Are you an autistic teacher?

I've been a teacher for five years and I think I have ASD. I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and my doctor has tried a few different antidepressants but I haven't had any luck, and I think there is something more. I have always felt different than others, find it hard to make friends, and have never had a romantic relationship, but teaching has made me question a lot more about myself and has made me wonder if I had ASD. 

I am a fully trained teacher with a specialization in Art (I have a bachelor of fine arts) and teach at a k-12 school. For 3 years I was the art teacher for every grade and loved it, until we got a new admin who took my classroom away, then switched me to teaching from a cart, and then the DAY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED this year she switched me to a homeroom teacher and High School teacher. Second semester she put me back to half teaching art, but no longer with the whole school, and I'm also teaching English, social studies, and health for one grade, and teaching high school courses as well. It's been really hard adapting and I've gotten no support from my admin. 

Constant change of schedules, courses, classes, losing classrooms, moving to an art cart...etc have been really hard for me. Not to mentjon all the stress of covid changes at school. I suffer from burnout often, and have had to take many days off this last year for my mental health. I know these changes have been hard fo my coworkers as well, but I feel like I haven't been dealing with it as well as they have. This has really made me question if I have asd. 

I find it really hard to do the paper work involved with teaching like yearly planning, lesson plans, and marking because I think they are useless and they don't help me in the classroom. My admin this year was insane about planning and told me if I didn't do themed, I wasn't doing my job or being a good teacher. This caused me and other staff so much stress over something so pointless, but again I feel like I don't handle it as well as other coworkers have.

Now for the good:

After 4 years in the same school the students know me and they know I am there for them, and that I'm trying my best to teach them, care for them, and help them. I can easily read their emotions and communicate effectively even though English is their second language and I don't speak their first language at all. We are from totally different cultures and generations but I care and they know. 

I ended up helpg to start and run the local food bank, and get a food program into the school. This all means though that's I'm trying to do too many things and again, burn out. Compassion fatigue. 

I love the research and lesson planning part of teaching, and I love hanging out with kids and teens all day. 

Idk if teaching is for you, or for me long time. I feel like I care too much and get burnt out too much for the current way schools are run. I really don't know how long I can keep this up. 

I can parrot what many other have said here for sure. I have been teaching for over 10 years (secondary science, most recently chemistry) in the US. I have recently completed my masters in education from a local top university. This past year (pandemic hybrid teaching) resulted in my first major meltdown (breakdown) since I’ve been teaching and my first in probably upwards of 15 years. I had managed coping mechanisms that helped me balance successfully including copious amounts of running and an extremely supportive family. That wasn’t enough this year and after an extreme breakdown it became apparent after I was forced to solicit professional help that I am on the spectrum. All my (lifelong) challenges immediately fell into place. 
Regarding how this manifests in my classroom: I require a lot of structure and organization. When I move into a new classroom (which hasn’t been that often in my career) my mom helps me label and organize. As a science teacher I have a lot of materials that I need to be able to lay hands on sometimes at a moment’s notice. I have a paper planner (with daily to-do lists) that I live and die by. I also have a website that I use to organize my digital content and which children around the world use to learn and review. It helps me stay organized but it’s also useful for the children. I work really well typically with high fliers than those with reading and maths deficits which is why I switched recently from middle to high school. Another reason for that switch is that the middle schoolers are very scream-y and with my sensory issues it was just awful. They also are more prone to “surprise hug attacks.” As many folks have mentioned, I am great when my door is shut and it’s just me putting on the day’s science show. Interactions with parents and admin are very difficult for me and I can’t do the “interoffice politics” as I do not make unspoken connections and I don’t pick up unspoken communication. This year being on zoom all the time, I had many meetings where I arranged to meet with a student and when it came time for the meeting it was in fact a parent that showed up. So…I was unprepared and it showed. They used that to complain to admin that I was a crap teacher. Where admin never found any issue with my teaching (that they told me of) and my observations have ALWAYS been top rate. Hence the autistic breakdown. I am grateful for it though because it forced me to learn about myself and I think that this can only be beneficial. The other thing to note is that I do not process emotions well at all. This has been beneficial in crisis situations that sometimes arise in the classroom. I have diffused and broken up fights easily because I don’t become emotionally involved. I have dealt with insects (some poisonous), bats, snakes, etc because I remain calm. I am the person that everyone comes to when they need a level head. I think it’s partly just because I’m the science teacher but also partly because I am like a robot and they know I will keep my whits. 
All that being said, I am terrible with paperwork. The school secretaries HATE me. I have horrible executive function and consequently taking a day of for me is not really favorable because I can’t follow their list of hoops to jump through. 

That's nice. How long have you been teaching? What age group do you teach,  or is it adults? What do you like most about your job? What sorts of things do you make with your students? 

hi im a autistic teacher and i find teaching wood work very easy and i enjoy teaching others wood work.

Yes, I'm happy to take part and answer some questions about autistic teachers.  I'm thinking of doing a masters as well and would be happy to answer questions about autistic teachers.

Hi, I have been reading your thread with interest as I am an autistic teacher who is now doing a masters in education, my subject focusing on whether we value our autists in education. I was hoping that you might be interested in taking part and answering some questions or possibly being interviewed using zoom?  Thanks. 

Hi, apologies but I didn't get a notification of your message. What age do you teach? I teach adults and we don't have to do events or anything like that so I'm very lucky. I can just about manage with class parties at the end of term! 

What do you mean when you say you struggle with consistency? 

