I have made a huge shift in my thinking and knowledge about Neuro-diverse children in the last few years. This started when we got our new principal and I had an experience with one in 2021 that really changed my thinking, and I had to dig deep inside myself to understand or try to understand what they needed from me and the environment around them. It wasn't about their learning or their grades, it was about being happy to come to school and staying the day, then trying to bounce in and out of some learning. It was a massive shift and hard but so worth it for the team that I was with and that child.
Fast forward to 2022, and I have a many needs class. I knew last year that I would have one child that needed me to challenge my thinking and learn more about ASD so here I am.
I have learned so much from my fellow teacher, who has years of experience with Neuro-diverse children and is willing to share her knowledge with me. I have a fantastic principal that also has years of experience and is willing to share with me. Yesterday and today I am at a PD session called Tilting the Seesaw, which helps you understand from the child's point of view and it is done with the team that surrounds the child. We are there for them, not all the children, but for that one child and yesterday was all about understanding what it was like for an Autist. I went away wowed and understanding so much more and with a list of things that I could do to help, not just that child but all of the neuro-diverse children.
One thing that has become so apparent over the last few years, and it's that the heart of the child is the parent who just wants their child to grow up and be a part of the world, whether that is to attend school and have a good experience or go on a family holiday or even as simple as having brunch at a cafe.
You as the teacher have the opportunity to help these families make more sense of their journey. You have to be open to the fact that you are more than a teacher in a classroom for tamariki. You have the chance to change to the worlds of families. What works for autism often works for others. Let's change the environment to help all the children in our care.
