In Australia, most autistic students attend mainstream schools. One in 100 people are on the autism spectrum, although scientists’ views on this vary. The key for teachers, says leading autism researcher Liz Pellicano, is knowing autistic students individually – especially so the teacher can adapt their teaching.

Professor Pellicano has recently joined Macquarie University’s Department of Educational Studies and the esteemed Autism CRC’s team of researchers. She says most schools have at least one autistic student and most teachers will have, during their career, an autistic student in their classroom.

“And what my work is consistently showing is that relationships are crucially important; like any student, autistic students value relationships with teachers who take the time to understand their needs and are accepting of differences, however challenging.”

The nature of the condition

Autistic students may have particular difficulties with listening, self-expression, communication and working with others.  They share only broad characteristics, varying widely from one another.

“Because autism is complex, mainstream teachers can lack confidence supporting autistic students, and this is not surprising,” Professor Pellicano says.

Autism affects how someone interacts with and experiences the world around them. And difficulties can lead to problems with learning or becoming a target for bullies.  There are ideas for classroom teachers on the Autism CRC Resources for teachers website.

The word ‘spectrum’ reflects, Professor Pellicano explains, how individuals with the same condition present with huge variation especially in language, intellectual abilities and degree of autistic features.

Everyday challenges

There is no doubt greater awareness of autism by school professionals assists autistic students. Professor Pellicano says research interviews show that such understanding helps students and she offers, as an example, some comments from the mother of an autistic boy in high school.

“A parent mentioned her son needed ‘help with time because he didn’t understand what ten minutes was, or five minutes was, but could read the clock’ and so she thought specific information might help him pack up at the end of class and be ready to move on to the next classroom,” outlines Professor Pellicano.

The parent had felt that towards the end of a lesson, addressing everyone and not singling out her son, the teacher could give some reminders. Perhaps indicating, by using the classroom clock, how close it was to shifting time and reminding students about packing belongings, even mentioning specifics.

Autistic students can become anxious or overwhelmed when needs, such as time for preparing or getting organised, or sensitivities, for example to sound or light, are not recognised or provided for. Other difficulties for autistic students might include taking turns, understanding social rules, managing new routines or applying skills in a new setting. In addition, there can be challenges communicating their own or others’ emotion, brainstorming and problem solving, and processing sensory information.

A teacher with awareness of both an individual autistic student and the condition generally is better able to use professional judgement, and more likely to be able to distinguish between disruptive behaviour by choice or disruption linked to autism.

Strengths, good links and great aspirations

Autistic children can have exceptional memories, or strengths with focus of attention or processing visual information. They can develop passions for activities, books or drawing. And it’s important for teachers to recognise these strengths.

We must be ambitious even for those children who appear the most challenged, says Professor Pellicano.

“Even without exceptional talent, being autistic can be compatible with significant achievement and learning – autistic students who have faced really difficult challenges can still go on to university or excellent careers. They just need the right support and understanding.”

Working in partnership with parents, often an enormous source of knowledge about an individual student, is helpful for teachers.  Good teacher links with families or agencies assists the autistic student’s wellbeing and can prevent difficulties.

Research directions and the CRC

Professor Pellicano’s research is about understanding the opportunities and challenges for autistic children. Her focus is on inclusive research and community building. “It’s vital we find new ways of involving autistic people, their friends and families in research – it’s how we make sure research has a real impact on the lives of those who need it,” Professor Pellicano says.

Professor Pellicano will lead Macquarie’s new role as an ‘Other Participant’ with Autism CRC – the Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism, a partnership between researchers, industry, government and the autistic and autism communities. Prior to joining Macquarie University Professor Pellicano was an autism education professor and Director of the Centre for Research in Autism and Education at University College London (UCL), held research and lecturing appointments across the UK, and trained as a psychologist in Perth including a PhD on the cognitive profile of autistic children.

Improving autistic people’s lives – through influencing education policy and boosting public understanding of autism through research – is what I am dedicated to, she says.