Although sharing autism awareness should be a year long endeavor, I love having April as that extra reminder and prompt (see we need prompts too!) to really go hard on my push to help teach my school about autism. Education is key with any type of awareness. The less we know about something, the easier it is to have misconceptions, get the wrong impression, and be uneasy and uncomfortable about it. When we teach the other students and teachers at our schools about autism, everyone will feel more confident about engaging our students and making them a meaningful part of the school community. I encourage questions. I encourage discussion. Let other students ask the awkward questions. If you don’t answer them – they might mistakenly assume the wrong answer.
Classroom Autism Lessons
One of my favorite ways to share autism awareness is classroom autism discussions. It’s time consuming and yes you may have to give up your preps or lunch breaks to squeeze these in but they are SO worth it. Getting the chance to have the individualized communication with each classroom, answer questions, and directly teach is absolutely invaluable. There is an immediate change in the school culture following these lessons. If your school isn’t open to this, you can always pass out the handouts and share lesson recommendations with the classroom teacher. But there is something more impactful about the special ed teacher being the one to run the lesson. Students listen to their regular teacher all day – having someone new come in to talk to them makes it more important and meaningful.
Latest posts by Sasha Long, M.A., BCBA (see all)
- Planning for the Fall: Part 4 and 5 – Visually Structured Tasks and Routines - January 30, 2026
- Using TAH Curriculum for Homeschooling from a Homeschooling Parent - September 10, 2022
- Using The Autism Helper Curriculum for Homeschool - August 8, 2022
6 Responses
I like to read a book like Giraffes Can’t Dance. This is my springboard to talk about how we all have different abilities, or skills. I then share three ways the students can be friends like modeling saying “hi” and waiting for high five, or a verbal response; playing next to, or with a student at recess; or asking to be a buddy in gym class, or class game.
I give some modeling practice for the scenarios. Then, I ask for questions, or other ways they
have been a friend. This is for Primary K-3. Intermediate grades generate more examples and ideas.
Great suggestions! One of my fav books 🙂
This is an excellent resource. Thanks for putting it out there! We need people like you to help other children understand autism in our schools for the benefit of all children!
[…] Image by The Autism Helper […]
Aww thank you Lisa! 🙂
good and vibrant books