Interview for John

1.Do you enjoy working with Autistic children?

I do, for a number of reasons. Students with autism can often
find school to be a very complicated and confusing
environment, and I enjoy being able to help them get through it
in a way that supports their learning, and allows them to also
be themselves. The students I work with also have a great
sense of humour, and are very open and honest in the things
they say, which I find very refreshing.

2.Is it easy for you to communicate with

them/how do you communicate?
Communication will always depend on the individual. Some
students are very literal in how they talk and understand
conversation, and I work reasonably well with that as Ive
always been a bit more of a literal person myself. Some
students with autism are very interested in sharing hobbies or
interests they enjoy in a great amount of detail, and that can
often be the best inroad into developing a dialogue with new
students, by showing an interest and willingness to listen to
what they have to say. Other students with autism may
however be extremely non-verbal, and interactions are very
limited to physical and non-verbal cues, however this is not
always the case; some non-verbal students can still hear and
comprehend language very well, so its important to treat them
with respect, and talk to them in the same way you would
anyone else. Theres a reason its called Autism Spectrum
Disorder, there is very much a broad spectrum of personalities
and differences people with autism have.

3.What do the Autistic children you work with

enjoy doing?
The ones I work with have quite a range of hobbies. Some of
them enjoy spending time in the mainstream area, and have

friends from other classes who they get on with well. Others
prefer to stay in our area during recess and lunch, and keep to
themselves a bit more, however this will very rarely mean that
they are lonely. A lot of students with autism will gravitate
around adults teachers and SSOs rather than spend time
with their peers. At the moment, we have one student whos
favourite thing to do is spend time on his phone, a few who
love playing Uno during breaks, and another who has taught
herself how to knit. It definitely varies.

4.What do Autistic people have in common?

Its difficult to say, as people with autism can be very different
across the board. They will generally find socialising to be an
activity that is more difficult to understand, and may require
more explanation, as there are a lot of things we take for
granted that dont come as naturally to them (body language,
idioms, metaphors, friendly teasing, sarcasm). It is also very
common for people with autism to have a strong interest in
something that will last for quite a while. A strong sense of
justice is another aspect Ive noticed; some students with
autism really like knowing the rules associated with different
situations, and dont like it when some people get away with
breaking rules and others dont.

5.Have you grown attached to them?

Ive worked in several different environments with students
with disabilities, and I have to say I would remember all of them
if I every bumped into them again, and could easily start a
conversation with them. It can be very difficult starting a new
year with different students, because you end up getting to
know the students you work with very well and really enjoy
spending time with them.

6.Do they have any behavioural patterns? If so

what are they?
The students I work with have a lot less support needs than
some people with autism, so this is by no means the standard.
Some of the behavioural patterns Ive noticed have included
one-way conversations on topics of their interest, making the
same joke on a daily (if not more frequent) basis, being unable
to cope well with changes to plans or environments, and
sometimes the need to walk/run/move in very specific and
consistent ways.

7.What systems are in place to support

As a special options unit, we are fortunate in that we can run
things rather differently from mainstream classes. While we can
be more strict on behavioural control, because often the
students we support have less internal regulation, we are able
to be extremely flexible based on the needs of individual
students. Because they students we support are less likely than
others to adapt to us, we need to constantly be able to adapt to
their needs. As such, we have greater staffing ratios than in
mainstream areas, which certainly helps when greater
supportive assistance is needed, or when complex behavioural
situations occur.

8.Are you inspired by the people you work

with? How?
Regarding the staff, I am constantly inspired by the skill and
calm they bring to their environments, as well as the ability to
adjusting their teaching and supporting styles on a second-bysecond basis depending on the student or the situation. As Ive
been working for a lot less time than many of the people I work
with, it can often feel a bit intimidating, but Ive been able to
learn so many skills, techniques and abilities from them, which I

hope will make me a better supporter for students with

disabilities.

9.Do you get frustrated with autistic kids at all?

Do you have to hide your anger? How?
Very rarely do I get actually frustrated, as often I am able to
understand what it is that underlies their behaviours. Ive found
that the better I know them, the more effective I am while
working with them. The only thing I think Ive gotten frustrated
at was one student who kept coming up to me and saying
Manah manah (from the song on The Muppets), which Id told
him many times was a running joke that had stopped being
funny about a year ago.

10.
If you were autistic how would you
expect to be treated?
I think if I had autism, I would feel like I was the odd one out. It
would be nice if people didnt assume I understood everything
the way they did, and were willing to explain things in very
explicit terms, without being patronising, sarcastic, or
frustrated. If I had autism with higher needs, and perhaps
wasnt verbal in my communication, I would simply want people
to let me do the things that I feel like I need to do just to feel
comfortable in a space or around people. I feel that these are
often things that are no great imposition on most people,
however are often forgotten or deemed unimportant to do.

11. Do you work with other non-autistic

special needs children?
Yes, I currently work with quite a variety of students. A lot have
Autism Spectrum Disorder, however there are also a couple
with Down Syndrome, some with more general intellectual
disabilities, and some even with no diagnosed disability, but

can have complex behaviours, including having experienced

trauma.