What Can Schools Do To Help Autistic Students?

With as many as one in 57 children in the UK believed to be on the autistic spectrum, it’s essential that schools do all they can to support their autistic students. This not only helps them get the most out of their learning, but better equips them for life. 

A lot of the time, the focus on supporting autistic children and young people can fall on the SEND department and teachers, but everyone in a school’s community can take steps to support those with neurodivergence. 

In fact, this is one of the most important elements to appreciate, because it allows you to consider the conversation around how best to support your autistic pupils from a different perspective. 

While support with learning is clearly important, there is more that schools can do to foster an inclusive environment for children from all backgrounds and with all kinds of differences. 

How can schools create an inclusive culture? 

Creating an inclusive culture that welcomes neurodivergence in all its forms takes time and conscious effort. A good place to begin is with specialist neurodiversity training for schools, which can help you and your team better understand the needs of your autistic students. 

It’s beneficial if all members of staff undertake the training, not just teachers and teaching assistants. This is because autistic students will likely also interact with those who work in the office, the school library and other departments during their time in education.

By ensuring everyone understands autism and other neurodivergence, there is a much better chance that these students will receive the support they need at every step in their educational journey. 

Once everyone who works at your school has a better understanding not only of what autism is, but of the variety of ways in which autistic people express themselves, they can start embedding this knowledge into the school’s culture. 

When teachers and other staff members treat the autistic children in their classrooms with empathy and kindness, those around them are more likely to do the same. 

In fact, neurodiversity training doesn’t end with the staff. It can also be delivered to the students themselves, helping everyone at your school to understand neurodiversity and how to celebrate the strengths of those with neurodivergence, whether autism, ADHD or another difference. 

This raises awareness of autism and neurodiversity more generally among those with the predominant neurotype, while also helping autistic students to be more open about their differences and any adjustments that may help them. 

How can schools help autistic students avoid masking?

Being open about being autistic is important, because many autistic people “mask”. This is a strategy they use either consciously or sub-consciously to hide some or all of their autistic traits in an attempt to “fit it”. 

Autistic people describe masking as being physically and mentally exhausting, because they are having to work so hard to override their natural tendencies. Masking can lead to serious mental health challenges, as well as burnout, and make people feel more isolated. 

Therefore any steps a school can take to encourage autistic students to be themselves in the classroom is to be welcomed. 

Rather than masking to try and fit in with what they perceive is “normal”, feeling accepted will help them get the most from their education by freeing up some of their mental and physical energy for other activities. 

What practical steps can schools take to support their autistic students? 

There are several practical steps that staff at schools can take to ensure their autistic students feel able to be themselves and get the most out of their learning. 

1. Keep routines predictable

Many autistic people struggle with unpredictability and change. They thrive when there is structure and a stable routine, so do your best to create a predictable routine for all your students. 

If you need to change a routine, either for a whole class or an individual child, make sure you give your students plenty of notice so that your neurodivergent pupils have time to adapt. 

2. Encourage special interests

Many autistic people have subjects or activities they are passionate about. By encouraging them to lean into these hobbies, you can make school more enjoyable and help them get the most out of their lessons. 

There are various ways you can do this within your school, from using teaching materials that relate to an autistic student’s hobby to help keep them engaged, to encouraging autistic students to join clubs related to the activity or interest they care about. 

3. Think about different communication styles

Consider how you can support different modes of communication by using the likes of visual aids, sign language and even devices in classrooms to help your autistic students contribute to lessons. 

Speak to your autistic pupils to understand their preferred method of communication so that you can tailor lessons and activities to them when appropriate.