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!
I am a teacher with autism. I have taught for over 20 years as a special education teacher that works with students that have an AS diagnosis. My experience has been extremely fraught- I really enjoy working with students and have particular skills for identifying problematic situations they may encounter. The hardest part, by a mile, is masking my disability. I see no format or context to openly share my disability and thus it makes it harder to also request the kinds of accommodations I might need that, say, a non-autistic person may not need at all. This is a considerable burden. I have a very difficult time with accepting nonsensical (in my opinion) policies and systems that impact the students I work with- often these involve things like the scheduling of classes or the use of instructional assistants, lack of differentiation, micromanaging by administrators or mind-numbing awful staff developments and staff meetings. I expend so much energy just being something I’m not or at least minimizing who I am.