I don’t know if anyone else had a similar experience where you have had to work with children with Autism, but I might as well put this out there in case you ever need it.
I have always had a strong interest in what challenges different children face when learning. One area that I have a strong interest in is autism. I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I hope someone else on the list knows more than I do and can contribute more to this discussion. I have worked with children that are on the Autism Spectrum and this is just my experience and what I have learned. Please add, correct, etc. if you see the need to or can help in any way.
It’s hard to give such a broad definition of what autism is or how to spot it. Generally speaking, if you see these things, you may have a child with autism. This does not mean the child has autism (that can only be determined by a doctor). It also does not mean you will see all of these things in a person with autism:
–Inability to have any sort of eye contact. If eye contact is made, the child tends to look “through” you.
–Unusual hearing. They might not have any sort of hearing problems, but they are often described as such.
–Socially unaware of what to do or how to act.
–Often writes very poorly.
–Copies exactly what you write on the board. So if you write “My name is ___________.” and have 15 children in the class, you will get 14 children that fill in their name and the one child with autism that writes, “My name is _________.”
The biggest sign is a social issue, which may be very hard for us to identify as a foreign teacher, given that we don’t necessarily know the Chinese language well enough to fully understand the social dynamics of the classroom. Either way, it may take a long time really learning about autism before a person can finally look at someone and say, “It seems like that child does have autism.” Then we have the problem that we cannot diagnose it as teachers, we can only recognize certain symptoms. Many of us are used to the movie “Rainman” and have a concept of what autism is from that, but don’t realize there is a wide spectrum to Autism and there are several people on the spectrum that we would not realize as having autism.
I think the first step is to really try to get a feel for what the child is thinking. If we have a better appreciation for that, we can better know how to handle certain situations and what to do when our first plan does not work well.
If I could think of one thing that upsets a child with autism, it would have to be change that the child was not prepared for. There was a story in a book I was reading that talks about a mother taking her daughter to grandmother’s house. The child was told where they were going, she seemingly understood, but when it came to a certain intersection, the child threw a tantrum when the mother turned left and not right. Left was the way to grandmother’s house. The mother could not figure out what had happened. Then she saw a purse sitting in the back seat. As part of the child’s normal routine, every time the purse was in the back seat, it meant they were going to the grocery store. Since they didn’t turn right to go to the grocery store, something was not right.
Part of this is, from what I understand, the fact that autism causes people to think in terms of pictures. Things are the way they remember them to be…exactly. A dog is a specific dog they know. When they hear dog, they think of that one specific dog. It often takes time before they’re able to put many images of dogs together to understand that something else…a brown dog…can be a dog, too. The image in their head is that a dog is white since that is what color their dog is. A brown dog, for a long time, must simply be something else, but it is certainly not a dog. Because of this picture memory, the child will see certain things that clue him in on what is happening. Seeing that visual and matching it with the mental picture allows them to know what will happen. This gives the child a sense of security and control over the situation. Changing the situation, even though it was a mistake, means the child no longer has a sense of control in the situation, has lost understanding of what is happening, and is worried about what might come.
Chances are, you’re not taking your student to see his grandmother. So what does this mean for education? Well…there are a few things you can consider.
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With pictures, our focus primarily on nouns. So many children with autism do much better if you use nouns when communicating rather than verbs. One child in my class this semester would not sit down at times, no matter how often you would say it in Chinese or English. I finally looked at him and said, “Chair.” He sat down right away. An entire semester and I wish I had thought of that earlier.
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Picture schedules of what to expect from the class. It might help if you have pictures of a clock on there as well, but realize you should not do that unless you’re absolutely sure you will change activities at that time. In fact, don’t put anything on the schedule you’re not sure you will do.
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Made adjustments on the type of work you assign. The example above about the child writing exactly what you write on the board is a classic example. Language (not just a foreign language) is very abstract and complicated for children with autism. Their discussions often have a lot to do with them repeating what they have heard someone else say. Their ability to process their own thoughts is not necessarily there, even in higher functioning adults where it seems like it is.
Other things to consider:
**Never force eye contract. For many people with autism, eye contact may NEVER happen. Imagine being stressed over recognizing change then having to look at the part of the body that changes constantly and never really seems to stop moving at all.
**There is a reason for many behaviors we find strange. Some of the reasons may have been taught. Others may not be, but don’t discount behaviors at all. It’s often a way of communicating. I read a funny story about a child with autism that could not understand the word “I,” so he asked his speech pathologist what I is. He said, “Anyone who can pound his chest can call himself ‘I.’” Later on, the school teacher came to the speech pathologist and said she thinks this student might have problems because he keeps staring at her chest. Ends up he stared any time the teacher said, “I.” 
Unfortunately, there are factors we cannot necessarily control:
–Florescent lighting in the room is often very disruptive to children with autism (imagine asking your buxiban owner to take out the lighting and replace it).
–Chinese teachers hitting the child because he cannot communicate effectively.
–Distractions on the wall.
–Classroom seating arrangement.
–Curriculum and syllabus.
–Loud classrooms next to yours.
–Blue trucks driving by outside.
–Lack of parental understanding of what the child’s needs are.
I decided to stop writing the list. The point is, a buxiban is not necessarily a good place for a child with autism. It is, however, $7000 in the owner’s pocket, so don’t expect it to change any time soon. I just thought a discussion about how to help make the situation better for the child would be a good thing to start. Thoughts? Ideas?
Matt