the science department clerk now in her 50s, talked about a nurturing mentor she first met as a little girl. She stayed in contact with her even into her college years.
When I was little, my father’s woman friend Mary took a lot of interest in me. She helped me feel loved when I was not getting that at home. She provided me an ear for my sorrows about my upbringing, about bullying at home and school, and about my loneliness. My mother had died when I was three, and my father and his mother raised me. Mary was the only person who made me feel like I was a special and unique person. When I went to college, I lived close enough to her to visit on weekends. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics and was an excellent student. But I was bullied throughout, so Mary was a welcome respite. I always felt safe with her.
Several mentors were teachers. These educators seemed to combine passion for their avocation, commitment to the student, and a creative approach to matching each child’s unique mind to the subject matter at hand.
Sarah, now 36 and a wildlife biologist, was eager to talk about Mr. Shanks, her middle school ecology teacher, and Mrs. Letsos, her middle school math teacher.
Mr. Shanks reinforced my budding love of nature! His positive influence encouraged my creativity. He was always enthusiastic and appreciative of me. He exposed me to ideas about ecology and also, like my father, to Native American ideas. My math teacher, Mrs. Letsos, recognized and used my growing interests in nature to help me learn. She applied math functions to shapes found in plants and animals, which was by now something I loved. So she always had my attention in class!
Cosette, who recently graduated from high school, remembers how important her sixth grade teacher was to both her and her classmates.
Mrs. Warner was the teacher that understood my autism the best. Before her, most other teachers could scarcely believe that I had autism. That’s because I seemed to function perfectly most of the time and I was very smart. But my behavior was erratic, and I had terrible fits of anxiety and outbursts of strong emotion. Mrs. Warner not only believed me, she also educated the other kids about what I had. After that the kids didn’t try to bully me or mock me for my erratic behavior like I had experienced in earlier elementary school grades. Now they were on my side and supported me through my sixth grade year.
The Mathematics of Plants—Making Science Relevant to a Student
Sarah’s science teacher, Mrs. Marilyn Letsos, has a love and appreciation of how math intersects with the natural world. Her passion was immediately evident in talking with her. She eagerly yet patiently described how nature’s spirals, such as snail shells and sunflower blooms, follow a mathematical principle known as the Fibonacci sequence, adding, “Nature is so full of wonderful mathematical phenomena. There are lots of geometric shapes in nature.”
Mrs. Letsos also recognized the value of having her students do more than listen. She had them physically experience math, which is vital for visual thinkers on the autism spectrum.
To teach how the tilt of the earth causes the seasons, I would have the students actually go out and check the time the sun came up and what time it set each day. Then they would measure how much it changed from day to day. I’d also have them go outside and measure the shadows of things such as trees and tall buildings. This taught them angles and geometry.
She had a natural appreciation for the challenges some students faced in math class. She related that she herself “hated” math as a child. On her classroom wall she displayed a large poster picturing Albert Einstein and his quote, “Do not worry if you have problems with mathematics. I can assure you mine are much worse.” Perhaps most importantly, this was a teacher who valued each child’s uniqueness and whose goal was to help students reach their individual potential.
As a child myself, I didn’t “get it” the way math was presented. But as a middle school teacher, I had to teach it! Once I started teaching it, I loved it. I loved it because it was actually fun and interesting! I realized that there are many valid ways to approach and solve a problem, and I could see how important it is to validate my students’ thinking —especially if it was original—even if it didn’t match the approach given in the textbook.
I would give them some sort of puzzle they had to work out in small groups. Each student would approach the problem differently, and that made it even more powerful because they could see how a problem can be solved in more than one way. They could also see how important their contribution was to the process, even if they didn’t come up with the final solution.
Every one of our brains is unique and works differently. But they can all make valuable contributions and we need them all! I tried to foster a personal sense of confidence and appreciation, in each child, for their own thinking process and sense of logic. My deep desire was to make their education a tool of empowerment. Otherwise, we don’t have any business keeping them in school unless it serves their self-realization. Then they can serve others and become truly orderly, productive, contributing members of society.
Getting Families and Schools to Work Together
It does take a village. If your child does not have a special “mentor” teacher, make sure you approach the school and ask for help preparing your child for adulthood. If you do not have an IEP this is much harder, so that is your first step. Once you have an IEP, generally provided under the category of “Other Health Impaired” (versus intellectual disability), then you as the parent must take the lead and be sure formal transition planning is included. This must spell out how your child will get vocational training in the form of both job skill instruction and on-the-job internships prior to graduation.
Researchers have shown that families working with schools produce the best outcome for ASD youth. Most schools don’t have formal programs, so you have to create your own. The vast majority of schools will tell you they don’t have these sorts of programs. Keep going up the chain of command to the school district. Go online for help and advice. Many of the autism advocacy groups have information on getting these resources, and another good website is wrightslaw.com, a site devoted to special education law and advocacy.
All ASD youth in high school should be preparing for life after graduation before graduation. Detailed steps should be written into their IEP by their junior year.
One study found many advantages when at least one parent and the student are directly involved with the school’s planning, and those who started one year earlier showed significant benefits. These students and their parents reported significantly higher expectations for the future, and the students had a higher sense of self-determination and a better sense of vocational decision-making ability.
One student cited in the study, Daniel, identified a goal of working in the film industry and attending college to study film or broadcasting. His planning team helped him research occupations and job requirements in the film industry, and people and organizations in his community where he could gain experience. Daniel’s planning facilitator developed an internship opportunity at the public access channel in his community. The student’s school provided an aide to support the internship, and Daniel was able to learn skills related to operating professional video cameras, lighting, and sound. In addition, Daniel was supported to write a movie review column for his school newspaper. Through these experiences, he became more aware of what he did and did not like, what supports he required to be successful, and how to communicate his needs to others. As Daniel’s mother noted, “He is able to dream, and explore opportunities, and nothing is going to hold him back.”
Mentors Can Even be Media Personalities or Superheroes
Several individuals also mentioned role models that served as inspiration and comfort, even though they didn’t know them personally. Some sources
