Homeschooling with Autism - Helpful Info & Tools for Autistics, Parents & Homeschoolers by hanlie_wentzel

Last updated: 6.02.2022

Autism (Asperger’s) – Helpful Info & Tools for Autistics, Parents & Homeschoolers

Baobab Consulting

Hanlie Wentzel BA Psychology (US: 1995) BA (Hons) Social Work (US: 1996) Trauma-informed Art Therapies Counselor

079 877 8678

hanlie.baobab@gmail.com www.baobabtherapy.com

A quick introduction: Who am I? Disclaimer: All the info shared in this document has been researched and compiled by me. I use information from credible sources that you’ll find at the end of this handout. This is to be used for psycho-education purposes and is not my intellectual property, but rather a compilation of many autistic voices. I hope I do them justice.

I am a fellow homeschool mom (autistic adult) that have been homeschooling our two autistic children for close to a decade. As I am trying to forge my own way, my hope is that the milestones and markers I found along the way may also proof useful and helpful to you. I am also a Social Worker and Trauma-informed Art Therapies Counsellor with many years of experience, but I have been homeschooling full time for a very long time. (I was only diagnosed in my late 40’s and only after our 2 children was diagnosed.)

I use the terms Neurodivergent and Autism interchangeably. Neurodivergent is an umbrella term that includes Autism. It is often referred to as ND, our NeuroTribe, and we are called Neurodivergents. Neurodivergence also means people with Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD/ ADD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, OCD, Tourette’s, Tic Disorders, Developmental  etc. Some have co-occurring conditions like Depression, Anxiety, Gender Dysphoria, Language Disorder Alexithymia etc.

NEURODIVERSITY – NEURODIVERGENT - NEUROTYPICAL “Neurodiversity is a term that was coined in the late 1990s by Judy Singer, an Autistic Australian sociologist. It refers to the many natural variations that exist within human brains. Neurodiversity describes a group of individuals that includes both typical and atypical neurologies. Neurodivergent was coined in the early 2000s by Neurodivergent K of Radical Neurodivergence Speaking. It includes all neurological variations that diverge from typical, including Autism, ADHD, epilepsy, mental illness, learning disabilities and others. And finally, the term neurotypical arose among the Autistic community shortly after neurodiversity became a common term. It includes those neurologies that fall within the realm of typical.” The Neurodivergent Teacher (McAlister Greiner Huynh https://reframingautism.org.au/flourishing-in-education/) In an article by Reframing Autism (Reframing Autism, 2022b: Neurodiversity-affirming language: A letter to your child’s support network) autism is defined as “a neurological difference in the nervous system which begins in utero and makes autistic people think, move, interact, sense and process atypically or differently to a standardised norm. Neurodiversity is a term that refers to the rich diversity of human minds and is an undeniable aspect of the biodiversity that is found in human beings.” Also functioning labels are harmful to the autistic community. We are all autistic. Autism is not a disease and it does not have to be cured. I am definitely against all ABA therapies. For more info on why ABA is harmful see: https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/aba/ Please Note: Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder includes Asperger’s, since the new DSM-5 and ICD-11 Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer a separate diagnosis. As you all know, “When you met one autistic person, you met one autistic person.” So, this is definitely not one size fits all. But rather a process to find the right fit for your precious children, to help them thrive, experience the love of learning and find joy in their homeschool journey. When neurodivergent children are accommodated, when their support needs are met and they can live and learn in an autism-friendly environment; then they can truly thrive, fulfil their potential and live their dreams (in their own unique neurodivergent way… happily stim dancing to the beat of their own drum).

1. Introduction to Autism Statistics & Prevalence of Autism 

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About 1 in 44 (2%) children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to estimates from CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network. [Read article] ASD is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. [Read article] *ASD is more than 4 times more common among boys than among girls. [Read article] About 1 in 6 (17%) children aged 3–17 years were diagnosed with a developmental disability, as reported by parents, during a study period of 2009-2017. These included autism, attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder, blindness, and cerebral palsy, among others. [Read summary]

(*ASD in girls are often overlooked and under diagnosed, so this may not be accurate.) Sourced from: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, December 2). Data & statistics on autism spectrum disorder. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

Autism in South Africa There are currently no reliable prevalence studies indicating figures in South Africa (due to stigma, lack of access to medical interventions, under-diagnosis, over diagnosis, cultural misperceptions; etc.). A leading researcher in South Africa based at UCT estimates that approximately 2% of our population is affected by ASD. Sourced from: Gov.za. 2022. World Autism Awareness Day 2018 | South African Government. [online] Available at: <https://www.gov.za/speeches/world-autism-awareness-day-2018-30-nov-20171112#:~:text=A%20leading%20researcher%20in%20South,Autism%20can%20be%20managed.> [Accessed 31 January 2022].

1.1 What are Autistic people like? It starts with the basic, foundational idea that there is nothing wrong with us. We are fine. We are complete, complex, human beings leading rich and meaningful existences and deserving dignity, respect, human rights, and the primary voice in the conversation about us. -Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking. Autism is a brain difference that is basic and fundamental to who we are. Autistic people develop differently to non-autistic people. Autistic individuals think, move, interact, sense and process differently to what people might expect. We are atypical in a world that expects people to be typical. Autistic people have qualities that make us like other autistic people. Just like everyone else, autistic people have strengths and struggles. A person may be incredibly talented in some areas and completely disabled in others. The spectrum is not a sliding scale from one extreme to another, but more like an audio equalizer with different levels for different areas of life. Autism is not a disease or an illness. So, it is not curable or fixable. It can be challenging, though. But we think the challenges often come because other non-autistic people don’t understand us or make us feel welcome. The challenges come because the world is overwhelming. We need to change the frame through which we view Autism.

We want to dare that overwhelming world to lose the accepted stereotypes about Autism; and the stigmas; and the prejudices. We need to change the lens so that we see the strength in Autism and the value, and the beauty.

1.2 What should you call us? “Person with autism”    

Person First Language (PFL). Used by mainstream society. Autism is an unwanted affliction, a negative thing that we should “not allow to define us”. The person is separate from their autism.

“Autistic person”    

Identity First Language (IFL). Strongly preferred by the vast majority of autistic adults. Autism is not something to be ashamed of; it’s a neurological difference, not a disease. Autism shapes who we are to such an extent that we can’t be separated from it even if we wanted to (which most of us don’t).

Autistics can identify however they please. The majority support Identity First Language, but any autistics can choose to use Person First Language.

1.3 What is Autism? Autism is a developmental disability that affects how we experience the world around us. Autistic people are an important part of the world. Autism is a normal part of life, and makes us who we are. Autism has always existed. Autistic people are born autistic and we will be autistic our whole lives. Autism can be diagnosed by a doctor, but you can be autistic even if you don’t have a formal diagnosis. Because of myths about autism, it can be harder for autistic adults, autistic girls, and autistic people of colour to get a diagnosis. But anyone can be autistic, regardless of race, gender, or age. Autistic people are in every community, and we always have been. Autistic people are people of colour. Autistic people are immigrants. Autistic people are a part of every religion, every income level, and every age group. The communities we are a part of and the ways we are treated shape what autism is like for us.

There is no one way to be autistic. Some autistic people can speak, and some autistic people need to communicate in other ways. Some autistic people also have intellectual disabilities, and some autistic people don’t. Some autistic people need a lot of help in their day-to-day lives, and some autistic people only need a little help. All of these people are autistic, because there is no right or wrong way to be autistic. All of us experience autism differently, but we all contribute to the world in meaningful ways. We all deserve understanding and acceptance. Every autistic person experiences autism differently, but there are some things that many of us have in common.

