Teaching Autistic Kindergarten Kids

[SlyAnimal]

I've been offered an extra hour per week teaching at a kindergarten.

I usually teach in a high school, although previously taught in a primary school for 1 term, so am not completely bereft of experience teaching young kids.

And so I've accepted the extra hour, and was quite excited about teaching them, as it's be a bit of fun while adding to my "skills" by getting some experience with a different age group etc. It'll also be helpful for learning what to expect with my own son when he gets a little older (he's only 2 1/2 months old now).

However, I went down to the kindergarten today, to see the classrooms and how big the classes are etc so I can plan my first lesson over the weekend. Classroom has a DVD player with USB port, so I can play the music etc I want for songs + they have enough colorful toys that I can probably use those for games/activities etc. Also there are only about 10 kids in total, which will make a nice change.

However, the staff told me that 3 of the kids there are Autistic. Anything special I should know in regards to teaching English to autistic 3 year olds?

(I'm pretty much assuming that it should be easy enough? since it's such a small class and they seemed pretty normal to me when I briefly met them earlier today (I only knew that they're autistic because the staff said they were, otherwise they seemed like normal kids).

[makecoldplayhistory]

Wow. You wonder why some people bother typing when they have nothing to contribute. I suspect the same can be said of their lives in general!

As far as teaching goes, you'll get to know the children as see their strengths and weaknesses, as with any other student. Just be aware that acting the 'wrong' way around them can result in a big break down. For example, I had a student who I jokingly said, "wrong silly billy" to. That took 30 minutes of coaxing him out of a rage and explaining I was joking. Another couldn't bear to be touched.

Try to use more visual aids than normal.

If they don't seem interested or want to take part, it doesn't mean they aren't learning.

If they're mildly autistic, as it sounds from your post, just remember to have a little extra patience, but treat them like individuals (again, as you would with any other student) and it should go well.

'Autism' covers a huge range of issue and different levels of severity. Can't you ask to see their assessment? Should give you a little more insight.

Besides planning a normal lesson with a little more differentiation than usual, read this link. Some good basic info.

http://www.autism.org.uk/working-with/education/teaching-young-children-with-autism.aspx

Edited June 5, 2015 by makecoldplayhistory

[brain150]

You might to get some REAL info about autism !!! NOT the crap Governments or Hospitals will tell you.

Electro smog and toxicity are the real cause.

Also caused from vaccines [heavy metals in all vaccines are highly dangerous for humans]

... it is curable !!! [search the net and you will find the answers]

[makecoldplayhistory]

Haha brian150

That's cheered up an otherwise dull Friday afternoon.

[attrayant]

You might to get some REAL info about autism !!! NOT the crap Governments or Hospitals will tell you.

Electro smog and toxicity are the real cause.

Also caused from vaccines [heavy metals in all vaccines are highly dangerous for humans]

... it is curable !!! [search the net and you will find the answers]

Edited June 5, 2015 by attrayant

[duanebigsby]

* Deleted post edited out*

I think you'll find he is doing the research required.
His post was one of probably many searches and queries he has made if he's the half ways decent teacher he sounds like.
In the west, the education of special needs students is far more advanced. Here they are lumped in with regular classes and given no special
attention.

You just seem to hate the word "teacher" in every post you make about us.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Scott

[duanebigsby]

One thing you'll need to figure out is if they are really autistic. In Thai schools every kid who's got any issue is labeled as such whether it's down syndrome, Autism, or behavior issues.

[lostinisaan]

You might to get some REAL info about autism !!! NOT the crap Governments or Hospitals will tell you.

Electro smog and toxicity are the real cause.

Also caused from vaccines [heavy metals in all vaccines are highly dangerous for humans]

... it is curable !!! [search the net and you will find the answers]

Brain 150, is a ghost chasing you, or does anybody else live in your body with you? Do you sometimes hear voices, but there's nobody?

The friendly TVF team will find THE solution for your mental issue(s).-

[lostinisaan]

Please see attached files and you might even want to read all. Some very interesting stuff.

I did work with autistic kids in Europe, but also in Thailand. Unfortunately, do most Thai teachers believe that all "not normal behavior" is considered autism?

Intellectual disability. Specific developmental disorders, Schizophrenia., obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)., Avoidant personality disorder and a few more....

I had a grade five student who was considered to be autistic. I could handle him pretty well, but only because I knew what to do, when the other kids were teasing him.

