Welcoming new child and family to our school

Can I take this moment to thank you SOOOOO much for taking the time to research and prepare for this child and their family. I am a Reception teacher and a mother of an ASD child and having just been through a horrific year with a teacher who would not take on board any advise, it warms me so much to see and hear how much effort you are going to and how open minded you are being. Enjoy your new class and good luck on you year long journey with them all. I am sure this child will flourish under the care of someone as dedicated as you. My only question now is 'can we clone teachers like you'!?

stranger said:

It may help if you can form a good relationship with the parents too.

That's my main concern at the moment. 

It's not just 'T's first experience of school. It's the parents first experience too and it will set the tone for their future relationships with their child's teachers.

Being a teacher is a scary responsibility at times! 

Hi Liv,

I'm sorry you had a bad experience at school. Encouraging friendships is good but singling out one child and assigning every child in the class to be 'friends' with them in a rota is not the way to do it. It's a recipe for isolation and embarrassment. I try to encourage friendships by creating lots of opportunities for children to play in different groups and let things develop organically.   

I find the fact that the 'rota' was shared with all the parents very disturbing and completely inappropriate. Our school policy (and I assumed it was wide-spread) is NEVER to discuss a child with anyone other than their parent/guardian.

(names, ages, gender and other details in my posts are altered/obscured to protect my identity and that of 'T')

Sometimes we do need to educate the children about medical conditions of classmates (allergies, epilepsy, diabetes etc) but I would always discuss this with the parents and child. Some children hate to be the focus of attention so we'd approach it in general terms and others appreciate the chance to explain things in their own way. I once taught a young child with diabetes who ran an amazing Q&A session and demo of blood test for the class.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me :) 

I'm still doing a lot of planning for next term (so much to do - so little time) but I am heading off on holiday soon. I will do my best to turn my 'teacher brain' off and have a rest :)

puffin said:

They can be vey naive, so watch out for them.  My son would never tell a teacher if he was in need of anything, thirsty, being bullied etc so keep an extra eye on things.

 

Agreed. The OP should ask the child; but they must be careful how they ask. Partly because some of us don't understand metaphors, etc and because some people (unintentionally) do put words in people mouths.

It may help if you can form a good relationship with the parents too.

Hi - this probably won't be helpful to you because I'm sure you wouldn't do anything this insensitive anyway, but I'm glad you mentioned the well-meaning things that cause upset. I have Asperger's and when I was at primary school, my teacher devised a "friendship rota" for me which got handed around to every child in the class and their parents, and this caused much more harm than good and I remember it being a very uncomfortable, embarrassing experience. Having this memory, it's brilliant for me to see that teachers are asking for advice rather than just doing their own thing and it ending in someone being made unhappy. Best of luck with your new class - but have a lovely summer off first! 

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your advice

I have taught children with various SEN previously including 3 children with Autism. What always strikes me is how unique each child is in their needs, difficulties and strengths. No child is going to fit a standard pigeon hole of a ‘typical autistic’. I look forward to getting to know T as an individual.

T enjoyed classroom visit and played independently with TA nearby if T needed support. It will take a while to see how T reacts to new classroom and routines. We have a pastoral folder and a home/school diary so we can track any problem behaviour and identify triggers or equally identify anything T really responds well to and enjoys. Our SENCo introduced social stories so we have those at hand if needed.

Luckily T has a statement and funding for full time 1-1 support in place. This includes support at break and lunch. We have set tables for lunch and I have put T at a quiet table with friendly children. In week one we check that table assignments are working out and swop if needed.  

We made T a transition book to take home over summer and I’m sure mum and dad are showing T my photo! We may make up a new one in September as we are having some building work done. Also I thought if T had a book of pictures of school and staff it would be a way to help T communicate with parents about ‘what I did in school today’.

I am lucky to work in a smaller school with generally lovely and friendly children. But even the sweetest of kids will be tempted to push another kid’s buttons to get a reaction they think is funny. So that's always something to keep an eye on. It's my kids first year at school so we spend lots of time teaching them how to form positive relationships.  

I’m not sure how T is on eye-contact yet. Our conversations so far have been on the move while T is busy.  I’ve had found the eye contact issue is very individual and would never force a child to make eye contact - I have tempted them with puppets though! We use ear defenders for a child in senior school so I will get another pair over summer just in case. Thanks for the reminder!

I know that T’s parents will have anxieties and I want to support them so they can come to me with any concerns. I’m also conscious that I’m going to have a large class including several other children with medical conditions, either diagnosed or in the process of being diagnosed. Plus as a Reception teacher, all my first-time parents will be anxious.

