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NEA Guide_ Teaching Students with Autism

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A strategy used by some autistic people, to appear non-autistic. This can have a devastating impact on mental health, sense of self and access to an autism diagnosis.

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Fidget Toys for the Classroom: Special Needs Focus Helpers

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Our quiet fidget toys are perfect for classroom. Helps special needs kids calm down and focus.

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Taken from Sensory Smarts website

Most kids with mild sensory problems and no other issues do just fine learning and socializing at school with a bit of understanding, extra support, a sensory diet, and a few simple accommodations. You may be able to work this out informally with your child's school. However, a child with sensory processing disorder (SPD) may need more help to thrive in the classroom and elsewhere at school (the cafeteria, gym, art class, etc.).

If your child qualifies for special education services, he will receive an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), created cooperatively by you and the school, that spells out how the school will meet his unique needs, providing a free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). In plain English, that means that children cannot simply be placed in a special education classroom that doesn't meet their needs. The object is to figure out how to help the child function in a less-restrictive, appropriate classroom. As a parent or professional, you can help tremendously if you develop your sensory smarts, and use good observation skills and creativity to make the school environment and the child's needs a better match.

504 plans

If your child with sensory issues doesn't receive special education services, he can still get help through a 504 plan. A 504 plan is a formal document that states what accommodations must be made for your child, such as allowing her to eat lunch somewhere other than the noisy cafeteria, having more time allotted for taking tests, and so on.

IEPs

If your child receives special ed services, his IEP will spell out specifics such as school accommodations (preferential seating, sensory diet activities and others), assistive technology, therapeutic and educational goals, and mandates for related services such as OT, physical therapy, and speech therapy. A wonderful book for helping you understand the IEP process and your rights, deal effectively with the school system, and resolve disputes is The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child by Lawrence M. Siegel. You may also want to check Wrightslaw for articles, information, and a blog on special education rights.

Avoiding Sensory Overload at School

There's a big difference between "bad behavior" and "sensory overload." You can help the school recognize and manage this by describing what overwhelms your child, what overloaded behavior "looks like," and what actually helps to avoid getting overloaded in the first place. Doing so get school staff more invested in supporting beneficial activities, ideally for all students. While needs vary from child to child, opportunities to obtain the sensory input a child's nervous system craves and to avoid noxious sensory experiences should be provided across the board. We all need to "wake up" by moving after sitting for a long time, and an occasional break from the intense sensory stimuli in noisy, busy environments such as school, but for kids with sensory issues, brief respites may be crucial in order to remain focused, calm, and attentive throughout the school day.

A sensory diet at school might include:

Walking. Taking a brief walk at specified intervals, perhaps accompanied by an aide.

Brushing. Going to the bathroom, where he can enter a stall and brush himself using the deep touch pressure technique for sensory defensiveness taught by his occupational therapist.

Listening to calming music. Using an iPod or other audio player, the child can listen to music that helps him regain his composure: nature sounds, classical music, or even rock n' roll-whatever effectively organizes his unique nervous system.

Fidgeting with objects. Fidgets such as a Koosh ball, fabric tab sewn in to a pocket, or even a hair band can keep a student's hands busy so she can focus better. b Desk accommodations. A band of stretchy material around front chair legs that he can push his shins and ankles against may help. A carpet square or piece soft cloth he can touch attached to the underside of the desk or an inflatable cushion to sit on can make attending for long periods easier for every child.

Objects for chewing. Objects to chew on such as a Pencil Topper, ChewEase, or Chewable Jewel can provide soothing oral input to keep a student focused on learning rather than sensory cravings.

Push-ups and jumping jacks. Jumping jacks or just jumping in place, and push-ups done in a chair or against a wall provide organizing proprioceptive input at school.

Stretching. Stretching wakes up the body after a quiet activity. Everyone can benefit from stretching after sitting, but it's even more important for a child with sensory issues.

Playground and gym opportunities. All children-especially those with sensory challenges-need opportunities to move before, during, and after school: hang from monkey bars, throw or push objects, run, jump, and pull objects. Otherwise, it can be quite difficult to settle in to quiet classroom activities and obey school rules about "no throwing" and "no running." More progressive schools incorporate movement experiences such as Brain Gym, yoga, or other fun activities into classrooms to keep students on track and ready to learn. The best gym teachers let kids run laps around the gym to blow off pent-up energy before asking requiring them to sit down and listen to instructions for the day's gym class.

