Tips to ensure autistic students receive the best support

The IIE’s Varsity College Sandton recently hosted a lecture, where new and returning lecturers engaged with the academic team and set the tone for the academic year.

Special guest and keynote speaker Claire Allen, an autism specialist, was invited to address and enlighten lecturers about the spectrum of invisible disabilities that could be present among their students.

Allan obtained her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Johannesburg formally known as Rand Afrikaans University.

She started teaching in 2000, and stopped teaching in 2012 to focus on autism-specific interventions during which time she was still working in the education sector just not in the classroom.

Allen then obtained her autism specialist title in 2016. Her passion for teaching fuelled her interest in autism in the classroom.

This includes teaching learners with severe intellectual disabilities. She believes that every learner is capable and able to excel no matter the disability they may have, each child has a voice and deserves to be heard.

Allen unpacked the importance of ensuring inclusion in the classroom and equipped the lecturers with some skills that could be used to accommodate these disabilities.

“A disability should be the last barrier to hindering a student from reaching their dreams, as it already takes a lot for the student to further their studies. It is so important that all students are treated fairly and that they have equal access to all resources and opportunities that will allow them to reach their full potential,” Allen said.

Allen went on to share tips in case a lecturer may have a student who has a disability in their classes.

Tips for lecturers to ensure they best support the student:

• It is the student first, the students are so much more than their disability. They deserve to be included in all aspects of campus life without being labelled.
• Keep up to date with the latest research and interventions for students with invisible disabilities. Follow blogs, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook pages by adults with similar disabilities. I have learnt so much from adults who have shared their perspectives and experiences.
• If you are having a hard time with a student, remember they are having an even harder time coping in your lectures or sticking to the boundaries which are put in place.
• Never talk about the student to a third party especially not in front of them or with other students.
• Lastly, involve them in their learning. Ask them (outside of the lecture room) what works and does not work for them in the lectures.

Related articles: A journey begins at the Varsity College Sandton