AUTISM AWARENESS

INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

© The National Autistic Society 2015 Schools’ Autism Awareness Week: www.autism.org.uk/saaw

When planning your autism awareness activities, make sure you follow these guidelines. Always consider the possible sensitivities of any students who are on the autism spectrum in the class.

• Make sure needs are being met

A student who is on the autism spectrum may experience heightened feelings of anxiety and stress during the week. It’s important that their needs are being met. It could be that you make sure they have an area to escape to, to help them cope with any sensory issues or stressful situations. Some students may need to use noise-cancelling headphones, or a ‘stim toy’ to help them cope with an environment. Talk to them, and their parents/carers, about their needs.

• Be sensitive to the individual person

Autistic people of all ages are people first! Make sure you’re thinking about the individual person’s needs when preparing them for the week or any activities. Avoid making assumptions about how they will find something.

• Don’t single people out

Talking about autism will draw a lot of focus to any student who other students know is autistic. Make sure the pupil does not feel singled out. The added focus could lead to bullying, so put measures in place to prevent this.

Some strategies include:

***have more staff near the student throughout the week (be subtle)

***have staff monitoring any hidden parts of the playground

***put a buddy system in place

***speak to the student throughout the week to find out how they are coping – if speech is an    issue then using talking mats (mats to which pictures can be attached and re-arranged as required) are a good way to find out when a student is feeling happy or sad during the school day.

• Advise beforehand

We recommend you speak to the parents or carers of your autistic students about what will be covered before the activities begin. This will give them a chance to talk through any worries and concerns that the pupil may have. We also recommend the teacher has a conversation with any autistic students before the lessons begin to further prepare them.

• Help your students with Autism feel in control

It’s important that autistic students feel in control of the situation as much as possible. This might mean working with you to create coping strategies for overwhelming situations, and taking an active role in planning the activities with you.