Autism Awareness Day (Lessons for a School Counselor)

"Nobody gets me because nobody else in this school has autism!"  one of my sweet students yelled in my counseling office one day.  I froze for a moment and sat down on the futon in my office.  "You are not the only student in this school with autism."  "Who?!  Who?!  Just tell me who!" he continued, still agitated.  In that moment, I knew two things.  I needed to find a way for my kids on the spectrum to not feel so alone.  I needed to find ways for them to connect to other students with the same challenges.  I also needed to do more to educate all students about different disabilities in my school. They don't understand people that are different from them.  They don't understand a kid with ADHD, if they don't have it.  They don't understand a kid with an emotional behavior disorder, if that's not something they have experienced.  The hard part is that students and their families are protected by confidentiality under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).  I couldn't go into a classroom and say to explain to students that "he does this because he's on the spectrum and here's how you can help."  At least not without the parent and student permission.  I began to contact parents to get permission to connect them to each other.  A few weeks later in my office, I gathered six students with sensory processing disorders and/or diagnosis' on the spectrum.  I let them talk to each other and ask questions.  I asked them "What can we do as a school to better support you?"  We ended that time together with older students paired with younger ones to mentor and me with a list of things they thought I could do to support them (many of which are on hold amiss the COVID-19 pandemic).

For one student (picture with permission) in particular, he wanted me to help him to educate his class about autism.  He and I planned a "lesson" for his class.  We read the book, "All My Stripes" by Shaina Rudolph.  In the book, the zebra has an "autism" stripe.  It makes him different and his classmates do not understand.  They don't understand why he hides under a desk and covers his ears when everyone gets really loud.  My sweet "J" explained to his 2nd grade class that when they get really loud, it hurts his ears and that is why he needs his noise cancelling headphones.  He shared how he sometimes has a hard time starting conversations with them at recess or lunch and that he can get overwhelmed sometimes and have a meltdown.  He explained that sometimes the things they do or say really upset him.  We also talked about the strengths of autism, just like in the book. For example, he has a great memory; he is a hard worker; he is very sensitive and cares deeply for others; he is very logical and values routines.  We sat on the carpet with his classmates and they asked him questions about autism.  They shared ways they felt they could relate to him.  They showed empathy.  And, this sweet boy hugged me and said, "Thank you" after we finished our lesson.  And, I said to him, "thank you"!  You helped me see something that you needed and it is my job to help to meet your needs at school.  Thank you for helping me to do my job better.

If you are looking for books to read to explain autism to others, here are a few that I recommend:
"All My Stripes" Shaina Ruldolph
"Uniquely Wired" Julia Cook
"Nathan's Autism Spectrum Superpowers"Lori Yarborough
"The Girl Who Thought in Pictures" (Story of Temple Grandin) Julia Finley Mosca

While you are spending some time at home right now and likely watching movies, here are some good recommendations of movies about kids with autism.  It's a great time to talk with kids about showing empathy for those that are different from them!
Temple Grandin (TV-PG)
Rain Man (Rated R)-Probably acceptable for teenagers. Mostly for language.
Please Stand By (PG-13)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (PG-13)
Wonder (The character is not autistic, but there's a similar message) PG

Note:  This story and "J"'s picture are shared with parent permission.