Rachel's

From the group work my friends and I have done, I have learnt and understand better Autism/autism spectrum disorder and children who is having this disability. From the group findings, “They find it difficult to express their emotions and thoughts…” tells me a lot on autism as having difficulty to express emotions and thoughts, meaning that children who has autism lack social and emotional skills. The lack in these skills causes them to have difficulty interacting with their friends. The negative impact on the classroom is due to lack of social and emotional skills is that teachers may find it challenging to handle autistic child because their behavior are unpredictable and it requires a lot of time and effort for them to establish a relationship with the child. At the same time, other children may be judgemental towards this child and unwilling to befriend with the child because the child is “different”.

Based on my reflections, the positive impact I would bring into the classroom is perhaps to create an environment where distractions such as bright lights and loud sounds are prevented as they may interfere with learning or comfort. In curriculum aspect, I would also explore a variety of sensory environment with the child to determine which one is most conducive to learning since some children learn better when moving or using their hands, while other children may require silence in order to concentrate. As for the curriculum, I would try to plan a similar area of interest where the children are interested in to improve attention and focus during activities. It would also be helpful if I use pictures and other visual aids during teaching, as children with autism are visual learners. Lastly, I will also ensure to have consistent and fixed routines so children with or without autism will feel secure, as even the slightest disruption in schedule can cause tantrums. Most importantly, it is to be patient with both the child, and myself so that I could help the child to reach his/her fullest potential.

In conclusion, I feel that everyone has an opportunity to learn together despite whether the child has a disability or not. In the case of having a child with disability, it is important for the teacher to be understanding and responsible by planning activities like having to read stories to normal children about autism for them to understand and accept that could include the child in, despite any challenges faced.