I like to tell myself I can do hard things. I like to tell myself I have done hard things. This whole blog started as a report of my mission, which is surely...a hard thing (hard things...does that grammar bother anyone else? Shouldn't I be saying "difficult tasks"? Anyways...). Life is without a doubt full of hard things we must do. Some we choose to do, others we don't. My educational path is one I'm choosing, but after today's class discussion I had to ask myself "can I really do this?" Choosing to pursue a career path in special education will more often than not give me plenty of "hard things" to do.
Every Friday we come to class, we're to learn from fellow students about specific disabilities. Today the first lesson was presented, by three wonderful girls, about Autism. All I could say after was "Wow". Now, I like to think I've had a fair amount of experience interacting with disabled persons, but never have I encountered someone with Autism. Strange right? Especially since the numbers of Autistic persons are growing. It was reported in class today that Autism affects 1 in 68 children, 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls. After today's lesson though, I was in shock at my own lack of knowledge, and quite frankly a little uncomfortable. Small waves of panic crashed onto to me as thoughts raced through my mind. "Can I really do this? Can I really work on a daily basis with a student who has autism?" Now please don't jump to conclusions about me, I'm not saying Autism is the worst thing ever, but perhaps all this new information is just a little overwhelming. After all, in class a video was shared of two parents wrestling their autistic son to the ground in order to restrain him from his outburst. I realize this may be an extreme case, but I'm not sure I could do that. I'm less than 120 lbs!
Although I may have been a little freaked out today, I learned some important tactics that may help if I teach an Autistic student:
1. Get to know your student- How simple is that?! They're a student just like all your other students.
2. Know what motivates your student- Again, they're like all other students, they have interests too.
3. Let them be a part in decision making- No one likes to be bossed around! I certainly don't!
4. Establish growth expectations.- Autistic students need challenges too.
While at first I may have been fearful of teaching such students and asking myself "can I really do this?" My overall thought was the confirmation "Yes Julie, you can". God loves all of His children. He makes us all different for a reason, and though we don't fully understand why, in time we'll come to love ALL His children as He does. This little video was shared in class today and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share how sweet it is!
--Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment