Imagine you are in your high school chemistry class, wedged between the edge of a square lab table and the chilled, metal spine of your chair. The professor is droning on and on about the upcoming lesson, but your eyes wander around the room, bouncing between each of the nauseatingly bright and corny posters. The static buzz of the warm overhead lights does nothing to drown out her booming voice. You rhythmically tap your pencil against your desk and observe the faces of your classmates. Most seem just as bored and preoccupied as you, but one, you notice, sits with their eyes squeezed shut and hands tugging at the ends of their hair in visible distress. Like most high school students, you probably can not recognize the signs of sensory overload, nor are you educated on neurodivergence enough to know that this student could have autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder refers to a broad spectrum of cognitive differences that can present challenges in a person’s sociability, communication skills, and behavior. Since this form of neurodivergency manifests in an innumerable amount of ways, the needs from person to person varies greatly. Secondary students with autism have to navigate a uniquely strenuous landscape during their education, and in many cases, they do not receive proper accommodations from a school’s faculty nor full support from their peers. Teenagers with autism face unique difficulties in both educational and social settings, and it is the responsibility of everyone involved in the schooling system to be helpful towards and understanding of the specific challenges neurodivergent students face, like sensory perception issues, language difficulties, and communication barriers.
In the physical classroom, students with autism encounter distinctive obstacles. One of the most overlooked complications of having autism is experiencing deficits in sensory processing; sensory overload occurs when a person’s five senses are receiving more input than their brains can process. An average high school classroom can be both inhibiting and overwhelming to students with atypical needs. Many professionals find that students with autism find it easier to learn visually; however, as students make the shift from elementary to secondary school, lessons tend to become more lecture focused. Accredited Schools Online quotes Jessica Leichtweisz, CEO of Hope Education Services, as saying, “This type of instruction is not well suited to children with autism, who often have a difficult time understanding the information presented. For this reason, as children with autism get older, it can be far more difficult for them to keep up.” In a similar vein, students on the autism spectrum can have trouble communicating with their peers and educators, especially when students who have this issue are in an unsettled environment with people they cannot feel unworried with. Being forced to participate in activities or lessons that are not engaging can lead to attention difficulties, and this can result in students being labeled ‘bad kids’ by teachers who do recognize the symptoms of their cognitive difference. In addition to these issues, students on the spectrum often find challenges in navigating the complicated social environment that is secondary education.
Even the most mundane of social activities can be strenuous for teenagers with autism. For starters, the possibility of sensory overload limits the environments each individual person is able to comfortably spend time in, as well as what functions they can attend. While collaborating with Judith Newman for an article about his experience, Gus, a 16-year-old with autism touched on the language barriers he experiences. He explains, “Also, I always mean what I say. This is called being literal minded, and it means that it’s difficult for me to understand puns, riddles, or figures of speech.” Literal mindedness can cause disconnect between two people having friendly conversation; people with autism can be perceived as rude due to their bluntness or unfunny due to their not understanding certain jokes. Impatience from neurotypical people worsens the strain people with autism endure in social situations. Fortunately, there are ways for peers and educators to ease the stress of the day-to-day life of students with autism.
A multitude of steps can be taken by faculty and fellow students to accomodate the needs of each student with autism at their school. All around, a better job needs to be done of educating the school’s community on neurodivergency and what it truly means to have autism. Students can be provided with information about how they can manage their personal sensory output, and requirements for both teachers and staff members to receive training on how to recognize and respond to the needs of students with autism. All teachers should be informed on the best methods of instructing neurodivergent students, and it needs to be encouraged that they do not dismiss the benefits of visual instruction for older students. Most importantly, patience and compassion needs to be shared by everyone in the community to cultivate a safe, inclusive environment where students with autism can flourish.
Each piece of an educational environment’s ecosystem has to do their parts to ease the strife of students with cognitive differences. With autism specifically, teenagers face a number of unique issues, including problems with verbal communication, overstimulation, and socialization. People who have Autism Spectrum Disorder have been ‘othered’ by the American secondary education system for far too long; they are often bullied by their classmates and dismissed as being weird by their teachers. They, like all students, deserve to be provided with circumstances that they can thrive and fulfill their potential in. If everyone in their lives showed a bit more consideration and kindness, the lives of high school students with autism could be improved drastically.
I really like this, I was always labeled as the weird kid and later, ahaha guess what I’m autistic. I received no accommodations in my school because I was “too smart” to be a special needs student. The link between having a mental disorder and being dumb needs to be broken.
Continue to shine light on heavy topics, Ms. Knotts. You are appreciated and we see you.