Handling autism
Handling autism is a special challenge for educators. Autistic people are particularily dependent on the persons which surround them.
If you want to face this challenge, you should know that this demands a great deal of you. On the other hand, new insights will lead you to new educational qualities.
An educator working with autistic persons can only be successful if he/she really wants this kind of work. It‘s the attitude that matters.
Autistic people are very special pedagogic indicators. Their development can be encouraged, but the path they can take is quite narrow. The methods, which are almost “vital” for people with autism, can also be very helpful for many other children. The basic method is “structured learning and living”. Here, it is crucial to find out at which level of development a person is and to meet him/her there.
Which goals should be achieved and of which subgoals do they consist? Which mental functions and operations are necessary in order to achieve them? Which obstacles are there for the person, what keeps the person from certain activities, restricts them, disables them?
The goal should be, to address as many senses as possible, when trying to communicate information, in order to get it „into the system” on as many different channels (optical, acoustical, motorical) as possible.
Working with autistic people can be considered „the perfect art of education”. One who is able to learn, use and develop the methods suitable for persons with autism, will gain an expanded repertoire that can also be successfully used when working with other children. |
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