A sensory smart OT can help you identify activities that will be most helpful before, during, and after school. If your child's body needs movement to stay tuned in, make sure that recess and gym are never withheld as a punishment, and get this added to your child's IEP.

Appropriate demand for eye contact. A child with sensory issues may need to "block off" his visual sense in order to listen more effectively. He should not be required to maintain eye contact when answering a question requiring concentration. If increasing eye contact is a goal, it should be worked on at other times, not, for example, when he is making a nerve-wracking oral presentation.

Prepare for intense sensory experiences. The sensitive child should be warned in advance about fire drills, for instance, so she can be prepared for the intensity. She should be permitted to wear earplugs or sound blocking earmuffs during such a sensory onslaught.

Special place in line. When lining up with other children, the child should always be at the front or end of the line so she isn't disturbed by other children crowding or bumping into her. (You might ask the teacher to appoint her "line monitor" so this doesn't seem like a punishment.)

Special seating. A sensitive child needs a well-considered seat location in the classroom and other rooms such as art, music, and computer lab. The best spot varies from child to child and the parent, teacher, and OT may need to collaborate to determine the best location in a given room. Children with sensory issues often do best in the front of the classroom close to the teacher, away from distractions such as direct sunlight and vents and noisy radiators. A student may also need to sit where she can't see out the door or windows, or next to a wall for a sense of security.

Trouble at Circle Time and Listening Time

Most schools require children of all ages to sit still, be quiet, and listen for increasingly long periods as they mature. This does not come easily for many children, especially those who are sensory seekers. Accommodations might include:

An inflatable cushion that allows kids to wiggle a bit while remaining seated on a chair or the floor.

Hand fidgets that keep hands busy and out of trouble, such as poking the child next to him.

A Time Timer can help students "keep it together" by giving them a visual cue about how much longer they are expected to be quiet or focus on a given task.

A weighted lap pad or weighted vest. Weighted wearables provide calming sensory input as well as a physical cue to stay in place. Please see Raising a Sensory Smart Child for wearing recommendations and precautions.

Help the sensitive child to not feel singled out! Most kids resist looking "different" from peers, so be sensitive to the desire to fit in. Ask your child for ideas about how he can self-calm. Perhaps gum chewing helps, but the school won't allow it. An appropriate item to chew, such as a Pencil Topper placed on the pen, might work instead. Provide several of these for the classroom so your child isn't the only one with "funny pencils."

Tests, Classroom Assignments, and Organization

Test accommodations. A child with sensory challenges may need to take tests in a separate room with fewer children around (to reduce distractions), be given extended time (if she processes information slowly), and be allowed to record answers in any manner (for example, answers may be typed or dictated to someone else).

Accommodations for instructions. A child may need instructions or the day's schedule to be provided verbally and visually, either written on the board or in writing. This is particularly true for students with auditory and visual processing difficulties.

Organizational help. Children with poor sensory processing are often disorganized in terms of time, space, and objects. Providing accommodations to help him stay organized is not "enabling" him any more than giving a nearsighted child prescription eyeglasses. Over time, the child can be taught, step-by-step, how to become better organized. In the meantime, he may need more help than the average child to stay organized so he can get his schoolwork done on time, according to the directions. Here are some tips:

Backpack and homework check. The teacher or aide helps your child to check his backpack at the end of the day to be sure no items are left behind. He's given an assignment notebook, which is broken down by subject matter and has room for short notes between teacher and parent. Both teacher and parent sign off on the assignment notebook daily.

Back ups. Your child is able to keep a second set of books at home. If the teacher has an online class page, she can upload the directions for multipart assignments with multiple deadlines. At the beginning of the year, obtain phone numbers and email addresses of other parents who may be able to lend books or provide assignment directions in a pinch.

Concentration accommodations. Your child may sit at a desk by himself instead of a table when working on multi-step, complex assignments, for better concentration.

Visual accommodations. Your child may wear any prescribed eyewear, including colored lenses and sunglasses indoors, that has been determined necessary. He is to be provided with written directions, in a form he can easily read (for example, black on white paper rather than colored markers on a white board).

