Brand new to autism | Autism PDD

Hello all, I just started a new job working with autistic children, and I do not have kids, and I maybe babysat once in my life. Let me just tell you I have so much respect for all of you parents out there. I am an artist so I have a tendancy to look at things very differently than most people. I am an extreme optimist. The spectrum is so varried and wide but the similarities are very distinct. Atism is so mysterious to me because there seems to be somethig there that if somehow was tapped into, everything would work out, but it is just not like that. Iunderstand the frustation you must go through because as an educator Sometimes I am so surprised and baffled at some of the things the children do, surprising me with writing perfect letters, or someone who never talks saying little words that have great meaning.(in context) These little people are so miserable sometimes it breaks my heart because I see what is inside and it just can't come out. But definite early teaching and special attention will bring out whatever positive traits you can bring out. Reading some of the parents blogs are very similar to when I am teaching, sometimes when we start working they yawn and get bored very easily, so that right there tells me that I know they know, does that make sense? But wholy cow the screachy screaming WOW!, I'm thinking of getting some earplugs. But back to the artist comment, I love quirky and funny people and some of the kids with high functioning autism have a lot of personality and are very unique and fun...ok i'll stop now thanks for listening.

Good luck on your new job:) I feel all kids on the spectrum are unique and have so much to offer..you will find many rewards helping these angels:) Read all you can..come here and seek as much knowlege as you can:) It's free! Being creative is key to keeping them engaged so you already have a good start!

Best wishes!

What do you do exactly? Welcome to the boards! Hi , I give you so much credit my son is 14 years old he has high functioning autism he has alot of issues he likes to hug people we feel being 14 that is not right were afraid someone will slap him or really hurt him . But I truly give you credit for waht you do .Hi and welcome. Its nice to see enegertic and understanding teachers. You have a hard job, glad to see you love it. My DD's aides have been wonderful. She loves them and they are very affectionate to her as well. yea, applaus to you, u do have your work ahead of you, but many of these kids, when they get older and things start to click a little more, they may look back and remember you. at that age it was rough for me, i think generally i was happy, but i would rather be alone and at times was extreamly difficult. I too hated doing school work, i had other things on my mind.

I have such a vivid memory, i can rmember that far back, the teachers and what i did. I think you can make a positive impression on many of these kids, because after all, it does not look like it now, but many of them will have a bright future, and you are helping them to attain that future.

Good luck, and welcome!Thankyou so much, yes, the kids are kindergarteners, and I would say each and every one is a different spectrum. There are 2 adults to about 2-3 kids, depending on if they are absent. It has been very interesting. I hated my other job, now I feel like I am helping people in need and it feels good to contribute to society and not just "work" some of the kids are very quiet play nicely and never cry, some scream and hit, and some talk and talk and are very interestd in everything. Some will cry and yell the whole day and NOTHING will make them feel better. It's very mysterious to me, as it is unlike any other learning disability.(the spectrum being so wide) I try to put myself inside their minds so as not to get frustrated or impatient and try to understand them. Though I have noticed that they DO NOT like to do school work, they get bored and tired very easily when it comes to thinkig and trying, I don't know if this is a commom trait or just our class, thanks for the responces.

I work as a teachers aid for an elementary school in Southern California. The entire class is autistic, some extremely severe to very mild.

Wow, thankyou so much for that bit of wisdom, I can't tell you how amazing that is to here, sometimes we are not giving these children enough credit for how smart they really are, because they can't tell us what they know or what they are feeling. A perfect example, this little girl with severe autism, does not talk and throws horrible tantrums, but she can write beautifully, and loves to do important tasks, her body language screams "I can do it"

Hey, welcome! I started out working with autistic kids as complete newbie,
too. Now I have one of my own. He's one of the "talkers" you mentioned

We also live in so cal, and have been part of the arts community for a long
long time. I'm glad to hear you like what you do. The inner rhythym of kids
with some form of autism just really resonates with some people. They just
have some visceral understanding of the "condition". I'm happy to hear of a
teacher's aide with enough curiosity to go searching for more info on a
parent's board! looking forward to your stories!

Welcome -- a new perspective is always helpful to us!

Hope you will learn as well as share your knowledge and observations. This is a great board and I have learned TONS that is not in any book or article or other types of websites!

Tell us about your work, and the kids, and how they function!