A new Australian teacher didn't believe me how dangerous the boy was, until the boy wanted to throw a heavy wooden chair on him. I needed all my power to hold this boy to stop him from attacking his classmates, the Aussie took off as fast as he could.

It later turned out that he was on a strange medication, called Haldol, but forgot to take it on this day.

Please read attached file, some very interesting facts all teachers should be aware of. Sorry, can't attach the PDF file. Tried to send it to my email account and it works.

Can you please ask your techie guys? Cheers-

P.S. Ask your techie guys why you can't upload a 8.6 MB PDF file?

Edited June 5, 2015 by lostinisaan

[SlyAnimal]

Two posts have been removed for trolling.

Thanks for the rest of the posts, which have been very constructive so far.

It's only an extra 1h a week for me. So if it seems like it's out of my league it wouldn't be a problem at all to just drop the class, as financially it's more effort than its worth. Although I'm looking upon it as an opportunity to learn more about teaching, so see it as a challenge

However, being told that 3 of the 8 students are autistic was a bit of a shock. Particularly as teaching 3 year olds definitely wouldn't be my preferred age group to teach (But it'll teach me more about how my son will be in 2-3 years so will hopefully be worth it). Luckily it's a small class and their regular teacher will probably be helping me too.

From the sounds there are various types/levels of Autism and so I might need to just see on Monday how things go

[duanebigsby]

Two posts have been removed for trolling.

Thanks for the rest of the posts, which have been very constructive so far.

It's only an extra 1h a week for me. So if it seems like it's out of my league it wouldn't be a problem at all to just drop the class, as financially it's more effort than its worth. Although I'm looking upon it as an opportunity to learn more about teaching, so see it as a challenge

However, being told that 3 of the 8 students are autistic was a bit of a shock. Particularly as teaching 3 year olds definitely wouldn't be my preferred age group to teach (But it'll teach me more about how my son will be in 2-3 years so will hopefully be worth it). Luckily it's a small class and their regular teacher will probably be helping me too.

From the sounds there are various types/levels of Autism and so I might need to just see on Monday how things go

I'd give it a try. They may not be as bad as anticipated and as I said, the autism label is thrown around.

at that age group drawing is always engaging and the kids will babble in English to you what they're drawing or colouring. I find giving blank paper best not preprinted.

[yardrunner]

You might to get some REAL info about autism !!! NOT the crap Governments or Hospitals will tell you.

Electro smog and toxicity are the real cause.

Also caused from vaccines [heavy metals in all vaccines are highly dangerous for humans]

... it is curable !!! [search the net and you will find the answers]

I worked with adults with autism, you are talking a load of <deleted>, it can be helped make life better for sufferers but is not curable and blaming vaccines is dangerous as they found out in the UK when a measles epidemic occurred because parents had been dissuaded from letting their children be vaccinated

[BudRight]

I don't understand how you're supposed to each the autistic ones grouped with the non-autistic ones. Either way the other group will be missing out.

[lostinisaan]

Two posts have been removed for trolling.

Thanks for the rest of the posts, which have been very constructive so far.

It's only an extra 1h a week for me. So if it seems like it's out of my league it wouldn't be a problem at all to just drop the class, as financially it's more effort than its worth. Although I'm looking upon it as an opportunity to learn more about teaching, so see it as a challenge

However, being told that 3 of the 8 students are autistic was a bit of a shock. Particularly as teaching 3 year olds definitely wouldn't be my preferred age group to teach (But it'll teach me more about how my son will be in 2-3 years so will hopefully be worth it). Luckily it's a small class and their regular teacher will probably be helping me too.

From the sounds there are various types/levels of Autism and so I might need to just see on Monday how things go

Nothing tops "Learning By Doing."-

[frank0424]

A good start is not to say "they are autistic". Instead you say, "they have autism"

Don't label the person with the disability they. have. Instead, work with their ability.

Thus don't say "that person is disabled", say " that person has a disability"

This is a fundamental mindset you must have when teaching people with disabilities and in general when we interact.with someone who has.

Edited June 5, 2015 by frank0424

[frank0424]

I don't understand how you're supposed to each the autistic ones grouped with the non-autistic ones. Either way the other group will be missing out.

Anyone with a disability should be in an environment as close to "normal" as possible. Thus class integration is best. The other group will not be missing out as they will learn tolerance and acceptance among other things, and if the OP considers it, they have a chance to do some peer teaching. Children will learn something best from their own peers.

