I am an experienced teacher of special needs children. However since I developed some physical problems I've been unable to teach, even part-time - it just puts too much strain on my body.
Last week I went for a Learning Support job - supporting some children with special needs just two hours a day. Since my last part-time teaching post I have been diagnosed with ASD so I wasn't sure how to deal with this. I phoned the National AUtistic Society helpline and the lady I spoke to gave me some really good factual information about whether I have to disclose or not. At the time I decided not to.
However, at interview, I felt bad about not disclosing because it seemed dishonest. I'm not a mega virtuous person or anything, but part of the ASD for me means that I can't cope with lies and deceit and not disclosing felt more stressful than I could manage. (Just so I'm clear, I'm not saying here that not disclosing is wrong or bad in any way, just that, because of the way the ASD manifests in me, I can't manage it.) So I disclosed at the end of the interview. I explained how being autistic helps me work well with children of this age group
- because it makes my thinking more concrete than most adults, so I can understand the children well and communicate easily;
- it means that I function really well in a structured environment like a school and so do the special needs children I will be working with so I can make sure that that structure is there, and stable, and helpful;
-and that, having had these difficulties myself, I have learned lots of ways to work around all sorts of problems and I can share that with them as someone who's done it herself. This really helps with some of the low self-esteem issues which children with SN can have.
Anyway, good news, I got the job!! !
[Edits - typos - oops!]
_________________
"That's no moon - it's a spacestation."
Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ICD10)
19 Jun 2016, 7:54 am