1. We think differently. We may have very strong interests in things other people don’t understand or seem to care about. We might be great problem-solvers, or pay close attention to detail. It might take us longer to think about things. We might have trouble with executive functioning, like figuring out how to start and finish a task, moving on to a new task, or making decisions. Routines are important for many autistic people. It can be hard for us to deal with surprises or unexpected changes. When we get overwhelmed, we might not be able to process our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, which can make us, lose control of our body.

2. We process our senses differently. We might be extra sensitive to things like bright lights or loud sounds. We might have trouble understanding what we hear or what our senses tell us. We might not notice if we are in pain or hungry. We might do the same movement over and over again. This is called “stimming,” and it helps us regulate our senses. For example, we might rock back and forth, play with our hands, or hum.

3. We move differently. We might have trouble with fine motor skills or coordination. It can feel like our minds and bodies are disconnected. It can be hard for us to start or stop moving. Speech can be extra hard because it requires a lot of coordination. We might not be able to control how loud our voices are, or we might not be able to speak at all–even though we can understand what other people say.

4. We communicate differently. We might talk using echolalia (repeating things we have heard before), or by scripting out what we want to say. Some autistic people use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate. For example, we may communicate by typing on a computer, spelling on a letter board, or pointing to pictures on an iPad. Some people may also communicate with behaviour or the way we act. Not every autistic person can talk, but we all have important things to say.

5. We socialize differently. Some of us might not understand or follow social rules that non-autistic people made up. We might be more direct than other people. Eye contact might make us uncomfortable. We might have a hard time controlling our body language or facial expressions, which can confuse non-autistic people or make it hard to socialize. Some of us might not be able to guess how people feel. This doesn’t mean we don’t care how people feel! We just need people to tell us how they feel so we don’t have to guess. Some autistic people are extra sensitive to other people’s feelings.

6. We might need help with daily living. It can take a lot of energy to live in a society built for nonautistic people. We may not have the energy to do some things in our daily lives. Or, parts of being autistic can make doing those things too hard. We may need help with things like cooking, doing our jobs, or going out. We might be able to do things on our own sometimes, but need help other times. We might need to take more breaks so we can recover our energy. Not every autistic person will relate to all of these things. There are lots of different ways to be autistic. That is okay! Autism affects how we think, how we communicate, and how we interact with the world. Autistic people are different than non-autistic people, and that’s okay.

1.4 We have Special Interests Many autistic people have very strong interests, which we call special interests. For example, some autistic people have a special interest in trains. They think about trains a lot, and know a lot more about trains than other people. They want to spend most of their time thinking about trains. There are all kinds of special interests. It might be something big, like science, or it might be something smaller, like a favourite band or homeschooling or how different personalities work. Sometimes, special interests only

last a little while. You might only have a special interest for a week. Other times, you could have one for a few months or years. Some special interests stay with us our whole lives. It

gives us joy!

There might be times when you have no special interests, and there might be times when you have a lot of special interests. All of this is normal. Special interests are good, because they make us happy! We can use our special interests to help people, and they can be useful in our jobs. Special interests are really important to most autistic people.

1.5 We struggle with Executive Functioning Executive functioning is a group of skills that help people stay on track. Staying on track means things like: ○ Following a plan ○ Starting something new ○ Stopping what you are doing ○ Remembering what to do next ○ Moving on to the next thing Autistic people can have a hard time with executive functioning. It may be hard to make a plan for what to do, start something new, or stop what you’re doing. It may be hard to remember what you want to do. Executive functioning problems can feel like being lazy, but having problems with executive functioning is not being lazy. You are not lazy. People with executive functioning problems want to do something, but we might not be able to without help. Executive functioning is hard for us. We might need extra support, and that’s okay! It’s okay to need help.

1.6 We experience Meltdowns and Shutdowns Meltdowns are when an autistic person can’t control our feelings, and they happen when someone gets too stressed. People having meltdowns might scream or cry, run away, or lose control of our body. Shutdowns can also happen when someone gets too stressed. A shutdown is when someone stops being able to do anything. We might not be able to talk or move. Meltdowns and shutdowns feel scary to autistic people, and they can look scary to other people. But they don’t happen on purpose, and they are not the same thing as tantrums. Autistic people can’t control when we have a meltdown or shutdown. It is helpful to think of it as a panic attack because that is what it feels like.

1.7 We Social Mask / Camouflage Social Masking or camouflaging of autistic characteristics in social situations is a common social coping strategy for children and adults with autism. First, motivations for camouflaging include fitting in and increasing connections with others. Second, camouflaging itself comprises a combination of masking and compensation techniques. Third, short- and longterm consequences of camouflaging include exhaustion, challenging stereotypes, and threats to self-perception. However, many individuals with autism also report extensive anxiety and depression, especially those with average-to-high levels of IQ and language abilities (Lugnegård et al. 2011). Anecdotal evidence suggests that an individual’s camouflaging can impact their mental health (Holliday-Willey 2015).

Where camouflaging is unsuccessful, strenuous, or if the person feels forced to camouflage, it may be associated with high stress level, low mood and low self-esteem. In addition, the pressure to maintain successful camouflaging may lead to anxiety for individuals with autism.

Camouflaging is not necessarily a beneficial behaviour, and should not be regularly expected or encouraged for individuals with autism, as this may risk increasing mental health problems. For further reading see: Hull, L. (2017, May 19). “Putting on My Best Normal”: Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Springer Link. Retrieved January 31, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5?error=cookies_not_supported&code=96c6fd8651ff-4859-83d9-18d5818682d9 Watch this video from Neurodivergent Rebel: Camouflaging Autism – What is Autistic Masking? https://youtu.be/QXbfUdHzo9c

1.8 Other Thinking Differences we may have There are lots of ways autistic people think differently. Here are a few: 1.

Autistic people can notice small things that other people don’t notice. We can notice small mistakes that other people don’t see, like typos. 2. We can pay a lot of attention to things other people don’t think are important. 3. We can have very good memories for facts, like facts about our special interests. 4. Many autistic people like routine. We might like things to be the same every day, or to eat the same foods every day. It helps us to know what will happen each day. 5. Change can be scary for us, since things being the same helps us stay calm. Knowing what’s coming helps us make sense of our lives. 6. Autistic people sometimes think in black and white. For example, things are either good or bad, we either like or dislike people, or we either can or can’t do something. We can sometimes think inbetween, but it can be hard. Black and white thinking can be a good thing. For example, we know when something is right or wrong, and we can help people do the right thing. 7. Autistic people learn things differently. We might learn things in a different order, like learning “hard” things before “easy” things. 8. We might be great at one thing and bad at another thing. 9. We might not get something, and then suddenly get it weeks later. 10. We might need to learn some things very slowly, and other things very fast or we might need to learn something more than once. Because we learn things differently, we can solve problems that other people can’t!

1.9 Functioning Labels are Harmful to us Being labeled “high-functioning” means your needs get ignored. Being labeled “low-functioning” means your strengths get ignored. Modifiers like mild/moderate/severe are similarly problematic. Autism levels, such as Autism Level 1 or Level 3, are equally problematic for the same reasons. So what do I call my child? Just autistic. Autistic is great!

Instead of functioning labels, I (and the current DSM-5) refer to someone’s support needs. Support needs can vary from day to day. When speaking about autistic kids and adults, they might have: o o o o

High support needs. Daily support needs. Occasional support needs. Name specific supports they need.

