic kid will likely only hurt an autistic child's learning capacity.Try to consider making some changes for autistic kids. For instance, you could give an autistic kid more time in class.You could also consider more autism-friendly methods of teaching.You might have to consider the perspective of the autistic child to become more flexible.Being empathetic towards autistic people might help to make changes in teaching autistic kids.

Conclusion

Teaching is a great way to provide support for autism.Autistic children can affect learning in multiple ways.When teaching autistic children, It is crucial to avoid making mistakes such as poor communication, ignoring sensory environments, not using visual support, working alone, and being inflexible.

Resources

https://autisticnotweird.com/teaching/

https://marybarbera.com/teaching-techniques-common-mistakes/

https://www.noodlenook.net/6-mistakes-autism-unit-teachers-and-paras-make/

https://www.positiveaction.net/blog/tips-for-teaching-autistic-children

https://www.teachforamerica.org/stories/6-tips-for-teaching-students-with-autism