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IF ONLY PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD…….

BY LINDA HODGDON, M.ED.,CCC-SLP
Autism can be a mystery . . . a puzzle . . .
It can leave us perplexed . . . bewildered . . . confused.

Here is our challenge
We need to be detectives. Colombo and Sherlock Holmes were observers of details. And that is what we need to do. Watch. Pay attention. Look at the bigger picture.

And this is what I find
Those who really try to “learn” who these students are do learn. They figure out a lot about how individual students think and reason and understand.

Answering questions at a workshop
We were discussing how to deal with behavior problems. And we were talking about looking at the world through the student’s eyes. Answering questions like, “What could the student be thinking?” Or “What did the situation look like from the student’s point of view?” Good questions.

Then I asked one more question
I encouraged the participants to fill in the blank. They needed to think of a student they worked with and then finish the sentence from that student’s point of view.
The question:

If only people understood ___________.

Here are some of the answers:
- It takes me a long time to process what you are telling me
- How exhausting it is for me to focus for any length of time
- How hard I try to do my best
- How sensitive I am to all sensory stimulation
- I scream because I don’t know what else to do
- I want to please you
 
And more answers
- I want something and I don’t know how to ask for it
- How hard it is to sit still & attend
- How I learn best
- That I am trying my best
- How I feel when I can’t tell you something
- Why I act the way I do
 
If only people understood:
- What I want
- Why I don’t get off the bus
- Why I hit subs and teachers
- How stressful life is
- That I need breaks
- I don’t want to do that
 
And what about these answers:
- I know if you like me
- I know if you are afraid of me
- I am standing right here when you are talking about me
 
How well do these people know their students?

So here’s another question
Trying to understand what other people are thinking is a skill that students with Autism Spectrum Disorders are likely to have difficulty with. Do those of us who live with them and teach them have the ability to understand what THEY are thinking?

And one last question. . .
If we understand what our students think, how do we respond?
 
Linda Hodgdon is the author of the best seller, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. To learn more or to sign up for her FREE E-newsletter, visit www.UseVisualStrategie

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