People’s support needs are not a binary or a line. There are hundreds of traits that each individual person, autistic or allistic, needs zero to a lot of help with. “Asperger’s Syndrome” has been removed from the DSM as of the DSM-5. It has been integrated into Autism. This is because Asperger’s Syndrome did not accurately reflect a distinct neurotype from Autism. Being “at risk” for autism is not only a functioning label, but is also a deliberately vague description of no diagnostic value.

1.10 What about the Aspies? Asperger’s Syndrome is no longer a separate diagnosis – we are all autistic. A Special Note on Asperger’s Syndrome Autism Spectrum Disorder in the DSM-5 and the ICD‐11 incorporates both childhood autism and Asperger's Syndrome from the ICD‐10 under a single category characterized by social communication deficits and restricted, repetitive and inflexible patterns of behaviour, interests or activities. While it may be confusing that there are two systems for diagnosing mental health disorders, the important thing to remember is that the DSM-5 is primarily used in the United States while the ICD is used internationally and for insurance coding purposes. I just want to add a special note and some extra information here – because a lot of people still distinguish between Autism and Asperger’s. The other reason is that often Asperger’s may be more subtle and harder to identify and is often only diagnosed in older children and teenagers. For a lot of autistic (Asperger’s) women especially, they are often only diagnosed as adults, or when their own children are diagnosed, they realize that they have the exact same autistic traits and autistic support needs as their children.

Read more here about Asperger’s, dr. Tony Attwood is a well respected author and activist: https://tonyattwood.com.au/what-is-aspergers/ https://tonyattwood.com.au/what-is-aspergers/austistic-girls-and-women/

Also see The Autistic Advocate: https://theautisticadvocate.com/2020/01/aspergers-syndrome-whats-in-a-name/

1.11 Seeking a Diagnosis You may be referred to the some of the following professionals. Make sure that you find someone who specializes in Neurodiversity (and do not support ABA), since a lot of autistic children and adults are often misdiagnosed for years with other disorders. I recommend the Neurodiversity Center, they have an amazing multi-disciplanary team, see: https://www.neurodiversitycentre.co.za/ 1. Paediatrician: A pediatrician is a primary care physician interested in your child’s overall development. 2. Paediatric Neurologist: This medical specialist investigates how the brain and nervous system function in children. Neurologists look for seizure activity and coordination problems. Because 25% of teenagers with Autism develop epilepsy, the neurologist may recommend an EEG for your child. An EEG produces a visual record of electrical impulses discharged by brain cells. An EEG test is painless and carries no risk; however patients must remain still for extended periods of time. Therefore the neurologist may recommend that your

child receive a general anaesthetic which carries some risks. 3. Psychologist: A Psychologist studies human behaviour and learning. 4. Child Psychiatrist: A child psychiatrist looks at many of the same areas of behaviour and learning as a psychologist. The difference is that a psychiatrist is a medical doctor with the ability to prescribe medicine and integrate information about its reactions. 5. Speech Therapist: A Speech Therapist assesses hearing and evaluates whether your child’s speech and language difficulties derive from Autism or another disorder. This information comes from analyzing a child’s speech and language. 6. Audiologist: An audiologist is a trained clinician who tests for hearing loss. Audiologists have experience with sophisticated equipment and techniques for evaluating hearing in even very young children.

Here are a few more considerations: Try to identify someone who knows about Autism and agrees to coordinate your child’s program. Be sure this is someone who doesn’t have an interest in one treatment or another. Be aware of people offering "cures" for Autism. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand. You have the right to understand and agree with decisions affecting your child. Weigh the value of any test against your child’s tolerance and well being. Is the information you may obtain worth the trauma to your child. Never sign permission for any tests you find objectionable to your child’s best interests. Watch out for self-fulfilling prophecies amongst professionals. Some specialists rely on previous reports without conducting their own evaluation. Remember; the most important reason for seeking a diagnosis is to receive guidance in helping your child.

2. Homeschooling & Autism Homeschooling is a beautiful and gentle way to create a specialized, self-paced, asynchronous, child-centered, delight-directed, rich learning environment where you teach autistic children in the way they learn. The parent can create an environment where autistic children are loved, respected, celebrated and grounded. Where their autistic support needs are met. Where the accommodations they need to thrive are in place and adapted as they grow, change and mature. You can nurture the love of learning and produce lifelong learners and independent, unconventional, atypical dreamers, thinkers, artists, philosophers, musicians, inventors, writers, scientists, coders, engineers, doctors, therapists – free to be their authentic selves. You can create a space where character development and academic development are equally important because you are educating the whole child. Because your child is already a person. You have the flexibility and freedom to custom fit their education around their: Neurotype & Neurodivergence ND Support Needs & Accommodations Special Interests & Delight Directed Learning Temperament & Personality Profile Intelligence Styles & Learning Styles Sensory Profile & Sensory Diet Academic ability School exit of choice (NSC/ IEB / GED / Cambridge/ American High School Diploma) Career Interests & Pathway. As you all know, “When you met one autistic person, you met one autistic person.” So, this is definitely not a one size fits all. But rather a process to find the right fit for your precious children, to help them thrive, experience the love of learning and find joy in their homeschool journey. When neurodivergent children are accommodated, when their support needs are met and they can live and learn in an autism-friendly environment; then they can truly thrive, fulfil their potential and live their dreams (in their own unique neurodivergent way… happily stim dancing to the beat of their own drum).

2.1 Bringing Them Home & Autistic Trauma Often when we finally decide to bring the children home, things may get worse for a while before it gets better. And that’s okay. One of my absolute favourite autistic advocates is Kristy Forbes, she is just an amazing storehouse of riches. She has an excellent blog post on School Trauma: Tuning into the language of behaviour, see it here: https://www.kristyforbes.com.au/blog/thelanguageofbehaviour?fbclid=IwAR2BFohvsSk5QTgIcv5khtgz_cSWVMBmMM5-aALGMtIBJb_HSehMF-5Iqg “For many of us, when we withdraw our children from school after prolonged challenges within that system, we expect that our children will begin to do better at home. This isn’t always so. Our children do the best they can, in survival mode. Survival mode can look like a child who smiles through each day, who wants to be at school because they love being with their friends (many children with a PDA autistic profile are socially motivated) and who reports that the incidents the teacher has called us about “aren’t that bad”.

As parents, we hang in there. We take our cues from our children and what they convey about their experience. And, when for whatever reason that compels us, we withdraw our babies and bring them home; we begin to see changes we weren’t prepared for, we often begin to sink into profound guilt and self-blame. When a person is no longer in survival mode and the ability to relax is available to them, change takes place. That change can often be the processing of distressing experiences and the emotions that our brains and bodies have stored away while in survival mode. This is called trauma.“ {Quoted from https://www.kristyforbes.com.au} Give them time to heal. Give them time to de-school and rediscover the love of learning. Time to find themselves again and the freedom to be themselves without the exhaustion of constant social masking. The homeschool environment is actually fantastic for autistic kids and they will soon find their equilibrium and thrive. I am not saying everyday will be moonshine and roses, no toxic positivity here! There will be challenges, you are home educating a disabled child with special needs after all. But this environment, your choice to create a safe space for them to delight in learning – it will be your gift to them.

2.2 What are Autistic Support Needs? There are some things that all autistic people have in common: we all have autistic support needs. We all need accommodations in order to thrive and be joyful, just because we are living in a predominantly neurotypical world. Most of us struggle with things like Executive Functioning, Sensory Regulation, Mood Regulation, Interoception, Alexithymia, Context Blindness, Social Masking, Meltdowns, Shutdowns, Autistic Burnout, Face Blindness, Time Blindness, Misophonia, Selective Mutism, etc. Autism is not a disease and therefore needs no cure, but it is a disability and some of us have more support needs and some of us have less. Ableism hurts us. Gaslighting hurts us. See this link for more info on Ableism: https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/ableism/.

