inclusive education

A student participates in class, follows directions, completes assignments, and appears to interact comfortably with classmates. From an educator’s perspective, the student may seem to be doing well. Then the student gets home and is exhausted. They withdraw, become overwhelmed, or need significant time to recover from the school day. For some autistic students, the […]

Anxiety does not always look like anxiety. In the classroom, a student experiencing anxiety may not say, “I’m worried” or appear visibly nervous. Instead, an educator might see a student refusing to begin an assignment, repeatedly asking the same question, becoming upset when plans change, withdrawing from classmates, or struggling to enter the classroom. For […]

Walk into almost any classroom and there is a lot happening before instruction even begins. Fluorescent lights illuminate the room. Student work and colorful posters cover the walls. Chairs scrape across the floor. The air conditioner hums. Students talk with one another while backpacks are opened, materials are organized, and announcements interrupt the morning routine. […]

For many years, public understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was shaped by a fairly narrow picture of what autism “looks like.” Educators were often taught to recognize students who displayed obvious social communication differences, repetitive behaviors, or significant support needs. While these characteristics certainly describe many autistic students, they do not represent everyone’s experience. […]

Educators become familiar with their students’ personalities, learning styles, and routines over the course of a school year. When a student who is typically engaged suddenly becomes withdrawn, struggles to complete familiar tasks, or appears emotionally exhausted, it is natural to wonder what has changed. While these behaviors may sometimes be attributed to a lack […]

One of the most important goals of education is preparing students for life beyond the classroom. Academic knowledge is certainly part of that journey, but so are confidence, communication, and self-awareness. For students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), one of the most valuable lifelong skills they can develop is self-advocacy. Self-advocacy is the ability to […]

What looks like misbehavior may actually be sensory overload. For many students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), everyday school environments are full of triggers—bright lights, loud noises, crowded spaces, and constant transitions. These sensory experiences aren’t just distractions. They can cause real discomfort, anxiety, or distress that leads to shutdowns, meltdowns, or unexpected behaviors (National […]

When a student doesn’t speak, it’s easy to assume they have nothing to say. But for many autistic learners, especially those who are nonspeaking or minimally verbal, this could not be further from the truth. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who are nonverbal experience the world just as richly as their peers. They think, […]

The word “accommodation” can trigger strong reactions in schools. Some educators quietly wonder, “Is it fair?” while some students ask, “Why do they get extra time and I don’t?” And in some communities, there’s still a lingering myth that accommodations are a way of giving certain students a shortcut or an unfair advantage. Let’s be […]

Hallways are more than just transitional spaces between classrooms. For students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), hallways can be a source of anxiety and sensory overload. Crowded movement, unpredictable sounds, fluorescent lighting, and changing visuals can quickly overwhelm a student’s nervous system, turning what seems like a routine transition into a stressful experience. While most […]