I need to find a balance so I’m available to parents who need to talk to me but hopefully reach the point of trust so they know I will inform them of any problems but maybe can’t always give a daily verbal report of T’s day in the way pre-school were able to - though of course T’s TA will be available too. I think we’ll have to wait and see how T settles into school and take things from there.     

Our head does like all children to attend assemblies but we tend to adopt a process where children go into the assembly with their 1-1 and sit at end of line so they can leave when they need to. They might just stay in for the welcome. We had one child with autism who loved any assemblies which music and would lie down at the back of the hall to listen. Another child hated any singing in assemblies and would either put on ear defenders or leave.

Part of our school ethos is that praising ‘good’ behaviour is more effective than shaming ‘bad’ behaviour. It’s important for adults to understand the reasons behind behaviour and try not to take words and actions personally.    

I’m keen to develop my Quiet Time space and have an opportunity to do this thanks to our building work.

I would like to establish some sort of visual timetable. I will hopefully get this sorted with TA on inset day before school starts. 

The TA has 15 years of experience as a 1-1 support and has worked with two other children with autism in that time. Her training has been on-the-job, in school by our SENCo and through courses run by our local authority. She is a lovely person; cheerful, energetic and endlessly patient.  

Also, don't forget that he will take things literally so you need to explain things in as concrete a way as possible.  He is likely to struggle with understanding some humour and also metaphors.

If he has any stims, (stereotypies) providing they are not damaging to him or others, let him do them as much as possible as they are very necessary to people on the spectrum.  They can help release stress and retain control.

If he has light sensitivity, would be a good idea not to sit him right next to a window or below a fluorescent light.

The parents will really appreciate you asking them what their son's individual needs are, it is important not to make assumptions based on what you may have read about autism, because every autistic person has their own unique blend of the traits and also still has their own personality.

There should be more teachers like you, prepared to ask what is needed and taking positive action.

Everything intense world said is great advice, esp the sensitivity issue to being told off, my son is the same.

They can be vey naive, so watch out for them.  My son would never tell a teacher if he was in need of anything, thirsty, being bullied etc so keep an extra eye on things.

You do sound like you are going to be a very good teacher, i wish my son had you.  I have just taken him out of school and am going to home school instead. 

Good luck

Puffin

I would say, remember that behaviour that may seem naughty, should not necessarily be treated as naughty.  Obviously a child has to learn boundaries whether they are autistic or not, but there will usually be reasons the child is behaving the way they are.  It could be sensory, communication, stress of being in school alone can do it.  You need to be vigilant to identify the issue so it can be resolved asap to allow the child to calm down.

Ensure you have some PECS cards and social stories ready in case they are needed plus perhaps a visual daily schedule so that they know what's coming and when.  Also some ear defenders or earplugs if the child has auditory sensitivity (ask the parents what specific issues s/he has).  If the child is overwhelmed eating lunch in a noisy canteen provide an alternative place s/he can eat.  Lots of supervision will be necessary at playtimes as well as social support.  Autistic children are easily taken advantage of by NT children.

Don't assume the child isn't listening if they are not looking directly at you, some autistics find eye contact difficult.

Shouting at an autistic child is usually very distressing, please bear this in mind as I have encountered quite a few shouting teachers before.

A good idea is to have a time out quiet space if the child gets overwhelmed.

A really good idea is to make a transition book for the child with photos and names of staff and picture of the classroom, canteen etc. for the parents to show the child before they start.

Autistic children often have anxiety, and don't think parents are being over-protective if they have more questions and concerns than other parents.  It's not easy having an autistic child and you can't help but worry about them more.

Also don't push the child to participate in things they clearly find difficult, such as assemblies, school plays and if they are going on school trips you will need lots of supervision as autistic children tend to run off and can be unpredictable if scared or startled etc.

I have Asperger's and both my daughters are also autistic so I have tried to think of as many things as I can.

One thing my 8yo has found, is that she is very sensitive to the staff telling her she has been rude (and that's in an ASC unit) because she didn't say please or said something in a matter of fact way - this type of speech is part of autism and she is very stressed and upset at being told she has been rude.  Most of what makes her hate school is things that have been said to her which is sad.

I would like to commend you for taking the step of asking what you can do, you sound like an extra special teacher. 

Hi - just to add - is the TA experienced/trained in autism?  You sound like a really good teacher.  Hope everything goes well in September