Post by jmk on Nov 12, 2017 22:05:10 GMT
Parent's Letter to Teachers/Support Workers
28. He/she may need help with problem-solving situations. Please be willing to take the time to help with this.
Assisting My Aspergers Child in the Academic Setting - by Mark Hutton
Are you getting complaints from school regarding your Aspergers/HFA (high functioning autistic) child's behaviour?
Do the teachers seem to have a hard time finding ways to cope with him or her?
If so, then copy and paste the following letter, then send it in an email to your child's teacher(s):-
Dear Teacher,
I am the parent of _____ (child’s name). As you know, he/she has Aspergers. Here are some things that will help you to help him/her in the classroom environment :-
1. Please allow him/her to "move about" periodically … sitting still for long periods of time can be very difficult for him/her (even a 2 minute 'walk around' with a friend or aide can help a lot).
2. Allowing my son/daughter to write down questions or thoughts and providing a response in writing may be very helpful at times when his/her anxiety means he/she can't speak.
3. Although his/her vocabulary and use of language may seem high, Aspergers YP may not know the meaning of what they are saying even though the words sound correct.
4. At times, it looks as if he/she is not listening to you when he/she really is. Don't assume that because he/she is not looking at you that he/she is not hearing you.
5. At times, it may take more than few seconds for him/her to respond to questions. He/she needs to stop what he's/she's thinking, put that somewhere, formulate an answer, and then respond. Please wait patiently for the answer and encourage others to do the same. Otherwise, he/she will have to start over again.
6. At times, he/she may experience "meltdowns" when nothing may help his/her behaviour. At times like this, please allow a"safe and quiet spot" where he/she will be allowed to "cool off." Try to take note of what occurred before the meltdown (was it an unexpected change in routine, for example), and it's best to talk "after" the situation has calmed down.
7. At times, some of his/her behaviours may be aggravating and annoying to you and to members of his/her class. Please know that this is normal and expected. Try not to let the difficult days colour the fact that YOU are a wonderful teacher with a challenging situation and that nothing works all of the time (and some things don't even work most of the time). You will also be treated to a new and very unique view of the world that will entertain, fascinate, and frustrate you at times.
8. Breaking directions down into simple steps is quite helpful.
9. Directions are more easily understood if they are repeated clearly, simply, and in a variety of ways.
10. Please foster a classroom atmosphere that supports the acceptance of differences and diversity.
11. Generally speaking, an adult responding in a calm voice will reap many benefits.
12. Giving one or two warnings before a change of activity or schedule may be helpful.
13. Hand signals may be helpful, especially to reinforce certain messages, such as "wait your turn", "stop talking" (out of turn), or "speak more slowly, or softly".
14. He/she may get over-stimulated by loud noises, lights, strong tastes or textures, because of the heightened sensitivity to these things.
15. One of the biggest challenges for Aspergers YP is that they may desperately want to make friends, yet have no clue as to how to go about it.
16. Identifying 1 or 2 empathetic students who can serve as "buddies" will help the YP feel as though the world is a friendlier place.
17. If necessary, allow my son/daughter to copy the notes of other students. Many Aspergers YP are also dysgraphic, and they are unable to listen to you talk, read the board, and take notes all at the same time.
18. It is important to remember that just because he/she learns something in one situation, this doesn't automatically mean that they remember or are able to generalize what they have learnt to new situations.
19. It may be helpful to develop schedules (picture or written) for him/her.
20. Let him/her know, if possible, when there will be a substitute teacher or a field trip coming up.
21. Please note his/her strengths often - and visually. This will give him/her the encouragement to keep on trying.
22. My son/daughter has difficulty understanding a string of directions or too many words at one time. Keep instructions short, clear and concise.
23. He/she lacks the ability of remembering a lot of information, or how to retrieve that information for its' use.
24. He/she may act in a very clumsy way or seem extremely awkward at times.
25. He/she may react very strongly to certain tastes, textures, smells, and sounds.
26. He/she may have a great deal of difficulty with transitions. Having a picture or word schedule may be helpful.
27. He/she may have vocal outbursts or shriek or shout at times. Be prepared for them, especially when having a difficult time. Also, please let the other young people know that this is his/her way of dealing with stress or fear.
28. He/she may need help with problem-solving situations. Please be willing to take the time to help with this.
29. He/she may repeat the same thing over and over again, and you may find this increases as stress increases.
30. He/she reacts well to positive and patient styles of teaching.
31. Please feel free to share with us whatever you would like. We have heard it before. It will not shock us or make us think poorly of you.
32. Please let him/her know of any anticipated changes as soon as you know them, especially with picture or word schedules.
33. Please post schedules and homework assignments on the board and make a copy for him/her. Also, please make sure that these assignments get put into his/her backpack, because he/she can't always be counted on to get everything home without some help.
34. Please try to give as much advance notice as possible if there is going to be a change or disruption in the normal schedule.
35. Sarcasm and some forms of humour are often not understood by my son/daughter. Even explanations of what is meant may not clarify, because the perspectives of Aspergers YP can be unique and, at times, immovable.
36. He/she may actually hear and understand you better if not forced to look directly at your eyes.
37. Some Aspergers YP learn best with visual aides, such as picture schedules, written directions or drawings,(other YP may do better with verbal instruction).
38. Speaking slower and in smaller phrases can help.
39. Students with Aspergers may be at greater risk for becoming "victims" of bullying behaviour by other students. This is caused by a couple of factors: (1.) there is a great likelihood that the response or "rise" that the "bully" gets from the Asperger youngster reinforces this kind of behaviour, and (2.) Asperger students want to be included and/or liked so badly that they are reluctant to "tell" on the bully, fearing rejection from the perpetrator or other students.
40. This disorder is characterized by a sort of "swiss cheese" type of development (i.e. some things are learned age-appropriately, while other things may lag behind or be absent. They may be advanced in their academic ability and yet be behind emotionally for their age appearing much younger than their chronological age than their peers).
41. Aspergers YP may have skills years ahead of normal development (e.g. a youngster may understand complex mathematics principles, yet not be able to remember to bring their homework home).
42. Unlike most of us, sometimes forcing eye contact BREAKS his/her concentration.
43. Unstructured times (e.g. Lunch, breaktime, and PE) may prove to be the most difficult for him/her. Please try to help provide some guidance and extra adults help during these more difficult times.
44. Using picture cues or directions are very helpful in a multitude of situations since he/she is a visual learner.
45. When dividing up assignments, please ASSIGN teams, rather than have the other kids "choose members", because this increases the chances that he/she will be left out or teased.
46. When it reaches a point that things in the classroom are going well, it means that we've gotten it RIGHT. It doesn't mean that our son/daughter is "cured", "never had a problem" or that "it's time to remove support". Please increase demands gradually.
47. When someone tries to help by finishing his/her sentences, or interrupting, he/she often has to go back and start over to get the train of thought back.
48. When you see anger or other outbursts, our son/daughter is not being deliberately difficult. Instead, this is in a "fight/fright/flight" reaction. Think of this as an “electrical circuit overload.”
49. Prevention methods can sometimes head-off impending meltdowns if you see the warning signs coming.
50. If there is a lot of chaos and noise, please try to help my child find a quiet spot to which he/she can go for some "relief" or "timeout" to recover. The use of laminated credit card sized cards with pre written messages can be useful for some YP who cannot speak when stressed as a visual indicator that they are struggling and need to leave the classroom for a break.
Thanks in advance,
Mrs. _______ (parent’s name).