Published on 12, July, 2020
I would like to know if there are any autistic teachers here.
I would like to know...
How has autism had an impact on your teaching (in and out of the classroom ....positive and negative)
How has the job affected your autistic life? Im thinking here specifically in terms of the non-classroom elements of the job. For example how does the paperwork and planning affect you at home and your routines? How do you cope with the stresses of the job and a changing environment? How does it impact on your worklife balance as an autistic person? Do you have many meltdowns shutdowns or burnout episodes? Do you have any sensory problems at work such as information or social overload? How do you cope with these?
Why did you decide to take up the profession and did you know you were autistic before you started teaching?
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I am self-diagnosed and can relate to many aspects of autism throughout my life. Since self realisation i am able to use coping strategies Im an adult tutor and currently this is the only teaching job ive had so i cant compare with other teaching roles. I would be interested to know how much of my job is general stress and how much could be down to being potentially autistic which compounds any stress. But i also would like to know your positive stories and experience!
Oh my gosh I relate to so much of this! I am a primary NQT and just starting to realise I may be on the spectrum. I love teaching young children and planning the lessons, but I find some aspects of the job really tricky. E.g. unexpected timetable changes, unstructured activities (such as ‘discovery time’), interruptions/ noise from other teachers during planning and preparation time, dancing/ performances, dealing with ‘office politics’ and judging the impact of my responses when colleagues are acting strategically, finding positive ways to express problems/criticisms (rather than just straightforwardly stating them) etc. I have actually left my placement school after 1 term and am looking for a school with better support to continue my induction. I do really enjoy teaching though so am committed to continuing in this career. Currently I am working as a supply teacher which is much more challenging in lots of ways! It’s a culture shock every time I go into a different school, but then there is no obligation to socialise with other staff and I can just go in, teach, then leave at the end of the day, which is quite liberating.
I think I was really lucky in that the first teacjing job I applied for I got and the managers are incredibly supportive. So I think it can work for you providing you find the right place. Like Fall Out Girl said. Having said that it's still stressful and I've been quite ill with it lately.
I teach adults so supply isn't really an option to take but I don't know I could do that. Going to a new place and not knowing what to expect! It was hard enough when I was given a new centre to teach at within our organisation.
There are many reasons I think I'm on the spectrum but I've highlighted here how I feel it affects me at work. I do think a lot of the stress when I started was due to possibly being on the AS. I am aware being a teacher is stressful for everyone but the effects and outcome of the stress are possibly different. I also think there may be some alexithymia at play because for the first few years I didn't actually realise how stressed and anxious I was and I think this is true even now. I seem to go along with crap situations for much longer than friends who I consider "NT" would. I'm still reading up about alexithymia. I did a test online but it was hard to complete because I couldn't identify which answers to choose sometimes.