I've learned to be kind to myself, ask for help if I need it amd if I haven't got mental capacity to do something like marking, I don't do it until I feel able. The world won't stop because I haven't given the marking back on time. My managers know I have anxiety and are very supportive. 

I am an adult with autism and a 6th - 12th Grade music teacher. I have HFA and don’t struggle terribly. I’m very lucky that way. But I get dreadfully overwhelmed and stressed over events I have to host and with middle school students. I know they’re tough no matter what kind of person is their teacher, but I WANT to be good at teaching Middle School. At all grade levels, I struggle with consistency (especially when I’m overwhelmed or stressed about something). Any and all tips for success in this would be greatly appreciated. I’m considered good at teaching and at making relationships with students and co-workers. But definitely NOT paperwork, organization, or consistency in classroom management.

I've been teaching for ten years and have self diagnosed awaiting an assessment. I also have Alexythymia and struggle with expressing my feelings and emotions. I am struggling to accept it. I have been masking for years and managed to work gard to get on our leadership team. However, the social relationships of the team caused me such great anxiety I had to step down which I'm finding so hard to cope with. How have you managed to cope with accepting any limitations you have? 

I am. I've always struggled with classroom management and I've realised since my diagnosis that it's because of my autism. My communication skills mean that I'm easily talked out of issuing sanctions. I've been doing daily supply and 1-1 intervention work which I find so much easier. I also tended to be working all evening every evening when I was full-time and I had no down time at all.

I had a serious meltdown/burnout about 3 years ago and that was when I left a long-term job and turned to supply. I do sometimes get sensory overload during the day and I tended to avoid the staff room and eat lunch alone to give myself a chance to recharge.

I have always enjoyed working with young people and that's why I started teaching but have found that a classroom full of them overwhelms me.

Well I have only been at this school for a month. I have to deliver lessons designed by a one-man band who has created his own Berlitz. Sometimes there are not enough papers. The children moan the old teacher was much more fun because she used to just talk with them. I have never set with large groups of little ones before and cannot raise my voice too much or I will start coughing. Ever the rookie.

I do a lot of classes at home and that's easier by far, more control. The children often enjoy feeding the cats. The cats are a magic ingredient in home teaching. I should think it would be a nightmare to teach in the UK. Here, people can be very critical of their teachers 

I work sometimes with individuals who have been diagnosed with autism, attention deficit, dyspraxia and so on. 

I will when I’m stronger x

Thanks Nexus. I teach EFL too but in the UK. Yes mixups can throw me too even in a place ive worked for 6 years!

Thsnkyou Komaneko

Like most teachers i agree its the clasrrom time which is most enjoyable. The actual teaching part outweighs the other stuff. As im getting older i do think i would encounter stress in any other jobs too. At least in teaching i get something back from my students and can see their progress and confidence grow. Yes its different everyday but there is some structure to my day which is always down to my own organisation skills....i like this autonomy and also the opprtunity to be creative in my lessons. I dont think i would get this "package" in another job.

Thanks .. Would you care to elaborate on any of my points or questions raised in my first post? :-)

I dont even know if i can multi task or not. I just know that talking and photocopying both require cognitive thought and i cant do both at the same time! 

Komaneko said:

I realise I have been performing and not really sure who I am all that time but teaching is a performance and now I have my diagnosis I am finding I can figure out who I am bit by bit.

yep, I can relate to that!

I teach English as a foreign language abroad. I have started work at a new school and do find certain things challenging - mixups over what classroom I am supposed to be in, for example, using the computerised register. I have not sought any diagnosis as an adult, got plenty of one's as a child though, none of them edifying. 

Hi I'm a primary school teacher,  have been teaching for more than 20 years and was diagnosed last year.  Other than my kids, the job has been my life and even though I can see positives and negatives there are far more positives.  Firstly I never wanted to do anything else and can't think of anything I would have enjoyed and still enjoy.  There is routine and structures and teaching is an opportunity to explain things over and over again, the same but a little different each time.  I know I can do my job well, can see results clearly and children are much easier to talk to than adults.  The stressful parts of the job are all around other staff.  Very few staff know about my diagnosis and I don't intend to share it, mainly due to the large number of uninformed comments about autistic people I have overheard.  I cope with that by rarely going into the staffroom and never attending any staff events and trying to stay away from negative conversations.  I have had many many meltdowns and panic attacks quietly in my room and there have been times when I have felt burnt out but the actual teaching is the part I enjoy and I just have to remember that. Teaching is a changing environment but  if you are in it to give kids the best life chances you can, that never changes.  I can see the lack of  workalike balance and stress is bad for my health but that would probably be the same anywhere, I can't imagine any job is without stress and every 6 weeks there is time to recharge.  

I'm not sure how being autistic has had an impact on my teaching, as I had been teaching for 20 years before being diagnosed.  Since my diagnosis I have been more accepting of myself and realising why things have been difficult which has made things easier for me.  I realise I have been performing and not really sure who I am all that time but teaching is a performance and now I have my diagnosis I am finding I can figure out who I am bit by bit.

Unknown said:

Since ive self-diagmosed i can see that i really do need to switch off a break times but its nigh on impossible as staff come to me or there are problems to sort out for the students. I think a lot of it is overload of receptive input. Also i struggle before class when im trying to get things ready and staff want to chat.

oh yes, that rings true for me...just when I am focussed, somebody interrupts me and then my brain is like a grasshopper flitting from one thing to another. On the other hand, I am pretty good at mutli-tasking, but when I'M the one in control of the events.