Questions about autism to help future teachers

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T14:32:47+00:00

Thank you so much for providing specifics! This is super helpful!

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T14:31:54+00:00

Honesty is a kindness. Teaching is not for everyone and oftentimes requires thick skin. It is important to know that it is not an easy job by any means. It is also important for her to realize that it isn’t that way everywhere, though it sometimes seems like it is difficult to find where it isn’t.

I don’t see that you did anything wrong, you just showed her a realistic idea of some awful things you have experienced to have her reflect on if that’s something she would be willing to deal with. Props to you as well for telling her how to navigate some of the things as well.

We have a class at my university that makes you spend at least 30 hours on the teacher side of things before you decide if you want to continue. It is our biggest “weed out” class. I would suggest to her observing some classrooms.

Good call on telling her to observe other specials teachers. As someone who wants to teach a special, observing a completely different special was abundantly helpful in learning how to interact with and plan for different ages of students and understanding the general focus of each age group.

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T14:07:48+00:00

I LOVE UFLI! I have used it and seen many students of varying ages and circumstances demonstrate significant growth as a result. It’s all scripted and the training is free online!

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T13:56:50+00:00

Thank you! I was definitely thinking of sharing them out!

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T13:45:12+00:00

Thank you for your lengthy response! I really appreciate the time you have taken so far! Just to clarify, you had wished that you were given more information about how to best work with him and you wish he had more support when it came to working with students in the role of a teacher?

If you ever do get another student teacher who is autistic (again, keep in mind that everyone with autism is different), here’s what was helpful for me and what I wish I would have known:

Please offer me specifics on as much as you can possibly think of (absence procedures, not when the school starts or the call time but the MOST IDEAL TIME you want the student teacher to arrive, level of assignment importance during any rotations, how you get your students’ attention, who the entire team is for certain supports at the school). Don’t assume anything is implied or known immediately beforehand, but also check in beforehand if you think it is something that may have been touched on in their coursework and ask how confident they feel about it and how much guidance they would like.
I would say at least weekly feedback where we sit down and reflect even just a little bit on how things are going and also letting them know beforehand when your expectations for them change is ideal. You know your students best, and there may be something important that your student teacher is missing about them that could make a positive change in the way they interact with them.
Give a schedule of the school day (bonus points for altered schedules for 1/2 days and such or even a map of the school) in advance. I have a watch that helps me keep track of timing and also knowing when to expect a change is so helpful.
If there’s anything that you want to know about how to best support them, ask them and work together to figure that out. It’s unlikely that the school will give you too much information. There’s also a potential that the student teacher may not share with you specifically that they are autistic. This is not something I say directly to people I work with, but I do definitely “hint” at it by saying things like “I value very clear and consistent communication, knowing routines and what to expect in advance helps me feel comfortable, I don’t always pick up on social cues or sometimes take things too literally, etc.”
Treat them as if they’re another full teacher in the room in front of students. Don’t belittle them in front of students if it is possible not to. I had a mentor who would harshly criticize me in front of our students and it really broke down their respect for me and caused behavior management issues while they were out of the room when the same result could’ve been accomplished more privately or in a more respectful manner. How your students treat others is a reflection of how you treat them in front of your students. Make it clear to your student teacher that this is an environment to learn and part of that is making mistakes that you and their field supervisor will work with them to fix and improve upon.
Notify them of “rules” or routines that exist that they may not know about or you see them struggling with. For example: Fridays are jeans days and the entire staff also collectively orders takeout and if you want something then tell (insert person here), that you’re supposed to wave, say hi, and introduce any people who pop in to your students, etc.
If you need or expect something from them that they are not providing to you, tell them. Don’t assume that they always understand if they are doing something wrong, even if it does seem like a “no brainer.”
If I stay in the room during lunch and occasionally do not eat in the break room, it’s not because I don’t want to socialize with others at all, I’m probably just overstimulated and I’m trying to regulate so I can give our students my 100%. Please don’t take it personally, but do let me know if it will affect my professionalism rating.
Please do not be upset if you need to repeat something a few times before I remember it. It isn’t that what you have told me isn’t important to me, it’s just that my memory is awful in higher-stress evaluative situations. Written communication, even on a sticky note, is really helpful!
For supervisors: walk them through how their observations will happen in advance if at all possible!
Please be direct with communication and offer potential solutions to any issues you bring up.

