What would you like teachers to know about ASD/autism?

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That is not a Curable snyndrome and constantly trying to adapt to NT's is extremely tiring. so some Adaptation on the part of the NT is useful both from students and teachers.

The biggest issue with me was being treated like I need something that in reality doesn't help at all. I do have an ASD, and I am diagnosed, but I'm not altered or affected by it very much. My only issue is working in groups, especially around people who just sit there and chat instead of work. I could probably get a group project that requires a week for most people to finish done in a few days, but the pace of my peers is frustratingly slow. Try to keep most classwork individualized, and have an alternative assignment for those who want to work alone.

Also having to adapt to a situation that makes me uncomfortable when I go into it willingly, you can imagine what it's like when I don't want to do it. I'm just glad I'm in high school now, and around older people who share my views of how dramatic people the same age as us can be. Being around older students has helped me a lot, and I also like to be paired up with someone I can relate to.

I was always "literally" picked last for gym class. ;(

And then never passed to. Or included. Or noticed at all. Stupid gym class.

So I just played against the wall with whatever sport device was on the day's menu. The wall makes a reliable partner.


And don't get me started on calling on students randomly.. my teachers liked to do this and it made me very uneasy in class.

While reading Frankenstein it was nerve wracking... I started drawing all kinds of parallels to monster, outcast, and social recluse and etc etc etc. It was like a book about me after a while and thankfully I was never called on to read because I might've fainted.

Lol ok I admit that one is kinda funny, but it wasn't when I was there.. :S

I dropped out too...constant stress of being excluded, classroom aid talking to me the way she did, and student support making me attend a meeting with them every week - all this led to a meltdown the day of my second exam so they had to re-schedule, however student support told me the wrong time for my re-scheduled test so I missed it and they told me they'd only allow me to resit if I paid. Even if I had been able to pay it would have meant taking my second exam after my final exam, I struggled for weeks making myself really ill over all this but decided eventually even so close to the end it was healthier just to leave.

One thing to point out to the OP is that student support claims to be the UK's leading expert in helping autistic students - my situation is not unusual from other autistic students who I've talked to who had gone to that college. Reading a book about autism or attending a course isn't enough, you need to spend time within the community to get a feel for who we are as a group, and more importantly listen to the individuals you work with to learn what they want. Not all autistic people will be comfortable asking questions - keep the questions simple and if their answer seems uncertain or like they're just being agreeable find another way to communicate with them.

Oh also - be stim friendly!
http://juststimming.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/quiet-hands

Yes me too, then the final step was a case where 2 students picked out the rosters ahead of time. Not sure if they knew they were in earshot of me, but they double-checked and triple-checked to make sure all the other students were included. Once they were satisfied then they added me to the bottom of the list.

At the same time, in social studies the topic was MLK and civil rights and the talk about boycotting. So i utilized that lesson and refused to participate in gym class opting to play with an inanimate object, again a reliable partner. All that happened was that i got written up for "poor peer relationships".