Out of the mouths of Babes.....

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." 

 Benjamin Franklin

Well, well.... who would of thought that I would yet again find myself in front of a classroom full of Year One children.  How did I go?  I can feel the anticipation of you all wanting to know....


I had butterflies!  I was really nervous. Luckily for me, they are a beautiful bunch of kids.
This morning I was given the opportunity to visit my youngest son's classroom
and talk to them about Autism and my son's needs.  I had made a power point presentation which the children really enjoyed.  It was important to tell his peers, as many funny, normal, cheeky, boisterous stories about my son as possible.  The children in his class, need to identify with him and though he has very high needs, he loves to do all the things other kids his age do.


The children were all very polite and very attentive.  Actually my child was the one who chatted through the whole thing.... reciting phrases and demonstrating actions from the wiggles, with an occasional glance towards the power point screen to call out names of his favourite family members and of course "bowling!".   I take my hat off to his past and present teachers... he can be quite disruptive!


I heard lovely comments, relayed by the other children in his class. This almost reduced me to tears.... notice how I said almost! and we all managed to discuss a lot of things concerning Autistic behaviour. I was so impressed by the "thinkers" in the group and the "empathy" expressed by children, especially about his head butting. They were all so concerned.... worried he was hurting himself.   I hope I was effective in trying to explain behaviours my son shows.         I reassured everyone, that most of the time he does not hurt himself, but every now and again he can... and it does hurt. The important thing to remember is, that he has very caring people around him.  We talked about feeling frustrated and not being able to say what you want.  I have promised that I will go back for another visit very soon, to read a story and teach the class some sign language.  The "sign" I did manage to slip in today,  was for "lolly".... they loved it and it felt good!
All those beautiful, curious little faces, the back and forth conversation I had with them... it was so wonderful! 
I was a bit overwhelmed in the beginning. It's strange to experience this with such young minds. It has been a long time since my eldest was 6 yrs old and I've never had it with his brother. So many questions and wanting to know more. It is so encouraging, fostering a support network to surround my boy, as he grows and moves through the years. His classmates were reassured they will soon have to teach everyone else all about Autism. Their little faces all lit up.  I guess it was important to remind them of how special teaching and compassion is.  


So as you can see, it was quite successful!  I would encourage all parents, who have children with needs, to do this. It's so important and reassuring to build these foundations, with the people, who we choose, to be around our kids.  My son's teacher and I felt positive. The next step will be to copy the power point onto a CD and send it home to every family.  That way our class parents will have a better understanding of Autism and how they can support their children, if  more questions arise. 
In a small way, it is also fostering awareness within our school. 
My family needs this. My son needs this.  
The outside world can be harsh. We need to raise our children to be accepting of all differences.  They are our future!