This is a mantra I keep repeating every minute when dealing with ASD students. It is a phrase that has put me on edge but it is slowly teaching me the self-discipline I need to have and bring in each of my interactions with people on the autistic spectrum. After a while from teaching and being around these students, I realized how my tolerance level was always tested.It takes a whole lot of patience and perseverance to stay reserved and maintain my composure in front of children who are unlikely to measure the effect of their actions on themselves not alone others. It will always be tough when my students have outbursts and direct their anger towards me or point at me while causing a scene in the classroom.
These are few of the circumstances I could face and have to work on keeping my stance through. However, the toughest idea to register is the fact that they would not sense the impact of their behavior as they tend to act instantly based on what they are feeling disregarding the social context and what is deemed as acceptable behavior. As I learned not to take it personally, I started to see it from a different perspective. Although it may come off as indifference but I believe it is a pure case of genuineness. They are what they feel and they will not validate, wait for emotions to be accepted or reciprocated instead they will project it truthfully and unfiltered.
What good does it come to see an individual in this state? It allowed me to experience the intensity of emotions and how, if let out in the open, we will no longer have the “proper” image we go around showing others. If we let ourselves run wild in feeling things, a connection with any other human would be a conundrum. This insight pushed me to process any negative emotion I go through to stop myself from subliminally letting it out through passive-aggressiveness, avoidance or self-criticism. This approach helped me greatly. I started to choose my battles. I started to see which of my student’s behaviors need to be targeted and which I could overlook. Not everything deserves to be “fought” for. The purpose is to make them feel at peace with being themselves and not to battle them to be “different” or like “us”.
Recent Comments