An Autism Handbook

I put together an "Autism Handbook," to give my son's new teacher.  I got the idea from About.com.  I hope this will help prepare and advise the teacher and the paraprofessional, and make everyone’s lives easier. 

The Handbook

I got one of those 3 ring binders, a "view binder," which has a clear plastic window on the front where you can slip in a cover sheet (or in this case, a photograph). I put an 8 x 10 picture of my son on the cover, and put his name down the spine.  I used sheet protectors for all the pages.

Inside, I put a letter to the teacher, telling her that I created this book to help her work with my son. It has some personal info in the binder, because the more you know about my son, the easier it is to work with him. It has some things that we do to prevent meltdowns. It also has suggestions from autism sites for how to teach autistic kids.  I told her there was some stuff in the beginning of the book that was intended to give her some quick and easy information to help her right off the bat, and then there was more information in the back, if she wants more in depth info (as time and needs dictate).

I started with "6 Things a Teacher Should Know About _______." This is a quick list, stating things like how he has sensory issues, and has trouble with transitions. It also says we want to keep the lines of communication open.  Here is something from About.com that I based my list on:

Five Things Teachers Need to Know

1. My child needs structure and routine in order to function. Please try to keep his world as predictable as possible.

2. If there will be any sort of change in my child's classroom or routine, please notify me as far in advance as possible so that we can all work together in preparing him for it.

3. My child's difficulty with social cues, nonverbal communication, figurative language and eye contact are part of his neurological makeup -- he is not being deliberately rude or disrespectful.

4. My child is an individual, not a diagnosis; please be alert and receptive to the things that make him unique and special.

5. Please keep the lines of communication open between our home and the school. My child needs all the adults in his life working together.

Then I had a "Student Profile." (Also from the About.com site).  This tells a lot of personal info about my son. Some good things about him, his strengths, his successes, our hopes for him, his challenges, etc. I'm sure the new teacher is aware of my son's challenges; I wanted her to know some good stuff, too. And knowing, for example, that my son loves certain cartoon characters, could help them reach him when he gets uncommunicative, or if they want to get on his good side.

Positive Student Profile

This form is to be filled out by the parent to provide a "snapshot" of your child that should be reflected in his/her IEP.

1.       Who is  ____________?

(Describe your child, including information such as place in family, personality, likes and dislikes.)

2.       What are ___________'s strengths?

(Highlight all areas in which your child does well, including educational and social environments.)

3.       What are ___________'s successes?

(List all successes, no matter how small.)

4.       What are ___________'s greatest challenges?

(List the areas in which your child has the greatest difficulties.)

5.       What supports are needed for ___________?

(List supports that will help your child achieve his/her potential.)

6.       What are our dreams for ___________?

(Describe your vision for your child's future, including both short-term and long-term goals.)

7.       Other helpful information.

(List any pertinent information, including healthcare needs, not detailed elsewhere on the form.)

I included a whole chapter on "Avoiding Meltdowns." This is anything I know that sets off a meltdown, and anything I know of that helps to diffuse it or avoid a bad situation.  

At the end of this chapter, I included the behavior chart we created for his IEP. This shows what he looks like as he goes through the steps of getting agitated, right up to full blown meltdown. It also lists what he might be feeling at each stage, and steps that can be taken to help de-escalate the situation. It’s kind of a quick reference chart. 

Here is a sample behavior chart. We altered one to better fit with my son’s behavior and added emoticons (smilies) because my son likes them.  We also renamed it a Wellness Chart, to sound more appealing to my son.

Sample Wellness Chart

My son likes “smilies” and color on his chart, so we used something like this in the first column: (hey, if he likes it, and uses it, I’m all for it!)  The smilies are from Word's clip art.

We also got a little more precise on our own chart, listing specifically what my son's options were.

I figure the information provided up to this point (including the letter in the front) takes about 7 pages, in large print. Easy to read, and the teacher can gain a ton of info in a short amount of time.   (It takes about 15 minutes to read.)

Then I also added in printouts, such as Ten Things Your Student With Autism Wishes You Knew and Ten Things Every Kid With Autism Wishes You Knew.  Perhaps a bit repetitive, but hey, it's good info.  I also printed out various articles from the net regarding teaching guidelines and suggestions for students with Asperger's or autism. Most were from the OASIS site. If she wants to read more in depth info, it's there in the back of the handbook.  I picked a few that I thought would be appropriate.  Here are some suggestions, also from About.com, but feel free to pick any articles that you like and feel comfortable with.:

Asperger's Syndrome Guide for Teachers
Source: O.A.S.I.S.

Understanding the Student with Asperger's Syndrome: Guidelines for Teachers
Source: O.A.S.I.S.

Educating the Student with Asperger Syndrome
Source: Asperger Syndrome Education Network

Asperger's Syndrome Fact Sheet
Source: NAMI North Carolina

Tips for Teaching High-Functioning People with Autism
Source: O.A.S.I.S.

Strategies for Teaching Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Source: Room 5

Need-to-Know Guide: Autism
Source: Teacher's Magazine

Autism and Related Disorders Handbook   (this is a huge file)
Source: University of South Dakota

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism by Temple Grandin
Source: Center for the Study of Autism

Bright Ideas for Home and School
Source: Room 5

Classroom Ideas for Children

Source: Autism Spectrum Australia

Important Things for Teachers

Source: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rbmitch/Asperger14.htm

NEA Autism Guidelines for Teachers (44 pages)

Source:  Special Education Law Blog http://specialedlaw.blogs.com/home/files/nea_autism_guidelines.pdf

You can also remove sections (or use some White Out) if you feel they don't apply to your child, or you disagree with a section.  You want it to reflect your child, and your wishes.

For good measure, I tucked a couple of my business cards in there from the NWIASG, which has this website address, my email address, contact info for the support group, and the blog.

Finally, I tucked the book Can I Tell You About Asperger's Syndrome? into the pocket of the ring binder. I really like this book. It's easy to read, appropriate for my son's age group, adults can read it and get an overview of what it's like to live with Asperger's Syndrome, and it isn't full of medical jargon. I give this book to anybody who works with my son - especially the busy adults who don't have the time to read anything else.

Click on the book to be directed to Amazon for more information about the book

So now I have my handy dandy little Autism Handbook!  You can change information to better reflect your child, and your child's specific needs.  Remember, you want this to be a handbook for YOUR child.