At the Autism Show in June 2021, we heard from speakers around the world about all matters relating to autism, from schools to work and from wellbeing to managing meltdowns. Students with autism can face significant challenges in education but also have the potential to shine, as described by Chris Bonnello. Handling change is not easy for anyone, but there are ways to ease transitions for autistic people according to Matthew Wicks. Sky high anxiety levels can lead to meltdowns, but Andrew Whitehouse has some advice on ways to cope.
Supporting students with autism in education
Chris Bonnello is a writer and autistic teacher of autistic students and spoke to us about his experiences as a late diagnosed educator with ‘mild’ autism.
“I have a maths degree but I promise I have a personality,” joked Chris. “‘Mildly autistic’ doesn’t mean mildly affected by autism either.”
For him, the root of many autistic children’s problems in school stems from anxiety. His recommendation is to get to know your student’s anxiety triggers and mitigate them as far as you can. Unhelpfully, approaches to supporting autistic students can be quite generalistic in a typical school and might be more focused on helping the rest of the class than the student.
“We get to be individuals with our own opinions too,” he reminded us. “What are the patterns in a student’s behaviour that can help identify the sources of their stress? Ask the student what helps them in school and what makes them struggle.”
Schools should have a consistent and positive dialogue with parents and emphasise that the ‘home team’ and ‘school team’ all want what is best for that student. It can be a misconception how much choice the child has about their behaviour in stressful situations – it could be very little. “My anxiety was done to me by other people,” asserted Chris. “Take our concerns and anxieties seriously. They are real to us. If children can trust you with the ‘silly’ stuff now they will trust you with the big stuff later.”
Autistic children are much more likely to be bullied by their peers. Their perspectives on being bullied are not skewed or unreliable. “And even if they were,” reminds Chris, “the anxiety it causes is the same.”
Diane Ravitch said: ‘Sometimes the most brilliant and intelligent kids do not shine in standardised tests because they do not have standardised minds.’ If people think differently, Chris believes we should let them do things differently, at their own pace and using their preferred methods in order to support them to succeed.
Chris recommends that schools help autistic children find their strengths and play to them, whether those lie in academic subjects, skills based subjects or anywhere else. Let students know they are allowed to have strengths, not just challenges. “Education is not just to help students ‘get by’ but to help them be the best person they can be,” explained Chris. “Give autistic people responsibility to give them a chance to thrive.”
“Don’t forget, we can be teachers too! It often never enters the discussion that the autistic person in the room might be the teacher,” highlighted Chris. “And if this helps just one person…. then I’ll be bitterly disappointed because I was hoping for more than that!”
Handling transitions
Matthew Wicks is consultant at Beyond Autism and spoke to us about handling life transitions, whether large or small. According to Matthew, the key is to plan ahead – be proactive, not reactive. Plans should also be individualised, as no strategy is one size fits all. Finally, adapt the environment as much as you can so you can set the individual up to succeed.
For big transitions, you can try person-centred plans, multi disciplinary teams, work coaches, transition visits and social stories. Social stories are also useful for medium level transitions, for example using symbols or pictures. Social skills training, including working in pairs can also help.
For daily transitions, for example in a school or home setting, you can use visual schedules such as now/next boards. Timers for activities may help to set up consistency and clear expectations, so that finish times can be anticipated. Counting down or giving warnings of the end of the activity may help some but can also cause anxiety in others.
Pay a thought to what will motivate the person to transition from one task to another. It is not helpful to schedule the least favourite activity straight after the favourite one, for example. Practice reinforcement by praising the behaviours you want to see and ignoring or downplaying those that are not helpful. Teach the individual to proactively communicate what they want themselves, such as requesting 5 minutes more on a favourite activity themselves. The key is to ensure that the individual feels more in control, both of themselves and also the environment.
Managing a meltdown
Andrew Whitehouse is a TEDx speaker and an autism advocate. He spoke to us about the loss of control sometimes experienced by autistic people in overwhelming situations, known as a ‘meltdown’.
“A meltdown is actually an uncontrollable anxiety attack,” advised Andrew. “It is an overwhelming experience with an equally overwhelming reaction. It is completely normal to be anxious but for some this is extreme.” It is important to stress that a meltdown in an autistic young person or adult is not ‘naughtiness’ or ‘challenging behaviour’. It is anxiety communication.
There are many causes of meltdowns and they can arrive seemingly out of the blue. A meltdown might also be the culmination of a slow build of social and emotional difficulties or confusion occurring over a long period of time. For example, meltdowns can be caused by rigid thinking, perhaps if a situation does not fit with expectations or what we would like to happen. It might also be difficult to point to a single trigger or cause.
“Is it better to prevent or cure meltdowns?” asked Andrew. “This question can be complex to answer.”
We might be able to identify triggers, such as sensory difficulties in busy places. We can try to avoid those triggering situations or locations, but they cannot always be avoided without missing out on life altogether. Some medical procedures that could trigger anxiety, such as vaccinations, should not be avoided for the benefit of the person’s broader health.
Preparation and role play can help with avoiding meltdowns, as well as acclimatising gradually to a challenging situation. “You need to decide, am I going to respond in this situation, or to react?” explained Andrew.
During a meltdown, there is no magic bullet to cope with the situation. Calming strategies such as using a weighted collar, vibrating cushions or pacing can help. Working with a key person that the individual trusts may improve things, but equally a change of face, bringing a new person into the situation, can be effective. Sometimes it is better and safer to step away and allow the person to calm themselves.
“If you observe a meltdown, just be there, be the friendly face,” said Andrew. “The most important thing is to be non- judgemental, of the person affected, or their carers.”
“As a parent or carer, when it comes to managing meltdowns it is important to pick your battles. Do what you know and don’t worry about being judged if you find yourself in a public environment,” advised Andrew.
In the aftermath of a meltdown, there are several options to try, all of which are best adapted to the individual. You might want to talk it through with them and ask how you can help better next time. Distraction methods such as humour or a special interest can help them return to an even keel and cope with low feelings after a meltdown.
“Sometimes it is better just to ignore what has happened and move on,” advised Andrew. I think we can all identify with that option!
KatieGee 