[mikecat]

I only started teaching at kindergarten level last year and I might say with quite a lot of trepidation. Having taught at matium level for the previuos four years teaching children so young was quite daunting. However, here I am a year later teaching ten classes and a special saturday class and I love it. I think there has already been some good advice posted so I will just say be yourself, smile, be patient and really the more you put in the more you get back. The other things I have learnt is that they love to hold things, even the flashcards, singing and dancing and individual attention. Sometimes you feel that you have spent a whole hour and nothing has been gained but you will be surprised how much they actually take on board even without you or them realising it. Everyone of my classes has kids with one disability or another and I just treat them the same as the other kids that generally works fine. If you make a mistake just learn from it and move on. Every day when I go to school I am mobbed by a swarm of kids all wanting to say hello or good morning so not such a bad way to start the day.

[meinanzi]

Usually autistic students require set schedules, especially schedules that are visual. For your younger students it would mean photos showing the library, classroom, computer lab, bathroom, etc. They often get upset when the schedules vary.

Your kids sound like they are pretty high in the sutism spectrum, but you can watch for signs like difficulty making and keeping eye contact, self-stimulating behavior like hand flapping, spinning objects, etc.

You don't need to worry about having a heterogenious gorup with three autistic students and the rest non-disabled. Good teachers differentiate instructions so it is palatable for all groups.

[joshstiles]

the shear ignorance always amazes me on this site...hey poster why not try brain surgery while you are at it....how hard could it be.

Being the father of an autistic son i can already see the trainwreck coming. Do the students a favor and get out if you are as unqualified as you sound

[Cpkt8]

I always think it's not an easy job to be a teacher, especially for young children. Great responsibility and patience required, not forgetting super stamina and the ability to multi-task at the same time.

Kudos to you OP and wishing you good day everyday!

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.

The first thing to ascertain is if they actually have autism and whether this diagnosis was reached by a trained professional. Having 3 students from the same area (unless you are in a highly populated area) is unusual, especially 3 students attending the same school. They may have disabilities, but until you have a chance to assess each of them, it is difficult to know what you can/cannot do with regard teaching them. Their style of learning may be different and they may need more tactile experiences with objects. Some students are fine in the classroom and function reasonably well. Some are more problematic. Many do not respond to being touched, so be careful about touching them.

We had a student in KG with severe problems, and probably had autism, if he was physically touched, he tensed up and either froze or fought. He was a little more receptive to his parents and somewhat to the classroom teacher, but subject teachers quickly learned to not touch him unless he was in a harmful situation. He wandered around the classroom and sometimes walked on top of the desks. The other students simply ignored him, so he was less of a problem than we thought. The student was brilliant and even though he appeared to be paying attention to anything, he could repeat exactly what the teacher said. He was able to attend school up until G. 1, but by that time he was a little too big and difficult to handle.

Many of these children respond well to a very structured environment, which is hard to do if you are only teaching once a week. Try to do things in the same order each class period.

Give them a reasonable chance, observe them, keep your expectations realistic and vary the methods and techniques used and see if they respond to one type better than another.

Best of luck.

[SlyAnimal]

Thanks again for the advice, im going to see how it goes tomorrow

Particularly as, trolls aside, most of the advice is generally pretty much what I would normally do anyway (Which has helped me to relax a lot).

As although I didn't know what the specific triggers etc for autistic kids can be (And from the sounds it greatly varies between kids anyway), the advice generally matches up with how I would expect to "teach" 3 year olds.

Also to the trolls, you guys should lighten up, as you seem to be wayyy off track. I'm teaching kids at a kindergarten in the countryside with 2 teachers and only 8 students. Being a kindergarten, it's more about singing songs and playing games with English as a medium, rather than actually "teaching" them. Also I expect that those 2x regular teachers will be there to help me if the kids are a handful anyway.

With this in mind, I'm pretty sure that having some autistic kids in the class won't be a problem, but posted here so I could learn more from people with experience so that I'm better prepared (Since "Teaching English as a foreign language to 3 year old Autistic children in Thailand" didn't seem to get many good matches on Google, and none of my teacher friends in NZ seemed properly qualified on the subject either, comparatively the advice in this thread + PhD thesis which LostinIsaan sent me on the topic seems perfect).

[SlyAnimal]

Just got back from teaching this class. As it turned out, when I started the first activity (a song) and the autistic kids didn't join in, the Thai teachers told me to not worry about them (And they then proceeded to also ignore the autistic kids).

