I work in an after school program at a local elementary school. One child in our program has a severe case of Autism. We are always having to deal with him and it is starting to take away time from other students and you can see them getting frustrated. I am a pret-teacher and I know that one day I could be faced with this situation in my own classroom. How can I devote my time equally amoung the entire group of students and not just dealing with the one particular student, while making sure that the LD student is learning and also following directions? Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you.
Re: Autism and its Effects on Others
I strongly agree with Lisa’s advice about this child having an aide. Besides not being fair to the other kids, it isn’t fair to THIS CHILD that he’s having such a hard time. From my experience with such kids in my class, they always do so much better when they have someone who’s there just for them. That person can usually stop a particular behavior from escalating whereas you, with all those other children to tend to, simply can’t do that for him all the time.
You can't
If a child has profound autism, they need 1:1 period. Anything less is not appropriate for them, which is how FAPE SHOULD be defined (as opposed to what the school personnel can/want to supply, or what the parents wish their child could be).
Autism is a very complex condition. Many of these children are suffering from digestive dysfunction and need to be on a very restrictive diet in order to succeed in life (see www.gfcfdiet.com). Many more are suffering from exposure to toxic metals, especially mercury, but also including lead, arsenic and antimony. Chelation for these can make a tremendous inprovement in their ability to think, communicate, interact and function. See Dr. Rimland (ARI) or Dr Holmes for more information. Finally, they need specifically structured programs until such time as they can function in our chaotic world. ABA is the best and is recognized as such by the States of BY, PA, MA, CA and also the Surgeon General of the US.
Do not blame yourself for not being able to be all things to all children. But also do not blame the child for being autistic. I have my opinion as to who should be blamed, but I will spare this board my tirade today. Should you wish more specific information concerning autism, please visit a Most Excellent Site put together by a very good friend of mine: http://home.pacbell.net/cscomp/dmain.htm
Good luck to you
Does this child have an individual care aide during the school day? Perhaps if he has it written into his IEP this could carry over to the after school program. I have a son with PDD-NOS who had an individual care aide for school it was in his IEP that he needed direct 1 to 1 supervision and guidance. With IEP in hand the after school program director was able to get the extra staff for him. It was felt to be in his best interest for socialization purposes to be able to participate. The nice thing about the whole deal was my son got the services he needed carried over to the after school program because they followed the IEP and helped work on the goals. The other staff were available to give the other students the attention they needed and deserved, everyone was happy. My son went from at age 3 having severe social and language deficits causing great difficulties to all involved to minor problems. He no longer has an individual care aide as he has been placed in an instructional LD class. I consider this a promotion for him as he no longer requires direct 1 to 1. He is now workin on catching up on his academics. I would check to see if he can have an aide in your program. Hope this helps.