Autism Support Field Experience

During this field experience, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the community that is Mrs. Stich's autism support classroom.  During this time, I learned so much about how to manage behavior and be adaptable to a variety of situations.  

This was my first field in an autism support classroom, so it was very interesting to see that encompasses the autism spectrum.  It was also amazing to see how the teachers in the classroom t individualized everything in the classroom to meet the students' needs; from their schedules, curriculum, sensory diet, and even to their lunch schedule.  Every care was taken to make sure that all of the students' needs were met.  Before this field I do not think I realized how detail-oriented a teacher has to be in order to reach his or her students effectively.  

During this experience I was able to practice being just as detail-oriented as the teachers through my individualized lesson plans.  I was able to practice making my lesson plans tailored to fit the needs of the students so that they would succeed.  Though it was challenging to make a lesson that would play to all of the students' strengths and minimize hitting their weaknesses, I could tell that the more detailed tailoring a lesson had, the more the student learned and was engaged.  

The lessons which I taught were on improving social skills.  The first lesson was a small group lesson with three students who function at a similar level socially.  These students learned; benefits of personal space, how to introduce oneself, and how to walk in line.  The lesson started with a social story, which helped the students to 'focus in' on the lesson.  The rest of the lesson was based upon modeling - with myself and another teacher - and allowing the students to demonstrate what they learned.  

The second lesson was a one-on-one lesson with a lower functioning student.  This student is capable of interacting socially, but he often chooses not to, as he loves to be in control of all situations.  The lesson was about polite introductions.  To allow the student the freedom of choice, I allowed the student to choose where he sat and how he practiced the new skill that he learned.  He chose to sit in the new classroom wagon and take the wagon for a ride in the hallway and introduce himself to passersby.  I thoroughly enjoyed teaching these lessons, as it reassured me that all students can be reached and all students can learn. 

During this field experience, I was also able to observe various other professionals, such as occupational therapist, physical therapist, and the speech and language teacher.  I was very interested to see how these different sessions throughout the day wove into the students' curricula to help them become more independent people. 

I was also able to conduct a full Functional Behavioral Analysis of a student during this field.  For three days I charted his behavior on Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence charts.  After charting the student's behavior, I filled out Functional Behavioral Analysis form to uncover a possible function of the behavior.  I was very happy help support a student's educational plan, as it allows that student to grow as an individual.  

In summary, through this field experience, I learned so much about the world of special education.  I learned how to fill out official paperwork, put together individualized lesson plans, work with students of all abilities, work with challenging behavior, what to do in unexpected or difficult situations, and communicate with fellow educators about a student's needs.