2.3 They deserve Accommodations “Article 2 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines reasonable accommodation as ‘necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden, where needed in a particular case, to ensure to persons with disabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equal basis with others of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.’ With respect to the right to education, reasonable accommodation means ensuring the specific support needs of learners with disabilities are provided for so that they are able to equitably participate in learning alongside their peers.“ {Quoted from: http://www.included.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2546_IESA_EU-Factsheet-08_ReasonableAccomodation-WEB-1.pdf}

See this great article on Accommodations for Autism: 21 Best Recommendations for Learning https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2021/04/12/accommodations-autism/ “While I can’t list every single accommodation under the sun, I’ve covered some of the most

important. I’ve broken them up by categories: sensory, language, social/behavioral, executive functioning, and learning accommodations. Since not all autistic children experience the same range of disability in each area, you can pick and choose which will work best for you & your child.“ {Quoted from https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2021/04/12/accommodations-autism/}

Most autistic people thrive in a quiet, structured, neat, ordered and predictable environment. Once again, we are not all the same, especially those that have both Autism and ADHD.

School Support & Homeschool Accommodations What are social awareness and communicative difficulties? This combination of difficulties centres on a lack of social, interpersonal and emotional awareness sometimes combined with obsessive and inappropriate behaviours. It may be associated with difficulties of imaginative thought, and can be characteristic of autism.

How will this affect my child? o o o o o o

Your child may find it hard to make friends, and to understand how other people are thinking. He/she may find it hard to know how he/she is expected to behave in different circumstances. His/her speech may be a little unusual. Your child might be very dependent on certain routines, and find any kind of change distressing. He/she may tend to take things very literally, and sometimes seem tactless. He/she may have some special interests that are almost obsessive.

Advice for the homeschool / classroom: Environment:  Create a calm, predictable and consistent working environment – change, especially unexpected change, can be very hard for him/her.  Keep the pupil’s arousal level low, and minimise sensory distractions.

Classroom Management:    

Recognise that unstructured ‘fun-time’ can be hard for him/her. When necessary, intervene calmly – and always non-confrontationally. Emphasise structure and predictability. Modify tasks to build on the pupil’s strengths.

Interaction/Developing Understanding:  Be very careful to ensure the pupil understands what is expected of him/her.  Use simple language, and keep all communication as simple as possible.  Address the pupil directly by name – he/she won’t necessarily realise that instructions for the whole class are meant for him/her too.  Recognise and take account of his/her limited ability to interpret social cues or subtleties of speech and language.

Do not pressure the pupil into social situations.  Help him/her to interpret situations – and don’t be surprised when he/she gets it wrong.  Expect him/her to be very literal in how he understands things.  Accept that the pupil may show some quite rigid and obsessive behaviours – try to limit rather than stop them.

 Use pictorial and visual cues whenever possible to explain tasks.  Allow for solitariness – the pupil may feel very exhausted by others.

 Encourage independence, decision making and change – but do so very carefully, and step by step.  Encourage the pupil to think about and understand him/herself.  Accept him/her for what and who he/she is, and don’t expect change – a quote from an autistic child: ‘I need help to grow into this, not out of it.’

Motivation and Self-esteem:  Let the pupil know you are aware of his/her difficulty, and that you are sympathetic – but that you have high expectations.

 Be specially generous with praise and cautious with criticism. Praise can be a natural motivator as long as the child feels the praise is genuine and deserved. It is important to let the pupil know why he/she is being praised rather than just to provide praise.  In a behavioural reward system with extrinsic rewards such as stickers or points, the child can easily see why he/she is being praised. This can be an effective motivator, as long as the rewards are meaningful and appropriate.

School issues: Ensure that all the pupil's teachers know about the difficulty and understand its implications. Good communication between home and school is important to ensure consistency. I personally LOVE the Autism Checklist of Doom form The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism compiled by Shannon Rosa and Autistic Science Person. It is a great list! See printable version here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14a3Jm0b9gPoPpDsGCi89J7JVKPbxrJCu7LxmDHiL2Q/edit?usp=sharing “This checklist is for all autistic people, whether they can speak or not, and whether they have

intellectual disability or not. That doesn’t mean every item will be appropriate for every autistic person; you can look through it and see which things might apply. The list is also not meant to be comprehensive; we will probably add more items in the future—and welcome feedback—but we had to stop somewhere.” See this great advice and short presentation from The Neurodivergent Teacher and Reframing Autism: Reframing Autism: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQw9hdH-1bnx8lvH50UjDUg The accommodations your child need will be specific to them and will depend largely on their Neurodivergency, co-occurring conditions (co-morbidities), Sensory Profile and Sensory Diet. Figuring out what your child need to thrive is essential in creating an environment that accommodate their autistic support needs.

How do you do this? I recommend getting a formal diagnosis, although self-diagnosis is valid (a lot of people just don’t have access to a diagnosis or cannot afford it) it will empower your child and validate their support needs in a society that are unfortunately predominantly neurotypical, prejudiced and ableist. You gather as much information on autism that you can from various sources, this is called psychoeducation. When you know better you do better. You find the Autistic Community (usually online but if you a lucky a local support group) and your child’s Neuro-Tribe. You listen to autistic adults. Professionals are great but the lived experience trumps academic expertise. I believe we need both. A great Facebook group to join is “Ask Autistic Adults – Resource for Parents of Autistics: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2138776736451241/

Strongly consider getting your child the medication they need to function. Forget about stigma. You wouldn’t deny a deaf person a hearing aid. You brace yourself for the teenage years because puberty is extremely disruptive for autistic teens. Get your child the help and support they need. Prepare your child for puberty and realize that they need neurodivergent sex education. See more info here: https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/autistic-teens/ Determine your child’s Sensory Profile and Sensory Diet. All autistic people struggle with sensory regulation (hyper or hypo sensitive) this will empower them to self-regulate and minimize and manage meltdowns and shutdowns and prevent autistic burnout. It also helps with PDA, since it is triggered by anxiety and sensory overwhelm/ disruption. I would strongly recommend getting help from some professionals that specializes in Neurodiversity (and not ABA). Like The Neurodiversity Center https://www.neurodiversitycentre.co.za/ and benefit from their training https://training.neurodiversitycentre.co.za/ I think the moment our children are diagnosed with autism we as their parents become Autistic Advocates in our sphere of influence. It just happens. We have to fight against ignorance, ableism, prejudice, stigma and harmful stereotypes. We do our little bit to make the world a better place for our all neurotypes.

