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List of contents
Forward
Acknowledgements
Introduction
What we know about autism
Co-occurring conditions
Language is important
Part 1
How I do things differently - The voice of autistic children
- Communication
- Stimming
- Social interaction
- Masking and ‘spoon theory’
- The autistic sensory experience
Part 2
Teaching autistic children: practical strategies
- Getting it right from the start
- Year 7s (11-12 years old)
- Rules, expectations and discipline
- Working with parents
- Quick wins for teaching autistic children
- Communicate with your school SENCO
- Using teaching assistants well
- More about learning
- Executive Functions and autism
- Teaching vocabulary
- Explaining concepts and links
- Marking and feedback
- Group work
- Homework
- Revision, tests and exams
- Behaviour and mental health
- Setting the scene
- What is fair to allow
- Honesty and arguments
- Meltdowns and shutdowns
- Managing spoons or energy levels
- Teaching responsibility
- Puberty and Identity
- Relationships and Sex Education lessons
- Misinterpretation, or literal interpretation
- Sensory Changes
- Personal Hygiene and appearance
- Peer Pressure
- Autistic Identity
- Gender and sexuality
- Risk taking and problem solving
- Bullying and online activity
- Transitions
- Starting secondary school
- Daily transitions
- Post 16 transitions
Part 3
Further resources and links
Bibliography
Index
About the author
Lynn McCann has been a teacher for 32 years and in that time has worked as a mainstream teacher, SENCO and for eight years was a class and outreach teacher in an autism specialist school. She set up Reachout ASC in 2014 after realising that there was a great need for good, practical, specialist support in mainstream schools. It is an independent service that specialises in autism, ADHD and PDA support, with children’s voices at the heart of all they do.
Summary
This is an accessible guide for secondary school teachers, designed to increase their understanding of autism and enhance their toolkit with practical strategies to support autistic learners. It is essential reading for all secondary school educators, SENCOs and parents supporting autistic learners, aged 11-16.
