12 min readNov 19, 2020

Ultimate Guide for Teaching Students with Autism

25 Proven Tips no teacher should Ignore

My Own Experience: Buhman’s Love healed me!

You can never teach children with Autism the right way from a purely pedagogic standpoint. You need to have experienced autism yourself or have had a child with autism, or build your opinion about teaching a child with autism from a real-life-personal experience.

The theoretical pedagogy for “special education” has a limited impact because each autistic child has its own personality. And so, there are no “General rules” for teaching students with Autism.

I grew up as an autistic child. My neighborhood considered me as the ‘ Bad Apple in the family tree.’ I have painful memories of how other kids in the first school I attended used to look at me. I was a curiosity that I personally hated. It was so bad at school that my parents were obliged to change my school and put me in a special school for autistic students.

I thank God today because I met Mrs. Buhman. She was a warm-headed Christian who did not have much teaching skill, but who has something that helped me to overcome autism. In one word, Mrs. Buhman had something special that I think cannot only cure autism but other diseases that have to do with the psychic of children: She loved autistic children.

For Mrs. Buhman, autistic children were not children with inabilities but children with different abilities. She has a rare gift of discerning the potential and gifting of autistic children. 2 years after I attended the autistic school, I started recovering miraculously from my “disability”. Today, I m fully back to what people call the ‘Normal State’. I owe my recovery to three main things:

Mrs. Buhman’s love for me.
Mrs. Buhman’s Prayers for me.
The teaching aids that Mrs. Buhman used in those days.

Over the years, I have meditated about the miracle that I experienced and I have decided to dedicate my resources ( Time, Money, and Energy) to help other teachers or parents with autistic children to overcome this problem. It is the essence of this publication. Here I m going to expose the key stuff I learned through Mrs. Buhman’s Ministry for Autistic Children. I hope it will help you whether you are a teacher or a parent.

What is Autism?

Before diving into the essentials tips for teaching autistic children, let’s get an idea of what Autism really is for those of the readers who do not really understand the problem.

We can define Autism as “a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.” Autism’s signs are noticed during the first three years of their child’s life. ( Web Reference).

symptoms of autism disorder include:

A few common signs of autism spectrum disorder include: [3]

Trouble in talking currently.
Trouble in making appropriate eye contact.
Isolation from others.
Unusual attachment to some sort of games or objects.
Oversensitivity to noises and/or images.

25 Teaching Tips I carved from Mrs. Buhman’s Ministry for Autistic Children.

Tip No 1: Have faith in the healing of your students

Faith produces Miracles. Mrs. Buhman’s faith in me helped me to also believe in myself. She induced faith in my heart by telling me continuously what I was capable of doing the things I feared to do such as playing with others. You can do the same for your students. It is simple, yet very powerful!

Tip No2: Have faith in your students' “special abilities”.

You must absolutely clear your mind from the belief according to which “ children with autism will never achieve as much as their peers”.

History is full of the Proofs of the claims according to which, autistic children only have different abilities. Some of the great names who suffer from Autism include:

Michel Angelo
Emily Dickinson
Charles Darwin
Temple Grandin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Autistic students might have some weakness, however, never underestimate their hidden strengths. You should not limit your understanding of their cognitive abilities in relation to school standards only.

Tip No3: Treat students as worthy individuals.

This is a certain fact: developing patience, understanding, and respect for the learner goes a long way in helping the child to open up to knowledge. I personally experienced this truth.

Celebrate children's achievements in a very clear and noticeable way. Let the child feel encouraged. As far as I can remember, My Teacher was very proud of my every achievement. That makes me work even harder.

Tip No4: simplified the instructions you give to the students

Don’t make long statements. Break down instructions into small steps to follow. Go on with the next instruction only when you see that the previous has been well-understood. This is simple, but it contributes to the healing of the child.

Tip No5: BE GENTLE IN CRITICISM

For sure, you should not caution everything the autistic child does. He is a child like any other one. The Bible says Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him (Prov22:15). However, you must be gentle with criticism when it comes to the autistic child.