2.4 Autism-friendly Homeschooling “Homeschooling is all about educating the whole child.

The Charlotte Mason method is based on Charlotte’s firm belief that the child is a person and we must educate that whole person, not just his mind. So a Charlotte Mason education is three-pronged: in her words, ‘Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life’.“ {Quoted from https://simplycharlottemason.com/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/} My personal homeschool philosophy is based on the Charlotte Mason Method and an individualized, delightdirected, faith-based, child-centered approach. This can take the form of whatever your child needs to learn, it may be eclectic homeschooling, living books, online homeschooling, boxed curriculum, blended learning. What works for someone else may not work for you and your unique child. There is not ONE right way to homeschool – no matter how passionately someone believes their way is the only way. YOU HAVE TO FIND THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOUR CHILD. Read more about different approaches to education here: https://cathyduffyreviews.com/homeschoolextras/approaches-to-education or take this Homeschool Philosophies Quiz: http://eclectichomeschool.com/homeschool-philosophies-quiz/ to find your preference. If you need more help then I recommend Dynamis Learning, see: http://www.dynamislearning.co.za/curriculum.php Charlotte Mason and her approach to education is widely followed and loved in the homeschool community. There are a lot of homeschool curricula and resources that are based on Charlotte Mason’s Method and Philosophy. This approach is also very efficient when you have to create an “Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life” that is truly child-centered, self-paced, delight-directed and that cultivates the love of learning that produces a lifelong learner that can think and learn independently. No wonder that this is also a wonderful and efficient way to create a rich and autistic-friendly learning environment where you have the freedom to tailor fit it to your unique child’s neurodivergency, temperament, intelligence styles, learning styles and career pathway. For more detailed information on the Charlotte Mason Method see: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/2018/09/03/the-charlotte-mason-way/ There is a wonderful rainbow of curricula options to choose from when you are creating a custom fit education plan. What worked for us may not work for you. And that’s okay. Take your time to look around, try out different curricula and see what fits. Some places to look for curricula options and reviews: 

https://cathyduffyreviews.com/ – Cathy Duffy has been reviewing curriculum for the homeschooling community since 1984. She also reviews other resources she believes are important for those interested in



homeschooling, education, the origins debate, and related political and spiritual topics. While we stretch beyond homeschooling, our primary goal always remains the same: To help families successfully educate their own children! https://www.thehomeschoolhub.co.za/thh-curricula-directory.html – For homeschoolers, by homeschoolers. Hub Curricula Directory. A unique showcase of some of the best homeschool curriculum & resource providers available to South Africans.

This works really great for primary and middle school (if you follow the US pathway) or up to grade 9 (if you follow the UK or SA pathways). Homeschooling high school may proof to be a bit more challenging.

2.5 Homeschooling High School Homeschooling your autistic teen doesn’t have to be the mountain that you die on. Yes, it may prove to be challenging and you may have to re-evaluate the way that you homeschool. But it is just a different phase and you can equip yourself with the knowledge and the skills that you need to facilitate it effectively. Be aware of Autistic Burnout (https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/boundaries-autisticburnout/) and make sure your child has the support and accommodations they need to thrive. Puberty is very disruptive for an autistic teen’s mood regulation, sensory regulation and neurochemistry. They may be more vulnerable to co-morbidities like depression (self harm, suicide ideation) and anxiety; and struggle to come to terms with their sexuality (sexual orientation) and their gender identity. Read more here: https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/autistic-teens/ Hopefully by this time you have already succeeded in cultivating the love of learning and your child is an independent learner that already has an idea of their career aptitude and career path. A vision and a long term goal will motivate them to learn and work towards reaching their goal. There are different Matric Pathways available to homeschoolers in South Africa. See detailed info here: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/matric-pathways-sa/ There are currently 4 pathways to a matric (NQF 4: National Qualifications Framework Level 4) qualification in South Africa: 1.    

NSC (National Senior Certificate) of the Department of Basic Education.

2.     

American High School Diploma (Standard & Honours Pathways)

South African High School Diploma OR National Senior Certificate. For University bound students (need to pass with endorsement). Need to apply for Matriculation exemption (if student DID NOT pass with endorsement). NOTE: The IEB exam is also used with some CAPS aligned online service providers and mostly private schools. The IEB uses the South African national curriculum which is regulated by the Department of Basic Education. The IEB NSC is quality assured by Umalusi which is the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education. The IEB NSC is also an internationally bench marked qualification and is equivalent to Cambridge AS level.

The US school leaving certificate based on the US national curriculum. Equivalent Foreign Secondary Qualification. For University bound students (need to pass the Honours Pathway option). Need to apply for Foreign Conditional Exemption. The Honors American High School Diploma is equivalent to a Cambridge A level.

3. GED Test   

An alternative US school leaving diploma. South African Matric equivalent. Do not qualify for matric exemption per USAf’s requirements.

4. Cambridge Certificate    

The UK school leaving certificate based on the UK national curriculum. Equivalent Foreign Secondary Qualification. For University bound students. Need to apply for Foreign Conditional Exemption.

High School is usually a more formal phase of homeschooling, depending on your school exit. The exception being if your child will do the GED as a matric, with the GED you can freestyle your homeschooling and then just study for the GED exams. See more info here: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/2021/08/27/the-ged-as-ahomeschool-exit/ Although the GED is a NQF level 4 matric equivalent, (without matric exemption) in South Africa, it is possible to bridge the gap, see info here: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/bridging-the-gap-ged-todegree/ Once again your choice of school exit will be determined by your child’s needs, their abilities, their career aptitude and the career pathway they want to pursue. Some children want to study a competitive degree at a university, some want to travel the word or be an entrepreneur or a freelance artist or writer or a chef. Here is more detailed information on homeschooling towards the American High School Diploma: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/the-american-high-school-diploma/ Here is more information on homeschooling with Cambridge: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/homeschoolingwith-cambridge/ Finally, what has worked for us over the years were a combination of different things. I had to adapt, grow and evolve with the kids as they grew and evolved through their different developmental stages. My 2 kids are both autistic but their temperaments and interests couldn’t be more different. I had to adopt different approaches and use different curricula to fit their individual profiles. We have done boxed, eclectic, blended, online, living books, delight-directed, asynchronous… whatever they needed. They are both working towards the Honours Pathway American High School Diploma. For high school (gr. 9 to 12) we use an accredited online school in the US, Acellus Academy https://www.acellusacademy.com/specialneeds/. They are excellent for autistic children because it is self-paced, structured, and a very user friendly online platform. All tests and exams are done online at home. They have a wide choice of interesting subjects as well as AP level (university) subjects. See more info here: https://eunoiahomeschool.com/2021/08/16/how-to-graduate-high-school-with-anaccredited-ahsd-from-acellus-academy/

“For me the way forward is pretty clear. Allow more space to follow interest focused education. To use those interests as a platform to connections, future employment or at the very least, future happiness.“ {SOURCED FROM FACEBOOK PAGE: @NEURODIVE}

3. Your Toolbox: Teaching Tools It is important to collect the tools you need for homeschooling your unique and neurodivergent child. We often find these tools in unexpected places. Sometimes we borrow them from others and sometimes we have to even forge them ourselves. There are so many resources out there to help equip and empower you as a parent. Here are a few. Try them out. See if they fit. If they do, that’s great! If they don’t, that’s also good. Just keep looking and searching and don’t allow yourself to be discouraged. This is truly about the journey, and not the destination. Slow and steady, wins the race! Some places to find more tools are here:

1. Growing Hands-on Kids https://shop.growinghandsonkids.com/ and https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/ https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/sensory-activities-for-children - Sensory Activities https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/child-behavior-sensory-processing-resources - Resources https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/behavior-or-sensory-integration-issues.html - Is it Behaviour or Sensory Problems? https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/how-to-teach-emotional-regulation-skills-to-children.html - How to Teach Emotional Regulation Skills to Children

2. The OT Toolbox https://www.theottoolbox.com/executive-functioning-skills/ https://www.theottoolbox.com/category/free-resources/ - Free Resources

3. The Neurodivergent Teacher https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Neurodivergent-Teacher-Mcalister-Greiner https://web.facebook.com/theneurodivergentteacher?_rdc=1&_rdr https://reframingautism.org.au/flourishing-in-education/

3.1 Tools for Executive Functioning The following information was sourced from a free download available from: https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/

What is Executive Functioning? This is a formal description: “The executive functions are a set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one’s resources in order to achieve a goal. It is an umbrella term for the neurologically-based skills involving mental control and self-regulation.” Executive function is the ability to organize and manage our thoughts, actions, and emotions in order to initiate, sustain, and complete a task. It also helps us to plan, manage and organize time. You will find between 3 and 8 skills included with Executive Function. For the sake of this discussion, we are going to talk about the 3 main skills first and then break it down into the remaining 5 skills. There are 3 main skills that are included under the umbrella of Executive Function.

