everyone involved with the students (general education staff, paraprofessionals, etc.), including personal management training (formerly called crisis intervention) that may be needed during a behavioral crisis. Be sure staff know the ethical and legal importance of maintaining confidentiality so that these situations are not discussed in the faculty room, for example. Encourage your staff to think of behavioral difficulties
as they would academic ones and come up with different approaches to solve these challenges, rather than assume they are an unchangeable aspect of the student’s autism. By understanding what behavioral supports the student requires and what other skills need to be taught, teachers can be proactive in reducing dangerous situations and increasing appropriate behavior.
How Can You Support Your Staff Who Teach Students with ASD?
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As you know all too well, there are countless administrative responsibilities pertaining to students with autism. Making efficient use of limited resources is a challenge that relates to your programs’ overall educational philosophy and the selection of interventions with scientifically based research support. Ideally, staff training and scheduling reflect time for collaboration across staff, lesson preparation, and data analysis. Job descriptions matching the specific needs of particular students should be considered. Access to the community may involve transportation issues. Parent/ professional collaboration is a necessary component of teaching students with autism and a specific skill that may need to be built. Program implementation and evaluation involves diverse placements in general and special education classrooms. But the impact of your role is significant: it may be virtually impossible for these programs to succeed without administrative support.
teacher efficacy and retention. Teachers often look for logistical support from their administrators through scheduling (including time to plan and collaborate), consideration of class load (severity, size, and ratio), provision of trained paraprofessionals, and budgetary resources. Administrators also provide instructional support in the forms of relevant professional development, expert consultants, and suggestions of resources and evidence-based strategies. Emotional support is the final component required; your staff likely seek to have you understand the singular challenges of serving students with ASD by observing their classrooms frequently, listening to their concerns, and directing them to resources and solutions. Simple actions like allowing teachers of students with autism to request a particular substitute when they are absent (even if that is not the general school policy) can have a significant impact on the success of their class on those days. The deficits associated with autism place extraordinary demands on these professionals, and your support is critical to teacher and student success.
The quantity and quality of administrative assistance has been found to directly affect
• • • • • “Consistent professional development is the most critical component for success of my students and staff,” stated one administrator.”
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