The child must learn to differentiate between wrong and right with gentle criticism.

Using a ton of language is ideal for criticism. when offering criticism, it is essential that a gentle, regular tone of voice be used.

Tip No6: Create a Structured Environment

Children with autism feel softer after they have a routine with clear structures and marginal deviations from their expected schedule.

Ensure the educational setting and lesson plans are structured in a manner that tells students also as educators what’s to be done, for the way long or what proportion, once it has to be done once it’s completed, and what comes next.

Tip No7: use visuals

People with autism tend to enjoy visual communication. The brain remembers quickly when visualization is added to theoretical explanations; Using Pictures and Computer Model will be great teaching tools for the educator.

you can get this tool and many more of the visual aids by visiting modelmekids.com

Tip No8: Be Predictable

Having predictability in the classroom eases anxiety for students with autism and will help avoid distraction. Students are less worried or curious about what will happen next and can better focus on the work at hand.

Give your student a schedule that they can follow. If there are any unpredictable changes, it’s a great teaching moment to model how to handle changes appropriately.

Tip No8: Give Extra time to the student to process language

I have already mentioned the necessity of using short sentences. Added to this give the students step by step instructions. Repeat the instruction if you think it is necessary.

Tip No8: understand how he learns

An autistic child has a different learning capability. As already mention, they prefer the visuals. Check my profile to get the link to some visual material specially conceived for children with autism -Age2 to Age 17.

Tip No9: use the close captions on television

This is a practical experience. If you use closed captions on television, you can improve the reading ability of a patient. The child will be able to match the printed works with spoken speech.

Tip No10: encourage social interaction

This is so crucial in breaking the isolation tendencies of the child. The classroom provides a setting that can help him to break away from this tendency. You should not make the child feel he is different from others. The child should be involved in games where many people are involved.

Tip No11: Engage them into Structured Activities.

The child must be involved in activities that will make him/her t go through steps. It is also important to ensure there is a kind of timing in such activities.

Tip No12: have a good relationship with the child’s parents.

It is crucially important to have a relationship with the child’s parents. They will be of great help to understand child behavior. Each child has his own personality and is affected by autism in a different way than other children with the same disability.

Tip No13: Ask for help.

If you have more than 5 children in your class with autism symptoms, then you need help. Some other children are depending on you for their education too. Given that you need to pay special attention to each autistic child makes it compulsory for you to seek help.

Tip No14:foster independence

Some autistic students can be genius. Some might have abilities that do not fit into the conventional type of school. You must allow the students to express themselves in whatsoever way they chose.

Also, learn to teach the students to engage in some activities on their own. Such activities include sweeping the classroom floor, watching their hands, etc.

Tip No15: make the child laugh

There is healing in laughing. When you do things that can make the child laugh, it improves its emotional state and consequently its mental abilities. This is yet another simple but very powerful tip.

Tip No16: Leverage Technology.

One of the difficulties of the autistic child is understanding oral language. So if at all they must hear you must speak very slowly.

Conversely, children with autistic disabilities process what they see in a wonderful way. Visual Support such as Computer Sofware, Video Books, or Video games can be of great help to these children; below are some images of such materials.

<<You can purchase them from the original creator website at modelmekids.net>>

Tip No17: be aware that children with autism are more literal

You must avoid abstract languages as much as possible with a child with this disability. So, when you say things like, “Pick up the pace” and your other students know you want them to walk faster, the autistic child will be looking for something called “pace” that he should be lifting from the floor.

Tip No18: Beware of sensory issues

Children with autism are either over-sensitive or under-sensitive to sensory stimuli. You must be aware of this when dealing with them!

These children can overreact to stimuli such as lighting, perfumes, electrical appliances, music, car noise, etc. If you can discern that, try to avoid such stimuli around the child.

Tip No19: Eliminate Potential Stress Sources

Children with autism re-adapt difficultly. When they have gotten used to something, they don’t like shifting away from the usual routine. So take it easy with them when it comes to making changes in their daily activities.