These include: – Working Memory (being able to keep information in mind for future reference, such as reading a passage and then answering questions about that passage). – Cognitive Flexibility (also known as Flexible Thinking. Being able to come up and think of multiple ways of doing something). – Inhibitory

Control (or self-control, being able to ignore distractions and resist temptations).

In short, Executive Function is like the CEO of your brain. To understand this even more, here are 6 steps your brain typically works through with good executive function skills:

1. Analyze a task. Figure out what needs to be done. 2. Plan how to handle the task. 3. Get organized. Break down the plan into a series of steps. 4. Figure out how much time is needed to carry out the plan, and set aside the time. 5. Make adjustments as needed 6. Finish the task in the time allotted. A child who struggles with these skills may have problems with the following: – Planning projects – Estimating how long it will take them to complete a project – Telling stories (verbally or written) – Memorizing – Starting activities or tasks – Remembering Children who have Autism, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, depression or learning disabilities often have weak executive function skills.

☆STRATEGIES FOR WORKING MEMORY This skill allows you to remember key pieces of information for use later on. A child struggling with this skill will often forget number sequencing or directions even if a teacher or parent just explained the steps. Strategies to help with this skill include: – Have your child teach you (practice explaining a skill or activity helps them to remember all the steps needed to complete the task). – Work on visualization skills (have your child create a visual picture in their head of what they just heard. For example, if you read a story have the children visualize the story in their heads as you read it). – Play games that use visual memory – Play card games (Crazy Eights, Uno, Go Fish, etc). – Practice active reading strategies (taking notes, using sticky notes, asking questions as they are reading etc). – Use Multi-Sensory Strategies for teaching – Help make connections (visually or verbally)

☆STRATEGIES FOR FLEXIBLE THINKING Flexible thinking allows your child to think of new ways to do something or work through something. Flexible thinking is needed in real-life learning experiences, Math, Reading, Writing, Language Learning, and studying. A child who struggles with this skill may seem rigid and have difficulty completing a task in a different way than they are used to. Strategies to help include: – Play “What’s this” Show your child an ordinary object and see how many things they can imagine it is. – Make up new rules for a game. – Find more than one way to do activities, games, tasks etc. – Teach self-talk schools (talking through a scenario, thinking out loud while problem-solving etc).

☆STRATEGIES FOR ORGANIZATION This skill helps your child to keep track of things and organize things so they can find them again easily. A child who struggles with this skill often has problems finding items, retrieving them or storing them in an effective way. Some strategies for this skill include: – Keep a family, classroom, or student calendar. – Introduce checklists. – Get ready for something the night before (laying out clothes, getting backpack ready for school etc). – Use containers and closet organizers. – Establish a homework routine (or classroom routine) – Create a homework, school room supply box. – Assign tasks or chores that include sorting and organizing items. – Clean out the clutter. – Use memory aids (such as a visual schedule or checklist). – Label and color coding.

☆STRATEGIES FOR TASK INITIATION This skill allows your child to begin a task in a timely way and not stalling or procrastinating. A child who struggles with this skill will struggle with starting a task or a project. Once they get started they are able to complete it, they just have no clue how to get started. Some strategies for this skill include: – Using a timer (visual timers work even better). – Make a goal journal. – Break down the task into mini-steps or actions (particularly if anxiety is involved because of perfectionism etc). – Visual schedules – Time-slot schedule (specific times each day for specific tasks such as homework). – Eliminate distractions (auditory and visual).

– Breathing exercises and self-talk (particularly for anxiety). – Avoid saying things like “Just try your best.” To a child who struggles with perfectionism, they hear “Only your best will do.”

☆STRATEGIES FOR IMPULSE CONTROL This skill allows your child to think through and process information before acting on it. A child who struggles with this skill will often react before thinking through a problem. They may often say inappropriate things before thinking if they should say that or not. Or they may engage in risky 20ehaviour. All children struggle with this skill in age-appropriate ways. It’s when this skill does not develop as your child grows that there is cause for concern (i.e. adulthood). Strategies for this skill include: – Have very clear, enforceable expectations (at home, in the classroom etc). – Predictable consequences when those expectations or rules are not followed. – Use visual reminders. – Encourage appropriate behaviour. – Give 5-minute, 2-minute warnings etc. Before transitions to a new activity. – Anticipate potential explosive situations and explain ahead of time what will happen and what is going on.

☆STRATEGIES FOR EMOTIONAL CONTROL This skill allows your child to control their emotions and reactions and adapt based on the environment and circumstances. A child who struggles with this skill often reacts negatively or strongly to criticism or struggles to regroup when negative things occur. They may also overreact to a situation. Strategies for this skill include: – Model healthy emotional-health management. – Avoid problem situations (if possible) – Give the child a plan when heading into a problem situation. – Use and write social stories. – Give and practice coping strategies. – Make sure your child gets enough sleep. – Read books on emotional control. – Play games that practice self-control (i.e. Red light, green light) – Calming techniques (deep breathing, quiet space/sensory room).

☆STRATEGIES FOR SELF MONITORING For this skill, a child is able to understand and know what they are supposed to be doing and evaluate how they are doing. This allows for the student to change their behaviour in order to reach the desired outcome. Children who struggle with this skill often shocked or upset by bad grades or negative feedback. They don’t realize they need to change their behaviour in order to reach the desired result (i.e. studying for a test, or finishing a project on time).

Some strategies for this skill include: – Setting the expectations for/with the child/student. – Using visual checklists or written checklists. – Using visual cues or reminders to self-monitor – Teach self-evaluation skills such as “Am I (insert desired behaviour here)?”

☆STRATEGIES FOR PLANNING AND PRIORITIZATION This skill allows a child know what needs to be done in order to complete a task, whether that task is for daily function or for a personal goal. They are able to plan out what steps need to be taken and prioritize which ones to do first in order to successfully complete the task or activity. Planning means they are able to mentally or visually map out a project (or day/week) and figure out what needs to be done and when. Prioritizing means they are able to figure out and problem solve which activities need to be done first. This includes every-day functional activities or personal goals. A child who struggles with this skill often has difficulty figuring out which part of an activity or task should be done first. They will also procrastinate throughout the day, trying to wait until the last possible minute to begin a task. Some strategies for this skill include: – Make a to-do list or checklist of tasks that need to be completed for the day – Use calendars and schedules (visual schedules can be helpful too) – Use a timer – Break down the task into smaller steps or pieces – Eliminate distractions – Tell someone else the plan (buddy system)

3.2 How to Plan Neurodiverse Educational Spaces The following information was sourced from Flourishing in Education by McAlister Greiner Huynh: https://reframingautism.org.au/flourishing-in-education/ So often autistic students are taught to blend, adapt, mask and fit in while very little is asked of their non-autistic peers to accommodate for Autistic classmates (or siblings). This leads to autistic burnout, detrimentally impacting the wellbeing, mental health and overall happiness of our autistic students. The problem herein lies not with our autistic or otherwise neurodivergent students but rather with the way the educational system treats them as exceptions to a desired standard. The only way we can expect autistic students to flourish as their authentic selves in education is by designing our classrooms, schools and places of learning with the understanding that neurodiversity is the rule, not the exception. By that I mean that all spaces we enter are filled with a wide variety of people whose brains all work in different ways. When we create spaces with that variety, with neurodiversity in mind, we allow all people to find success and flourish.

