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Teaching with autism

Bcfcforever55

Good evening all,

I have just been diagnosed with autism. I feel quite happy really because I used to do and feel certain ways and I actually have an answer now.

I have a meeting with my headteacher (boss) on Monday is there any teachers here please? When speaking before about potentially been autistic last week. He said I would be the first in the schools history and they are here to support me anyway possible.

I don't know what sort of reasonable adjustments would be good for me. I've looked into a quite space and also looking at requesting help during my PPA time to make sure I'm using the time effectively. Also. My HOD ( head of department) is very last minute and disorganised so I'm mentioning to her also and the head that actually I need to know these things in advance. (I feel this won't change her at all)

Can anyone else think of anything else or if you're a teacher what I could ask or think about please?

  • I'm not qualified to teach in schools, but I worked as a teaching assistant for 5 years (that was about 30 years ago) and later gained a CERTA teaching certificate and briefly taught English to adults.

    I took the job as a teaching assistant when I was young as I was considering training to be a primary school teacher, but working alongside class teachers put me off - I could teach small groups, but realised that being in charge of a class of 30+ kids would be too overwhelming for me - this was when I had no idea I was autistic!

    Teaching English to adults was enjoyable in a lot of ways, but could also be challenging. I still didn't know then that I was on the spectrum, and I found lesson preparation and verbal assessments (listening to students speaking and marking them on it) were the most difficult aspects. I'm retired now, but if I were still teaching English I would have to ask for support in lesson planning (it took me hours to plan lessons, and getting enough materials prepared in time when there was always a queue for the photocopier was difficult). I would also ask if I could record students speaking and listen to the recordings later when I had time to take it in, as I don't absorb auditory information easily.

    I didn't have to do parent meetings which you probably have to, but my suggestion for that would be to ask if you can schedule in several breaks during the meeting sessions.

    Teaching can be very challenging for us, so we'll done for getting this far and good luck.

  • I did a pgce and lasted about 7 months. Got very burnt out after about 6 months and had to take time off. Eventually I realised it wasn’t possible for me and dropped out as I couldn’t recover from burnout. The work load is ridiculous and a lot of the teachers I was under were annoying.  I wasn’t diagnosed at this point and it I was it might have helped. 

  • Not quite a *teacher* teacher; i'm going to be starting my PGCE next year once I am home from training abroad. I can think of a few things that come to mind from my current experience teaching in Thailand:

    #1 Social Gatherings & Meetings. I'd wager there's a pretty significant chance you are going to be invited to events that are going to be sensory nightmares. I had to go to a Thai wedding yesterday and spent a significant amount of it outside because the lights were too bright and music was too loud for me to endure safely. If these are issues for you; you need to explain to your Head-teacher that you might not be able to be present for these kinds of events for their entire duration to avoid meltdowns etc.

    #2 Organisational Allowances. This one you've covered already, and you have my sympathies. I am dealing with basically *everything* being last minute here in Thailand and it drives me up the wall. You should stress this point as hard as you can that you want things brought to you as soon as possible. It might not lead to anything but there is no harm in trying. I'd also try to see if you can request more communication via emails/texts if that is easier as well if possible.

    #3 Communicative Differences. You sound like you're in a pretty good environment from what you've said but this one still should be made clear. Explain about stimming and eye contact when talking, and discuss ways to be as comfortable as you can in the office and classroom. 

    If I can think of more, I will let you know. I have difficulty recognising what things I actually need to prosper in my work environment myself so I am sure there are more things that are escaping me at the time of writing.

  • Well, I teach, freelance mainly nowadays, and often online. 

    I didn't enjoy navigating office politics in the classroom, whenever I did get to work in a school. You can't choose the textbooks nor the way syllabuses are aplued, and there is often paperwork to deal with too. Revolving doors can be a pain too. 

    Your head sounds supportive though. What needs would you like to have met in your new workplace now that you have had a diagnosis? 

  • You could ask for a referral to occupational health so that you can get expert advice concerning reasonable adjustments.

    I used to be a teacher - undiagnosed until several years after I left the profession (did over 20 years in a core subject).

    Not sure what I would have asked for other than school rules were actually applied consistently, as I found the adults in leadership were the most frustrating and debilitating aspects of my experience.