Help from School-Based Occupational Therapists

School-based OTs often have ingenious ways to help your child thrive at school. A school-based OT may provide direct services to your child simply be available on a consultation basis. The mode of service delivery must be specified in your child's IEP. Here are some of the ways in which school-based OTs help kids in the classroom, lunchroom, playground, gym, art room, music room, computer lab and elsewhere at school.

Handwriting ("graphomotor") difficulties, often due to decreased hand strength and stability or impaired proprioceptive processing (pressing too hard or too lightly). Poor writing can also be related to visual processing problems and/or motor planning issues (difficulty developing and carrying out a sequence of movements).

Transition difficulties, such as going from the noisy cafeteria or playground into a quieter activity, can be very challenging for kids with sensory issues.

Playground and physical education issues, including how to use equipment appropriately. An OT may help your child build core strength and endurance, and may show a student how to calm down and transition to quiet activities after intense movement input such swinging or participating in sports makes her wired.

Focusing, attending, and staying organized. A sensory smart OT can help a child learn how to calm and organize his system so that he can better focus and attend to learning.

Difficulties with specialty classes. The routines and environments in special classes such as physical education, art, music, and computer lab can be challenging. Such classes often involve extra background noise (e.g., classmates talking and moving at once) as well as unpleasant odors (e.g., arts and craft supplies) or irritating sounds (e.g., musical instruments or off-key singing). An OT can help a student and specialty teacher develop solutions to these issues, and we provide many suggestions in Raising a Sensory Smart Child.

If your child receives OT at school, check where service takes place. If the service is "pull out," it means the OT removes your child from the classroom to work in a separate location. That's great for working on skill development and doing more intense sensory diet work. Be sure, however, to ask the OT visit your child in the classroom too so she can identify and address any needs in the actual room where most of the day is spent. If your child is mandated for "push in" OT services, it means the OT works with your child in the actual classroom. Ask the OT whether she is able to effectively build your child's skills while in the classroom, and how she can help your child to not feel singled out. Keep in mind that the school-based OT really does want to hear from parents. She would love to hear what you've already discovered works well for your child!

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Classroom Accommodations for Kids with Sensory Issues

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Taken from Sensory Smarts website Most kids with mild sensory problems and no other issues do just fine learning and socializing at school with a bit of understanding, extra support, a sensory diet, and a few simple accommodations. You may be able to work this out informally with your child's school.

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Processing How your brain thinks about and reacts to things. is how your brain thinks about and reacts to things. Sensory processing How you think about and understand your senses. is a type of processing, which is how you think about and understand your senses.

For example, if you look at a sock, you might notice certain things about it, like what color and size it is. If you touch it, you'll feel the fabric, and if you smell it, you'll notice other things. It might smell like sweat or laundry sheets. That's all sensory processing! Autism changes sensory processing in a lot of ways.

We have five major senses:

Vision: Vision uses our eyes, and it's how we look at things. We can see color, lightness and darkness, shape, and texture. We can see how close or far something is, or what type of thing it is.

Touch: Touch uses our hands or skin, and it's how we feel things. We can feel the texture of something, and tell how big or small it is. We can feel what shape it is, and how heavy or light something is. We can tell if food is soft or hard.

Hearing: Hearing uses our ears, and it's how we listen to things. We can hear sounds and tell how loud or quiet they are, and if a sound is close or far away. We can tell what kind of thing might be making a noise, and tell noises apart from each other.

Smell: Smell uses our nose, and it's how we figure out what something smells like. We can tell if something is stinky or smells good. We can tell different foods apart from each other.

Taste: Taste uses our tongue, and it's how we tell the flavor of something. We can taste food and decide if we like it or not. We can taste if something is sour, sweet, spicy, or salty, and if food is hot or cold.

There are other senses too, such as:

Pressure: Pressure is how we tell when things are touching us. It also helps you know how heavy things are.

Hunger and thirst: Hunger is how we tell if we have had enough food to eat. Thirst lets us know if we have had enough to drink.

Pain: Pain is how we tell if we are hurt or sick. More pain usually means you are more hurt or sick.

Temperature: Temperature is how hot or cold something is.

Balance: Balance is how we stay standing up and walk straight.

We use sensory processing to understand what we see, touch, hear, smell and taste.