Never instill the fear of you in such students. Remember, positive reinforcement is far more effective than threats or punishments. Focus on building a positive learning environment where they feel safe and comfortable.

Tip No20: make them sing

Since those children communicate with difficulties, singing might be a way for them to express their emotions. Make them sing, or sing for them.

Some kind of music can even stimulate them mentally.

Tip No21: engage with drawing and computers.

Children with autism prefer to engage with practical things such as computer classes, art, or drawing. You should be aware of this and leverage those abilities to foster communication with them.

Tip No22: make verbal instructions shorts:

Sequencing the instruction is an ability that you must develop as the instructor. Students with this disability cannot remember more than a 2 sequences instruction.

Tip No23: teach him/her social skills

Directly teach social skills. Social Skill comes with a curriculum with pictures, behavior, interaction, etc. THose Pictures can be gotten in books, videos, or computers.

Tip No24: Avoid sensory overload.

You should first know what the sensory load comes from. Some of the sources include smells, noises, and light. Do not expose the students with autism to these sensory loads at the same time. They can overact to that.

Tip No25: use my Teacher’s greatest cure of autism: love.

Love is the cure of every evil under the sun. It was easy for me to follow Mrs. Buhman’s instructions. I knew she loved me and care about me. I loved her back. I endeavor to please her and yielding to her care, little by little I was getting eased up by the negative effect of my mental condition of the moment.

As you can see most of the things concerning teaching a child with autism have to do with the teacher having good communication skills. The teachers must not how to communicate with words, with gestures, with graphics, etc.

A lot of patience is needed for a student with autism. Every trait of the character teacher has to do with love. If you truly love the child and the child is persuaded of your love, you have solved more than 50% of the Problem. In my own case, Mrs. Buhaman’s love helped me to get back to a ‘normal life’.

<< If you are in USA, Europe, Canda or Australia, Click here for more practical resources about autism>>

Sources and Additional References:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder. Retrieved from cdc.gov: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html.[]

Iowa Department of Education. Talking to Parents About Autism. Retrieved from educateiowa.gov: http://educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/Parent-Factsheets_April2010_Autism.pdf.[]

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. What are the symptoms of autism? Retrieved from nichd.nih.gov: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/autism/conditioninfo/symptoms.[]

Baily, A., Couteur, A.L., Gottesman, I., and Bolton, P. Autism as a strongly genetic disorder: evidence from a British twin study. Psychological Medicine, July 2009, 25(1), pp. 63–77.[4]

Landrigan, P.J. What causes autism? Exploring the environmental contribution. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, April 2010, 22(2), pp. 219–25.[5]

Montes, G., and Halterman, J.S. Characteristics of School-Age Children with Autism. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, October 2006, 27(5), pp. 379–85.[6]

National Autistic Society. Autism facts and history. Retrieved from autism.org.uk: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/myths-facts-stats.aspx.[]

Mayes, S.D., Gorman, A.A., Hillwig-Garcia, J., and Syed, E. What causes autism? Exploring the environmental contribution. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, January 2013, 7(1), pp. 109–19.[]

National Autistic Society. Autism facts and history. Retrieved from autism.org.uk: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/myths-facts-stats.aspx.[]

Ibid.[]

Loomes, R., Hull, L., and Mandy, W.P. What Is the Male-to-Female Ratio in Autism Spectrum Disorder? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, June 2017, 56(6), pp. 466–74.[]

Bargiela, S., Steward, R., and Mandy, W. The Experiences of Late-diagnosed Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions: An Investigation of the Female Autism Phenotype. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, October 2016, 46(10), pp. 3281–94.[]

Do you need more resources ( Blanket, Tools, Books) to help that Autistic Child? Watch these videos.

Disclaimer:

This article may contain affiliate links. Clicking on them and buying recommended products can accrue to the author some affiliates commissions at no additional cost to the buyer. Your purchase will immensely contribute not only to the betterment of autistic children n but also to the perpetuation of our mission to help families with autistic children. We wish the concerned child well and pray that our good Lord heals him and makes him lead a prosperous life.

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