This course has provided me with many opportunities to engage in activities that prompt ideas towards supporting children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I have read, viewed, and listened to various videos, audio clips and texts that have extended, dispelled and confirmed my prior understandings. I have engaged in the courses forum to share my ideas and offered support for my peers using the experiences taken from both assignments and professional experience. I have used the direct readings to develop a more informed view of the Autism epidemic. As my ideas and theories of ASD evolve, I continue to realise that each child with ASD is different and requires unique attention and support. It is essential that educators of children with ASD are aware of this to prevent teachers from implementing one approach to cater for all students. Teachers must work collaboratively with the child, their family, and learning support to construct a holistic approach to education. This can include the issues faced by this child in the classroom and strategies to deal with the issues.
Furthermore, the knowledge and understanding I have acquired in this course has contributed to my growth as an educator in meeting the needs of students with ASD. Through conversing with the lecturers and the course cohort, I am able to develop a more professional outlook on issues faced by students with ASD. This includes high sensory issues, social communication, cognitive problems, difficulties in sequential processing, and coping mechanisms. Once establishing the problems faced by these individuals, I feel confident that I would be able to guide these students and their families towards meeting their needs in the classroom. Before commencing this course, my understanding of children with ASD was limited. The knowledge and understanding I have gained will contribute to my ability of fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students.
On completion of this course, I am able to identify the degree of prior understanding I had established and the volume of information I am yet to learn. Lerman, Vorndran, Addison & Kuhn (2004) state the importance of teacher preparation through extensive studies of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Both assignments have provided me with a range of theories and strategies to implement in the mainstream classroom to cater for students with ASD. I have developed a passion for an equitable education and will endeavor to create opportunities to support these students wherever possible. I believe I can take the knowledge I have acquired in this course to create a safe and supportive environment for students with ASD to feel comfortable to reach their potential. Visual, structured timetables will be exhibited in the classroom to reduce unpredictability. An array of rich resources such as social stories, prompt cards and sensory aids will be accessible to address any issues faced by children with ASD.
This course has provided me with an opportunity to extend the prior knowledge and understanding I have obtained from the course. I found it to be a beneficial experience to engage in a journey from the perspective of a child with Autism, to establish five issues commonly faced by children in the classroom and develop strategies to address these issues. This allowed me explore the various strategies available to support students with ASD in mainstream classrooms and the multiple ways to implement these approaches in the classroom. I have used this assignment, in particular, as a foundation for my preparation and skills necessary to cater for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the classroom. From here, I will continue to further my understanding of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and explore new strategies to cater for and foster the growth of these children in mainstream classrooms.