Each person processes their senses a little differently, but autistic people process our senses a LOT differently. For example, loud noises might bother us, or we might like dim lights more than bright lights. We might like the texture of one food and hate the texture of a different food.

You might sense something a lot or only a little. If one of your senses is too strong, you might not be able to pay attention to anything else. If one of your senses is too weak, might not notice the sense at all.

Many autistic people have senses that are too strong or weak. Tags on clothing might really bother us, or we might get too hot even if the temperature isn't very high. We might not feel pain if we get hurt, or we might not notice a really bad smell.

Sometimes, our senses might feel like too much, which is called sensory overload. Sensory overload can make us angry or upset, or even cause a meltdown or a shutdown.

Autistic people can notice things that other people miss. We might love the fabric of a soft shirt, or love strong-tasting foods.

Our senses might change day to day. The tag on our shirt might bother us on one day, but tomorrow, it might be okay. It's okay to feel things differently. There is no right or wrong way to process things.

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Processing How your brain thinks about and reacts to things. is how your brain thinks about and reacts to things. Sensory processing How you think about and understand your senses. is a type of processing, which is how you think about and understand your senses.

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Why the Autism Wheel is replacing the Spectrum - AbleLight Blog

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The autism wheel is replacing the concept of the spectrum in describing an individual’s autistic experience—for some very good reasons. Let’s get into it.

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If you want to support your autistic loved ones, try using the infinity symbol instead. (Illustrated by Julie Chow, University of California, Berkeley)

Though the design may seem innocuous, the meaning of the puzzle piece can be harmful to the autistic community.

This article has been hard for me to write so I've tried to get the ball rolling from a few different angles. There's the "nothing but the facts" angle where I could introduce the origins of the puzzle piece and the infinity symbol, letting the facts speak for themselves. There's the "experience" angle where I share my personal opinions of these symbols as an autistic adult. There's also a completely different angle, where I could dive into the significance of symbolism and how it plays a huge factor in our society; symbolism's role in our society is why I'm writing this article in the first place.

With each draft, I'm left unsatisfied with the result. This issue has the same underlying cause as most other problems the autistic community faces: We are silenced constantly. And I'm not talking about allistic caretakers, doctors or teachers who work with autistic people. I'm talking about the voices of those who are actually autistic - voices that are regularly silenced in conversations where they should be centered.

One area where this is often the case is the puzzle piece versus infinity symbol debate. For these next few minutes of your life, I'm going to lay out the information that is pertinent to this conversation. Where did these symbols come from? Why does it matter? Which one should we use? I'll give you a spoiler alert right now: I hate the puzzle piece symbol and I think we should stop using it. Still, I'd like you to take this as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of both symbols so you can draw your own conclusions and support your autistic loved ones.

Where Did The Puzzle Piece Come From?

In April of 1963, the first symbol for autism was published by the National Autistic Society in London. It was created by board member Gerald Gasson and the design was a puzzle piece and a crying child. Helen Allison of the National Autistic Society described the meaning of this symbol as follows: "The puzzle piece is so effective because it tells us something about autism: our children are handicapped by a puzzling condition; this isolates them from normal human contact and therefore they do not 'fit in'. The suggestion of a weeping child is a reminder that autistic people do indeed suffer from their handicap."

Suffering, not fitting in, nobody understanding. What a positive image, right? Of course, this was a really long time ago and the symbol and its meaning have evolved since then, but we shouldn't ignore why it was created in the first place. Its origin influences our perception of autism to this day.

We see the classic autism puzzle piece ribbon design, which was created in 1999 by the Autism Society, much more often today. Quoted directly from their website, "The puzzle pattern reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope - hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and access to appropriate services/supports, people with autism will lead full lives able to interact with the world on their own terms." This description seems ideal in a lot of ways, but the comment section of their website alone has a lot of contradicting views on what the puzzle piece actually reflects.

The Autism Society has a section on their website where they ask readers what the puzzle piece means to them and there are lots of contrasting feelings tied to the symbol. Some people find it comforting, explaining how it means "that I am not alone" or how it serves as a reminder "that I am part of the great puzzle of life." Others don't see it in such a positive light: "It means nothing to me, but more importantly it means nothing to my son. Autism may have seemed a bit 'puzzling' at the beginning but now the only puzzle pieces we are concerned about are the ones that disappear under the stove."