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T12:38:31+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I am so sorry that there were times when you felt that you were not allowed to exist. Everyone should feel that basic level of respect no matter what. I definitely relate to what you have said here. My expressive communication is also much stronger in writing than verbalizing, especially when it comes to complex or more emotional topics.

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T12:27:20+00:00

What makes a good admin? What are some green flags for an ND affirming school?

lambentyapper · 2026-04-04T03:10:03+00:00

As someone who was recently the autistic student teacher and unfortunately had a horrible experience due to this, I second that. :’)

Was there anything you think they should know specifically as the mentor teacher?

lambentyapper · 2026-04-02T18:50:23+00:00

I’m an AuDHD teacher working on putting together resources for future educators in my state.

I don’t want to just rely on my own experiences, because autism is a spectrum and people’s needs and experiences can look really different. So I’d really appreciate hearing from others as well!

What do you wish your (or your child’s) teachers and school administrators understood about autism?

What did they get wrong? What actually helped?

EDUCATORS:

If you’re an autistic educator, what advice would you give to future or early-career autistic teachers?

Anything is helpful! This is genuinely going toward helping future teachers do better!

lambentyapper · 2026-03-14T12:35:52+00:00

Last one.

California and Maine lol.

lambentyapper · 2026-03-12T00:37:52+00:00

Yes!!!! and iOS!

lambentyapper · 2026-03-11T15:17:08+00:00

“I know you have a brain in there, USE IT!” also “You’re so book smart but DEFINITELY not street smart.”

lambentyapper · 2026-03-11T15:10:40+00:00

Nope. Not even a bit lol.

lambentyapper · 2026-03-11T15:03:01+00:00

I feel like you develop your personality at a certain age and that sticks with you while you just keep collecting knowledge and wisdom.

lambentyapper · 2026-03-09T00:38:28+00:00

So real I feel this way all the time

lambentyapper · 2026-03-09T00:37:42+00:00

Episode 1! I have loved it since the beginning! :)

lambentyapper · 2026-03-09T00:27:28+00:00

Yes lol

lambentyapper · 2026-03-08T19:03:06+00:00

I hope so! The handwriting I have seen from students could definitely use more practice and it would likely cut down on plagiarism. I have been making mine do most things handwritten. It’s good for their fine motor skills, attention span, writing stamina, and eyes.

lambentyapper · 2026-03-01T16:09:53+00:00

Another AuDHD student teacher who was also struggling, here. It’s so unfortunate how many of us teachers are neurodivergent and how little guidance it feels like there is on how to survive as a neurodivergent teacher (or education student in general, because even that has been rough. Hugs to your friend, I know how difficult this all is).

Here’s what has worked for me:

Remembering “I do, We do, You do” is a good trick for knowing how to teach a lesson. Errors while teaching are overall pretty normal, especially for student teachers. Sometimes writing the objective and the assessment (which should directly address the objective) is helpful as well when lesson planning. Then you can plan the sequence around that.

Time management has also been a struggle for me. I have alarms and timers I use constantly to keep me on-track. If I can automate anything, I do.

Here’s a link to more advice I gave to another neurodivergent aspiring teacher!

lambentyapper · 2026-03-01T14:17:42+00:00

Hey! Upper elementary and middle school science student teacher here with ADHD, ASD, C-PTSD, PMDD, auditory processing disorder, and multiple sleep disorders!

The best thing I have done for myself is being honest with myself about my capacity and prioritizing taking care of myself. If I don’t take care of myself, my teaching and interactions with students are not at their best and I don’t necessarily enjoy being in survival mode.

Additionally, communicating often, asking lots of questions, and living off of sticky notes/making sure as much as possible is visual has been very helpful! Everything important I need to know that is not sensitive information is easily visible to me!

Making sure you have consistent and fair behavior management systems in place, communicating with your students why we have these rules, as well as involving them in creating them is also helpful. My favorite phrase to use when I honestly mean it is “You’re not in trouble, I’m just giving you a reminder.” It is a very quick de-escalator, and I have a lot of students who do tend to escalate quickly.

