Teaching Kids With Autism

There are highs and lows in the world of Exceptional Education. That is true in relation to the school system but in this case, I’m referring to the kids that I work with kids with Autism. Autism is complex, challenging, and complicated. There are so many pieces to that metaphorical puzzle, and I feel like I find a new piece every day.

Ok, enough of the fancy talk.

I have a kid who really struggles with his aggression. It can be sudden. Sometimes the triggers are clear and sometimes, we have no idea what set him off. But it can be very intense. The only thing that I know for sure is that when he flips a table or knocks my glasses off my face, it has absolutely nothing to do with me. He is in crisis and does not know what to do with his emotions.

That doesn’t mean it’s not difficult to deal with and a little scary.

A Pre-Thanksgiving Crisis

Before Thanksgiving break, a particularly traumatic incident occurred.

He was in crisis and was being very aggressive. They were struggling to keep the situation safe for all. (I was still in the room with the other kids but came out as soon as they left on their buses.) When I came out, the vice principal was involved. She told me that I needed to go write a referral, he was suspended and that I needed to write it immediately because he was in handcuffs. Handcuffs!

As I rushed back to the classroom as directed, I was inwardly freaking out as a million potential scenarios passed through my mind. We have all heard the horror stories of special needs people shot when the police didn’t understand the special needs. I wrote the referral as fast as I could. I texted his Dad to update him on the situation and rushed back out.

I headed right for my student. There was no one with him besides the police officers. There was another situation that they were dealing with. (Rough afternoon, sigh.) I honestly wasn’t sure if the police officers were going to try to shoo me away, but I had no intention of going anywhere.

Disclaimer Time

Let me pause for a moment and say that I’m not suggesting that I don’t trust the police or that I think these guys were up to no good. I just didn’t know what was going on, was worried about my student and wanted to make sure that they understood that he was a child with special needs.

Back To The Story

My husband, Brian, happened to be picking me up that day which is not the norm. He knew immediately that I couldn’t leave and sat in the car patiently waiting. (He’s a good guy.) He told me later that he debated how he could help the best and ultimately thought it was best to stay out of the way.

So, I spent the next hour, trying to keep him calm and trying to keep myself calm as I hand-fed him popcorn and gave him water. Every few minutes, he would say “Ms. Parker. Help, please.”

And I couldn’t. It just tore me apart.

To his credit, the officer who spent the whole time holding him and occasionally dodging bite attempts was as gentle as he could be.

Finally, his dad came to pick him up.

Time For My Emotional Support

After my student was in his dad’s car; I turned towards Brian who had gotten out of the car in anticipation of me needing a hug. I wanted to calmly walk to him. You know, like I’m a professional teacher, still in my workplace where admin and coworkers are around? That’s not what happened. I started with a walk, that quickly changed to a stride and then a run as I collapsed into his arms, crying. It was just too much. He was in handcuffs! Handcuffs!

What Do We Do Now?

The emotional ripples were strong. I felt so broken. Another teacher emailed district explaining to them that we need more help. That calling the police should never have been needed. As far as I know, nothing came of it. One thing that I have learned about the public school system is that nothing seems to happen.

I don’t know what the solution is. All I can do is keep supporting these kids the best I can and spread awareness like I am now.

Do we need more help in the classroom? Obviously. Do these kids need more support? Yes. Do we need more help in the classroom? Maybe? Would some kids be happier in facilities like Passavant Memorial Homes, that offer specialised residential care and consistency? I don’t know.

At the end of the day, these kids have special needs but they are also just plain special. ❤️