Neurodiversity, therefore, should not be an afterthought, but instead it should be at the forefront of our planning for educational spaces.

Because spaces are already designed with neurotypical students in mind, we must intentionally reflect and redesign learning environments to include the needs of neurodivergent students. There are five pieces that I believe need to be in place to begin setting our Autistic students up for success in their learning spaces. We want to be:     

designing neurodiversity-affirming rules, practices and expectations, increasing accessibility, focusing on mindfulness, prioritising self-advocacy skills and teaching self-regulation and coping strategies.

So let’s take a deeper look at each of these five concepts. 1.

First, designing

neurodiversity-affirming rules, practices and expectations.

The rules, expectations and procedures of many classrooms are so often founded in ableism and classism and racism and heterocentric norms. We cannot support our Autistic students if rules are inaccessible or if rules go against their very neurologies. Here are some suggestions for establishing classroom expectations that work with and not against Autistic neurology. 



We must recognise that all brains and bodies learn in different ways. Adults cannot tell children what their bodies should be doing in order for them to listen. Often classroom expectations for listening are based on a neurotypical-centric, ableist view. But brains listen and learn in many different ways, and educators must recognise that all ways of listening and learning are valid and valuable. We can accomplish this by decentering neurotypicality and engaging in introspective conversations with students about how their bodies and their brains listen and learn best. We also want to write classroom rules that prioritise meeting individuals’ needs. Classroom expectations should encourage students to listen to their bodies and brains and advocate for those needs. Establishing rules that prevent students from responding to the needs of their bodies, such as only allowing students to use the bathroom at specific times, not allowing students to get up and move when they need to, or not allowing students to take a break when they feel overwhelmed, all those types of rules should really be avoided. Instead, we want our rules and procedures to teach students how they can get those needs met, listening to their body and advocating for their needs. We also want to make sure we define abstract words or phrases in our rules, procedures and classroom expectations. Often rules include phrases or words that are abstract and undefined, such as “Be kind”, “Do your best work”, “Treat others with respect”. Some students, depending on age, might have a clear understanding of what these concepts mean. Many students, though, will not understand or will have a different understanding of what kindness, respect or doing your best might look like. It is important to have discussions with students about what your expectations are for those rules, as well as allowing them to express how they interpret those concepts. Finally, we want to avoid rules that police students’ bodies, tones, feelings, social and communication styles or thoughts. Rules like “Always stay positive”, “Sit with quiet hands”, “Greet people when you see them”, “Ask for things politely”. These rules are centred around neurotypicality and non-disabled experience and they fail to account for neurodiversity amongst students. The next piece of intentionally planning for neurodiversity by keeping neurodivergent students and their needs kind of at the forefront of our planning is increasing accessibility.

For education to be successful and impactful for our Autistic students, it must first be accessible. They must be able to access it. This means that we have to work to ensure we are not creating any barriers to learning for our Autistic students. Here are some ways we can work to increase accessibility for all.



We can support multiple modes of learning. We can provide opportunities for students to learn concepts in a variety of ways and provide opportunities for them to express knowledge in a variety of ways. Students should not be limited to a single method of demonstrating content mastery, such as on a written test, but rather given ways to show their understanding in a way that makes sense to them. We also want to focus on using strengths-based approaches. So often we determine how to support a student based on their deficits rather than assessing their strengths and using them to determine the real trajectory of instruction and intervention. When we focus on strengths-based approaches we reflect on the skills and areas students are successful with or already interested in to drive their learning and supports. While strengths-based approaches should always reflect an individual’s specific strengths and needs, some general strengths that might apply to many autistic students include visual processing, focusing on passionate student interests, implementing explicit learning and explicit instruction and honing in on attention to details. We can also increase accessibility by having lots of communication supports. Neurodiverse classrooms will be filled with students who communicate in diverse ways. Building communication supports into the classroom framework gives all students increased opportunities to practise communicating with teachers and classmates. Modelling communication in a variety of methods, including oral language, sign language, written language, pictures, core word boards and other methods and supports has a number of benefits. It exposes students to the many ways people in the world communicate and their equal validity, it gives students increased access to communication methods and supports that might be helpful for them and it shares the burden of learning alternative communication methods with all students, rather than only expecting autistic students and otherwise neurodivergent students to learn neurotypical communication styles without any reciprocation. And finally we can increase accessibility by providing sensory support. A student will not be able to access their learning if they are constantly over or under stimulated or bouncing back between both. A student’s sensory regulation can be supported in learning environments by encouraging exploration of self-stimulatory behaviours, by incorporating movement into learning, by providing sensory-based accommodations, by teaching students about different ways to engage their senses while learning and by allowing students to advocate for their sensory needs. The next step for really planning for neurodiversity in mind and really decentring neurotypicality is focusing on mindfulness within our classrooms. Mindfulness is an important tool when teaching a neurodiverse group of students. When we teach students to be introspective and reflective on the needs of their bodies and brains we also open conversations that both allow students to recognise their own needs and also recognise that different people have different needs. Here are some ways that we can focus on mindfulness in our learning environments.

First students have to recognise what their bodies and brains need to be successful at any given moment. 



We do that by teaching students to check in with their bodies and brains throughout the day, assessing what they might need at any given moment. Am I thirsty? Am I hungry? Do I need to go to the bathroom? Am I hot, cold or comfortable? Do I need to relax any muscles? Am I taking deep breaths? Are my sensory needs met? Teaching students to check in with their bodies regularly helps increase their awareness of their own needs and can prevent overload and meltdowns brought on by ignoring or not recognising their bodies’ signals. We also want to model mindfulness to students. My mouth is dry so I think my body is telling me it’s thirsty. I’m going to drink some of my water. Does anyone else need some water right now? I’m feeling a bit frazzled after that fire drill. I’m going to take a few moments to focus on taking slow, calming deep breaths. Would anyone like to take some deep breaths with me? Let’s do them together. Ready? One, two, three. I feel much better. Showing students that all people, adults included, need to check in with their bodies and brains regularly serves to both normalise meeting our bodies’ needs and as a reminder to check in with their own body throughout the day. We can also label mindfulness as we see it in others. Similarly to modelling and narrating our own mindfulness, we can label when we see mindfulness in others, such as students and staff, characters in books that we’re reading, TV shows or movies that we’ve watched with students or people and stories your students share about from their own experiences.



Finally, we should affirm when students make mindful choices for themselves. Acknowledge when you notice a student making mindful choices and encourage further student reflection. “I saw you take a deep breath while you were working on that really hard math problem. How did that make your body and your brain feel?” This helps make students more aware of how they’re already responding to some of their bodies’ needs and signals and it encourages them to check in with their choices and reflect on how those choices made their bodies feel in that moment and later.

We want to make sure we’re prioritising

self-advocacy skills for our students.

We all want to encourage

our autistic students to develop strong self-advocacy skills that allow them to request accommodations and support, to stand up for themselves and to ensure their needs are met as they grow into adulthood. Disabled individuals face alarmingly higher rates of abuse and this is often impacted by a lack of self-advocacy skills. However, becoming a self-advocate does not happen overnight. It takes time to grow and solidify these skills. Here are some ways we can encourage the development of self-advocacy skills in our students. 

