Views from Teacher, Practitioner and Autistic Adult
Teacher - I try to use proactive language. So instead of telling students what I don’t want them to do, I tell them what I do want them to do, and that really helps them with their executive functioning, simply because they know what’s expected of them at what time.
Practitioner - Autism is a dynamic disability. That means autistic students’ capacity to do well and meet expectations fluctuates massively. It is important not to look at the work produced or a student’s behaviour and make a judgement about how much effort they have put in. They are always putting in a big effort, but that does not always translate to neat work, task completion, or “good behaviour”.
Autistic Adult - When it came to completing more complicated tasks, I would often ask for clarification more often than my peers. Because of this, I had the reputation of being precise and detail orientated, but the fact was that I struggled with starting and completing a task without knowing all the moving parts. I would often get bogged down in the detail, not being able sift through what was relevant and important, and as a result, I would rarely finish work on time. I was then often misunderstood as being a procrastinator or lazy by my teachers. If only I had known that my executive functioning was a big part to play in this, and if I had developed better strategies to support this, I would have had greater learning achievements.
“Teachers need to realise that our needs do fluctuate. I may need an accommodation but that doesn’t mean I will always need it. You shouldn’t dictate my ability to be able to do something because of something I said one time.”
- Faelen, Autistic Teen"My biggest struggle was finishing tasks. The reason why I struggled so much when I was a child was that I knew that I had to start the task, and I knew what done looked like, but when it came to what it looked like in the steps in between, I couldn’t break that task down enough. I couldn’t analyse the micro steps that were needed. My executive function was just overwhelmed."
- Dannielle Wilson
Neuro-affirming Tips and Strategies
- Provide clear written or visual instructions to reinforce verbal teaching. Break tasks into more manageable steps. Regularly check for understanding of instructions, as autistic students may not ask for help, or may have misunderstood the task, especially if they interpret language literally.
- Give the ‘big picture’ to assist with task initiation and completion. Autistic students often benefit from seeing what the end result will be before beginning their work.
- Allowing work to be based on an autistic student’s special interests can help them with focus and motivation.
- Use visual tools to help autistic students ‘see’ time passing. Break tasks into smaller steps and help allocate the time needed to complete each step.
- Help students get organised with visual prompts including colour codes for each subject linked to their timetable and visual reminders or sequences. Older students might benefit from using organisational apps.
- Offer regular movement breaks to help all students keep on task. Recognise that ‘being ready to learn’ can look different for autistic students who may need to fidget, stim or look away to stay focused. Allow real-time communication tools (eg sticky notes or a whiteboard) for students who struggle with impulse control.
- Procrastination is often the first sign that an autistic student is struggling with planning and prioritising their work and has hit overwhelm or ‘freeze’. Equally, perfectionism can be a compensation strategy used to hide their executive functioning challenges.
1. Original ‘Coke Bottle’ analogy from A Different Neurotribe: https://adifferentneurotribe.wordpress.com/2018/04/25/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-child-with-asd-using-the-coke-can-explanation/