Later during one of the songs, one of the autistic kids joined in and that seemed fine (he seemed to briefly have fun too, although went to do his own thing afterwards). And then when we were doing a colours activity, the boy + one of the autistic girls tried to join in (albeit in a disruptive way by jumping in the middle and lying on top of the toys we were using for the activity). The Thai teachers literally dragged the girl out screaming to another room. When the autistic boy tried to join in, I convinced the Thai teachers to let him join in, as I didn't like what they'd done with the girl. He wasn't really paying attention to us, but I was able to guide him into doing the activity and he then moved on relatively happy. The other autistic girl just spend the entire hour playing with the building blocks.

I'm not a doctor so have no idea on whether all 3 "autistic" kids are actually autistic, but they definitely exhibit anti social behaviour. If my son exhibited similar behaviour, I also wouldn't want him treated how the Thai teachers treat these kids (whereby they're ignored and simply manhandled out of the way if they interrupt the other kids).

All in all though, it seems like the kids being autistic won't cause too much hassle for me, since they're happy doing their own thing. Although hopefully I'll be able to make my sessions interesting enough that they feel like joining in more often (hopefully in a constructive way). Either way, the kids seemed to really enjoy my lesson and the director seemed impressed too, so I'm happy with how things went

[lostinisaan]

Dear Sly,

Here're some points you should consider.

Many children with autism are aware that they are different from the other children in the classroom. This creates a social breakdown in many instances. While the tips for teaching children in school listed above will help, it is also important to consider the social aspects a child with autism needs to learn.

· Do not over emphasize the child in class. Making them stick out will not help them to perform better.

· Realize that children with autistic conditions have a difficult time related to the feelings of others. They may not understand them.

· Know when to defuse problems with other classmates. A sensitive child could take the lack of emotion or the inquisitive nature of a child with autism wrong.

· Providing social interaction as appropriate for the child, based on the curriculum that child needs. Each child may require a different level of attention and social interaction. In situations where the child cannot be part of a group situation, provide other activities for that child.

· Remember that children with autism may be hypersensitive to certain sensory stimuli, and consider this when setting up your classroom and designing your lesson plan. Bright lights, loud noises, and certain textures can all bother a child and interfere with learning.

· Provide your student with a safe area to go if he/she is feeling overwhelmed and needs to unwind. An unused conference room or even a quiet corner in your classroom can help the child feel safe.

· Do keep parents informed of any instances involving the child, socially or academically. Ask for the parent's help when situations arise that are problematic for the child or the classroom. Be proactive rather than reactive as much as possible.

Creating an Environment Where Kids Can Flourish

The development of a curriculum that fits the needs of the student is critical, but understanding autism and its effects on education is also important. Socially and academically, each child that has autism will have different symptoms of autism and different learning abilities. At the start of any school year, parents and teachers should come together to find the method of teaching that works for that child. Both parties need to be receptive of the other's information and knowledge in order for there to be progress.

​ And you really should talk to your Thai colleagues that they do not treat the kids like animals, believe me I've seen that plenty times at Thais schools. Kids are not allowed to enter the classroom, there's one just recently who's always helping the janitor to clean the school, etc...

Nobody and I really mean nobody took notice of the little boy, the son of a foreigner. So i started to spend some free time with him and that makes him happy.

Ordinary teachers at Thai schools aren't qualified enough to tell you that your child's actually autistic. Any disorders fall under the coat of autism, of course does that not help the child, nor the parents.

The good news is that children do love to learn and will flourish within the right environment in many cases.

Wish you best of luck and you’ll find out that all you’re learning now will be also very useful for your own child’s education.

Edited June 8, 2015 by lostinisaan

[SlyAnimal]

​ And you really should talk to your Thai colleagues that they do not treat the kids like animals, believe me I've seen that plenty times at Thais schools. Kids are not allowed to enter the classroom, there's one just recently who's always helping the janitor to clean the school, etc...

[/color][/font][/size]

Cheers for the advice I will do what I can in the 1h I have with them each week, and if I find something which works well with the autistic kids (e.g. Gets them involved + interested), then I'll try to guide the Thai teachers towards that style.

However, as I'm not an expert, and only teach there for 1h per week, and only just taught my first class there today, I'm not going to rock the boat just yet

[duanebigsby]

Yes, at 3 years old games, drawing, singing are how they learn English. After doing "Eensy, teensy. Spider" I saw a 3 year old point at the downspout and said "spout where spider?"