If You Show Up, They'll Surprise You

One essential way to support students with autism is to "show up" for them. Showing up means connecting and building relationships with learners and trusting students to show us what they most need to boost their learning and social growth. Snow shares scenarios from her years as a special educator that showcase ways educators can interact and set up conditions to strengthen academic and social skills for students--especially autistic students and those with similar challenges. Strategies she describes that create productive matches between student and environment or between student and teacher are: offering freedom of movement and arrangements that address sensory needs, allowing "soapbox" moments for autistic learners to talk about strong interests, and giving emotionally stressed students "space" but following up.