Are you wondering if you are teaching autistic kids? Need to know more about symptoms as they manifest in class? Here is a list of signs and symptoms of autism to help you confirm whether you are teaching autistic kids.
This list of autism symptoms was prepared by Georgina Rayner, a highly respected advocate for autistic children, and herself a former teacher. You just know that she "gets it".
I've adapted her list slightly to separate out the red flags best noticed in school.
Parents can benefit from the list of autism symptoms as well though, and I've identified the symptoms that they will most likely notice in a separate section at the end.
Anxiety driven behaviour (fidgeting, pacing, clicking pens, mumbling, appears to be in flight or fight mode at all times)
Excessively fearful about being centred out
Unusually clingy and insecure
Frequent visits to the time-out bench, principal’s office or isolation room
Unable to go to their room and carry our a prescribed task as they forgot by the time they got there
Take forever to complete a task as everything else in the area caught their attention
Moves from toy to toy or play station to play station and does not stay focused for any length of time
Asks frequent questions but does not appear to listen to the answers
Displays unusual or no response to emotional situations
Discipline has no impact on behaviour
Unusual ability to hear - Heightened ability to hear certain noises, but unable to hear properly in slightly noisy or cavernous rooms, like gymnasium
Dislikes loud noises, prefers a quiet play area
Tells you he feels dumb or stupid
Forgetful, loses his belongings and homework
Has trouble getting started
Awkward pencil grip - pressure right through the paper
Reluctance to try or do puzzles, but may be very good at them when challanged
Unusually clumsy - an accident looking for a place to happen
Toe walking, hand flapping
Student is too verbal
Needs to learn to take their turn
Doesn't concentrate on work: unfocused, disorganized, uses time poorly
Prefers to be read to as opposed to trying to read
May be able to read at a very advanced level but still have a lower level of comprehension
Work has many reversals and is impossible to read
Chews on the front of t-shirt
Has very advanced verbal abilities and poor writing skills
May be referred to as the little professor for advanced knowledge on a subject
Creates issues of presumed competency
Hyper focus or preoccupation (space, Lego, transformers, etc.)
Unusually repetitive motor movements (hand flapping, finger twisting, whole body movement)
Tics (may include odd ones like the need to touch genitals)
Inability to take social and/or emotional ownership of behaviours - they don’t get it!
Has poor social skills and few friends, but is desperate for friends and lacks abilities to make friends
Very inflexible, has great difficulties with transitions
Unable to handle the unstructured times of the day such as recess, lunch, playground, gym class
Extreme sense of fairness
Has problems with abstract concepts and metaphors
Has little or no awareness of body in space, personal auras
Overly sensitive sense of smell
Abilities in music, art, drawing
Strong interest in technology, computers, construction etc.
Extremely tactile, likes the feel of certain things
Does not like to be touched
If you suspect you're teaching autistic kids, then the autism symptoms above will help you identify a potential autistic child in your classroom. So what do you do now?
Georgina Rayner, a former teacher, and a parent of two special needs kids, has advice for you. If anybody can help you in teaching autistic kids, it's her! This is her advice:
Another wise thing to do as soon as you identify a child with autism symptoms is to create a mechanism to create and track appropriate goals, and also a way to communicate effectively with parents.
Having a parent - teacher communication book will give you an easy way to track information. (This communication book was designed especially to meet the needs of special needs kids.)
When it comes to reporting time, a parent-teacher communication book will prove invaluable. Use it to track IEP goals, and easily track changes in the students behavior and results.
It's also helpful for transitions between classes and as a quick guide for substitute teachers.
Are you wondering if you are teaching autistic kids? Need to know more about symptoms as they manifest in class? Here is a list of signs and symptoms of autism to help you confirm whether you are teaching autistic kids. 