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First, we can discuss readily available accommodations, including ear defenders, weighted items, flexible seating, space to move and pace, light filters or sunglasses and any other accommodations available for students. We can also suggest or recommend an accommodation to individual students or to the entire class. When we have a fire drill a loud alarm will go off. If you don’t like loud noises, you might want to grab a pair of our ear defenders. Or, I noticed you’re picking up and putting down a lot of items on your desk while listening. Would you maybe like to use a fidget that can help you focus? Providing these prompts can help remind students that there are accommodations and tools available to them and it also encourages them to once again practise mindfulness, checking in with their bodies and brains. Another way we can prioritise self-advocacy skills is by honouring and acknowledging all communication including refusal. The development of self-advocacy begins at a young age with a word many educators and parents don’t necessarily want to hear: no! If we want students to be able to self-advocate we have to begin by respecting what they do communicate, including their no. Does this mean students get to do whatever they want? No, of course not. But it does mean that we cannot force students to do anything that they are refusing to do. When a student is communicating refusal, try responding with wonder – I wonder why they don’t want to do or can’t do this – self-reflection – how can I change the way this is presented so the student might want to do it – and accessibility – what barriers might be preventing this student from completing this activity? When we honour students’ communication, we teach them that their voice has power, which is an imperative step in self-advocacy growth. We can also accept a variety of communication methods, even if the student typically communicates in a different way. All communication methods are equally valid and valuable, so don’t force a student to use a particular style or method of communicating, because they know better. Different communication methods might be easier based on a variety of factors, including energy level, stress level, regulation status, hormones, hunger, illness, unfamiliarity with a person or a place and others. Honouring all methods of communication enforces the understanding with your students that they deserve a say in what happens to them, no matter how they communicate that. Finally, we want to maintain the bodily autonomy of all students. This means avoiding hand over hand prompting and instruction and it means seeking consent from the student before using any type of physical prompting or touching them in any way. This means teaching students that they shouldn’t do anything that feels bad or wrong to their bodies. And it means not policing how their bodies need to move to help them feel comfortable, safe and regulated.

5. The last piece that is imperative in building educational spaces with neurodiversity in mind is teaching self-regulation and coping strategies.

Teaching how to manage big emotions is helpful for all students, but it is particularly important when intentionally creating space for neurodivergent students, because they’re navigating a world that isn’t always designed for them. They process emotions and experiences the world differently than most people, and they often don’t have exposure to neurodivergent-minded methods of regulating. There are a few things we can do that can help with that. 

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We can provide direct instruction with regular practice. Recall that autistic students have a strength in explicit learning and instruction. Self-regulation skills are so often taught and expected to be learned implicitly, but this doesn’t necessarily work for neurodivergent students. To ensure all students are gaining these imperative social and emotional skills, teaching coping and regulation strategies directly and explicitly regularly with scheduled practice while students are well regulated can help that mastery. It allows students, all students, to learn these skills when they are calm, so that they can refer back to them when they are stressed and dysregulated. Self-regulation and coping strategies should also be taught in fully accessible ways utilising a strengths-based approach and accommodating any lagging skills or areas of support. Core academic content is not the only area we need to assess for accessibility. Self-regulation and social-emotional instruction must also be accessible. We also want to teach a wide range of strategies that are representative and reflective of diverse neurologies. Decentre neurotypical definitions of regulation, self-care and coping strategies to explore a variety of beneficial tools and skills, such as sensory regulation strategies, including stimming, concrete and visual regulation strategies or interest-driven regulation strategies. And finally, we want to make sure we begin with co-regulation. Before we can expect students to selfregulate which includes identifying when you are dysregulated, determining what you need to cope or feel better, remembering possible strategies that will help, selecting an appropriate strategy based on how you feel, and using that strategy correctly to regulate yourself is a lot of steps. First we want to support them through co-regulation. Co-regulation occurs when we share our well-regulated nervous system with a student’s dysregulated nervous system to help ground and steady them. I like to think of it kind of like a lightning rod. We help share the weight of stress, we provide consistent calm, we guide self-reflection, and we can model strategies. Without that foundation of co-regulation, students cannot learn to self-regulate. This also means that we need strong regulation skills ourselves, because dysregulated adults cannot deescalate or coregulate with a dysregulated child.

So, those are the five cornerstones of creating learning spaces with neurodiversity in mind: intentionally creating space for our neurodivergent students, designing neurodiversity-affirming rules, practices and expectations, increasing accessibility, focusing on mindfulness, prioritising self-advocacy skills, and teaching self-regulation and coping strategies.

When we create spaces that are designed with neurology and neurodiversity in mind, we set students up for success, rather than waiting for them to fail. Autistic students shouldn’t have to experience failure before systems are put in place that offer them success, growth, respect, acceptance and belonging. Building our educational environments with neurodiversity as the rule, and not the exception, demonstrates to our neurodivergent students what every student deserves to sense when they walk into their learning spaces: you belong here, you are enough, you are not broken, you are worthy, you are valued, you are loved.

For more Info & Resources See a list of autism resources here https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/resources/ and this list of autism resources in South Africa https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/rainbow-nation/ and also my own contribution in the form of my website here https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/ and my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/livingandparentingneurodiversity/ and here are some great books for you to read https://lifeonandrainbow.wordpress.com/2020/12/15/book%e2%99%a1worm/ For more information and an introduction to the alternate reality of Neurodiversity you can download this wonderful ebook: welcome-to-the-autistic-community-pdfDownload See this illustrated ebook called Autistic Pride: Welcome to the Autistic Community Watch this video from Neurodivergent Rebel: https://youtu.be/e0QkgNWz_7U Ask Autistic Adults – Resources for Parents of Autistics https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CaAsbCK27iAAQ9awrFyvbyq194NXJ8FgWQIh NBrLhYk/mobilebasic Jac den Houting TedTalk: Why everything you know about autism is wrong. https://youtu.be/A1AudaH-EPM Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking. https://autisticadvocacy.org/book/loud-hands-autistic-people-speaking/ YouTube: The Loud Hands Project https://youtu.be/4iVektXsNRI More au-wesome resources: https://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/about-autism/ https://www.reframingautism.com.au/about-autism/ https://aut2know.co.za/autism-library/ https://www.autismwesterncape.org.za/understanding-autism/

For Online Training https://training.neurodiversitycentre.co.za/ https://www.kristyforbes.com.au/ inTUNE PATHWAYS: We are passionate about RADICAL ACCEPTANCE & the celebration of neurodivergence. We work toward social change that is built on a foundation of inclusion, equity & support. Our practice is FAMILY centred, with an emphasis on the need for the entire family to have their individual needs met in order to THRIVE. We are LGBTQIA+ embracing & we understand that culture, race, disability, neurotype & gender diversity all contribute to a rich & thriving society when all of our luminous qualities & values are UNDERSTOOD, and embraced.

https://calmthechaosworkshop.com/enroll/ CALM THE CHAOS This framework is built for the most challenging kids. We work with parents, teachers, and therapists dealing with children of all ages. And various behaviours such as backtalk, sibling rivalry, lying and crying. As well as more dangerous and worrisome behaviours like physical aggression and outright defiance. We’ve seen members from all over the world use the framework with neurotypical and neurodivergent children. Because remember… Calm the Chaos is designed to work WITH your unique family. So if you are a stay-at-home mom, a dad, a single parent, a working mom, a teacher, or a professional and you want to create a more empowered relationship with your child, students, or clients then Calm the Chaos is for you.

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