This view is one I resonate with a lot: "I don't like the symbol of the puzzle or blue lights. They remind me of loneliness, sadness (blue), and isolation (missing piece). I know that's not what it's supposed to mean. They just don't make me or my son feel hopeful, understood, special, belonging. Autism is just really hard." Autism is hard because of how misunderstood it is to most of the world. Using a symbol that pushes the "confusion" point further makes that the center of how we view autism.

Although the puzzle piece symbol may have good intentions, those good intentions don't matter nearly as much as the negative impact it often has on autistic people. It tells me that I'm missing something or that I'm too "puzzling" to fit in - but those qualities don't define me. It also rubs me the wrong way that a lot of the autism puzzle piece campaigns are pushed by Autism Speaks, an organization that supports a cure for autism and fear mongers. Other reasons I've seen for throwing the puzzle piece in the trash is because it's an infantilizing and childish-looking symbol, it implies a need to solve the "autistic puzzle" (meaning finding a cure) and many other critiques that you can hear by listening to other autistic individuals.

Is the Infinity Symbol Better?

Yes, and I'll explain why. As our understanding of autism has evolved, we've learned that it's a spectrum of completely different needs and experiences for each autistic individual. People in the autistic community don't see themselves as having any "missing pieces" or being "too puzzling" to fit into society. After all, I don't think it's much of a stretch to say that a puzzle piece symbol reflects how we're a problem to solve instead of people who just want to be accepted and understood.

To reflect this spectrum and the diversity of each autistic person, the infinity sign became the new symbol for autism in February of 2018. According to goodautismschool.com, "This symbol has come to represent the need for us to be more sensitive to changes that lead to better lives and results for individuals with autism and their families. This change in the representation of the symbol also guarantees cooperation and sharing between the rest of the society and individuals with autism."

There seems to be a perception that there's a strong divide on what we should be using as a symbol, but is there a big division within the autistic community? In my experience, the majority of individuals who are actually autistic dislike the puzzle piece and favor the infinity symbol. The puzzle pieces are more often used by allistic people. This article has a very interesting thread on the topic.

Commenter Maxfield Sparrow has a take I strongly agree with: "There's only 'no consensus' when you look at what everyone is saying. If you only ask Autistic people, over 80% want to get rid of the puzzle piece. We choose to represent ourselves with an infinity symbol: rainbow-colored for Neurodiversity or golden for autism."

Still, it's important to note that no autistic individual can speak for everyone. Lo'ri Trigg responded to Sparrow with a contrasting take: "I'm autistic and I LOVE the puzzle piece (just not blue). It makes more sense than infinity. I only take issue with the blue puzzle piece because it is a symbol for autism speaks, which is a horrid organization that seeks to cure autism and views it as a burden and noose around the neck of caregivers."

What Do I Think?

In the beginning, I mentioned how the underlying issue is that allistic people are talking over autistic people. The puzzle piece is a symbol that was created by allistic people who wanted to emphasize the "misery and mystery" of autism. I'm not miserable and I'm not mysterious. Autistic people understand autism; we live and breathe autism 24/7. If we're miserable, it's because we live in a world that tries to tell us that we should be fixed, while talking over us in discussions about us.

The infinity sign is a much better symbol for reflecting today's understanding of autism, yet I see the puzzle piece much more frequently. When you're spreading awareness for autism, don't slap a puzzle piece onto your social media page and call that a job well done. Think about what that symbol actually means, especially for the community it's directly affecting.

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Jayar Brenner, Michigan State University

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The Puzzle Piece Vs. Infinity Symbol - What To Use To Represent Autism?

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If you want to support your autistic loved ones, try using the infinity symbol instead. (Illustrated by Julie Chow, University of California, Berkeley) Though the design may seem innocuous, the meaning of the puzzle piece can be harmful to the autistic community.

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How Men and Women Experience Autism Differently

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Five ways in which male and female autism differs.

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Autism in Girls | Paige talks about what is different about females with autism 

Thanks to: 
TikTok: @paigelayle
Instagram: @paigelayle | By BuzzFeed | Facebook

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20M views, 227K likes, 96K loves, 33K comments, 169K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from BuzzFeed: Paige talks about what is different about females with autism 

Thanks to: 
TikTok: @paigelayle...