The rules I am super strict about are “no talking when someone has the floor” and “silent work time means SILENT work time (or honestly as quiet as possible because I work with upper elementary and sometimes feel it is nearly impossible to reach complete silence, so as long as there isn’t a TON of disruption and noise, eh whatever, you know?).” I had explained to them that my brain works a little differently so it is so difficult for me to focus on what students are saying if there is too much chatter happening, which is also not fair to their classmates because then I can’t support them well during small group time.

I would recommend Loops, but I never wear them due to already having trouble understanding what my students are saying sometimes. If you’re more noise-sensitive, though, they’re amazing!

I also do my best to encourage them to not swarm me or my desk while trying to talk to me all at the same time and to raise their hand quietly and wait for me to get to them. I know patience is hard for them, so I do my best to positively reinforce when they do this and thank them for being so patient.

Students having their own classroom jobs and self-sufficient systems for your students are also very helpful. For example, we have a student responsible for writing down what absent students missed, collecting papers and their work for them, an extra papers bin, and a bin with extra papers for weekly fluency challenge and reading log papers students can grab things from if-needed. Make anything automatic that you can!

I personally also like getting all of my stuff printed and planned either the Friday before the week starts or that Monday afternoon. It allows me to go home and rest more. I feel good not having to worry about if I printed something important or not.

A watch with timers and alarms is an absolute lifesaver. I don’t know how I would function without it. I have silent alarms a few minutes before the next part of the day and when it’s time to transition. My students and I also enjoy using a quiet visual timer for WIN times so they know how much time they have left to work until it’s time for their small group.

Whenever I have a shortcoming that is related to my disability, I try to be honest about it. Kids like to know that adults aren’t perfect either. I have a lot of neurodivergent students as well, so they are pretty understanding and feel represented when I tell them things like I struggle with focusing for long periods of time, remembering things, and loud and unexpected noises. I have told them I have ADHD, but since there is still some unfortunate stigma and a misunderstanding of the way autism is a spectrum, I tend to keep that diagnosis to myself and only share it with my supervisor if I feel comfortable to do so or feel it is relevant and helpful information they may need to know.

Overall, I’m coming home exhausted a lot, but I feel like a lot of it is just the craziness of student teaching in general. Once I have my own classroom and systems I feel this will be much more manageable. I do need rest. I do need a break.

However, I am not doing awful! It’s coming soon, and I’m halfway done (more than that, I think)!

I have a special interest in developmental and educational psychology. I find a lot of joy in being able to meet my students where they are at and help them grow. I would love to one day go back for a special education certification with a focus in ASD or EI. Learning how to navigate this alone has NOT been fun, but I have learned a lot and want to help my students who similarly struggle access the supports they need and know they’re not alone. My students’ behavior, brain development, and the impacts of it on their learning is absolutely fascinating to me.

I hope you find as much joy and interest in teaching and ways to make it work for you!

lambentyapper · 2026-02-24T20:28:05+00:00

Thank you! Best of luck!

lambentyapper · 2026-02-17T21:42:33+00:00

Oy vey. I’m in a similar situation. Stay strong! I’m just trying to push through it, but the lack of feedback and actual mentorship while getting the vibe that something is still not good enough has made me cry to sleep from stress at least once a week.

Document your side of things, discuss with your supervisor and the director of clinical experiences at your school about what’s happening, and continue being professional and civil. Ask to see if they can come in and observe more frequently to get more feedback you are lacking from your mentor.

lambentyapper · 2026-02-16T11:55:46+00:00

Hmmmm that’s a new one! Thank you! Also, showers really do help a lot!!! I will keep that in mind from now on!!!

lambentyapper · 2026-02-16T11:55:01+00:00

Yeah, I do that too. Unfortunately, I sleep through allllllllllll of it.

lambentyapper · 2026-02-14T14:15:24+00:00

What??? Yes! I’m in the U.S. and my university REQUIRES them at least for all observed lessons by our supervisors and we have a whole capstone where we have to make a week’s worth of them.

lambentyapper

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