Class Reflections 12/17/06

Very interesting class - yet again! We had the opportunity to listen to an adult identified with Asperger's speak about his school years as well as the issues he faces as an adult. As an elementary special education teacher I often work with students on the autism spectrum, but the students I work with are typically between the ages of 5 and 12. I had never been in the position to listen to an adult on the spectrum speak so openly about his recollections of his "growing up years" in a small group setting.

I must admit - at first I felt a bit leery. Here we were - a bunch of curious students desperately wanting information about what's it's like "to be Andy!" While this information held so much potential for us, it felt somewhat analogous to observing animals that we have only read about in a zoo. I was conscious of how this might feel from Andy's point of view. But...Andy was quick to put us all at ease with his quick sense of humor and easy going manner.

A couple of things that Andy spoke about really stood out for me. The first being how ostracizing having a 1:1 aide can be for a student. It seems to me that in an effort to "do right" sometimes we completely miss the mark and end up doing a disservice to our kids. This is not to say that it is never appropriate to assign a 1:1 aide. At times it is the needed bridge to allow a student to be educated in the least restricted environment. On the other hand at times assigning a 1:1 can be a ticket to stop any potential thinking that needs to happen. It is not unusual to witness a student in the classroom tuning the classroom teacher out completely as we have meticulously taught them that there is no need to listen to the whole group instructions - there is another adult right by their side ready to repeat on an individual basis everything that has been said! What we need to be better at is discerning when it would be the needed bridge and when it will be a limiting crutch - or even worse, stigmatizing and alienating. What better way is there to make a student stand out as different than by sticking an adult by their side - special, just for them!

Getting the decision right is only the first step. If the situation calls for a 1:1, there needs to be specific on-going training for the paraprofessional and teacher team to ensure the support is indeed "effective support." Paras need to be trained how to enable the student to be as independent as possible. This can be different for each student and is ever-changing. Because our paras want to do the best job they know how, it is not unusual for them to think they are doing a good job if they are with their charge every minute they are scheduled to be there. Often the old adage "less is more" is most benefiting to the child. However, paras cannot be expected to know how to do this without specific instruction and guidance.

The other issue that stood out for me was the consideration of how often our kids with Asperger's are penalized for social misunderstandings that are beyond their control. How often do we assume an outburst is caused from the immediate preceding set of events? How often does it happen that the "outburst" looks like something completely different than what it actually is? How much stress, teasing or misunderstandings has the student with Asperger's endured before an outburst occurs? Because they are the ones demonstrating the external signs, they are often the ones assigned the consequences. How much are we doing as educators to be holding the "button pushers" equally responsible for another's outbursts? We are never going to get it "all right", but it seems we can be more mindful of the social deficits involved with Asperger's to deal with misunderstandings more effectively.

I thank Andy for his candidness. His willingness to share his perspective so honestly and succinctly brought so much information to life for me. I can only surmise on the number of kids that have immediately benefited from his sharing of himself with us!