Your Say: life at school with autism
Autism is a spectrum – it is different for everyone. Life at school with autism can look different too.
Some autistic pupils may need a little bit of support with their learning, where as others may need a lot.
Below, Jordan shares their experience of life at school with autism.
Sharing that I have autism…
“When I was at school, I always felt the need to tell everyone I met about the fact I am autistic so that everyone knew why I acted differently from other people. Their reaction was mostly that they didn’t know what autism was. So I explained it to them, in the most simple way I could.
It was probably harder to explain autism to my teachers because they would have to find out my needs for the classroom and schoolwork. But there was one teacher from secondary school who completely understood me. He was my guidance teacher and helped me with things like social skills.”
School support at the Social Base…
“When I was in school, I didn’t really feel a lot of social pressure because I usually went to a room where pupils with learning difficulties or anything similar would socialise in the school break and lunch time. It was called the ‘Social Base’ and this is where I found my best friends. We have remained friends ever since. As a result, I never really experienced my personal struggles, which are noise and the smell of certain things.
I think social bases in schools really help pupils fit in, make new friends and help with communication skills. I eventually got the confidence to leave the Social Base to socialise with other pupils, but ended up just watching people around me instead of getting involved myself.
It was probably harder to explain autism to my teachers because they would have to find out my needs for the classroom and schoolwork. But there was one teacher from secondary school who completely understood me. He was my guidance teacher and helped me with things like social skills.”
Bullying at school…
“School wasn’t exactly all sunshine as I did have to confront bullies. If school life could be made better for young people with autism in one way, it would have to be how to deal with bullies. Bullies would need to understand how they upset others. They would need to be educated that others are different in their own way and that they should not be criticised. If they are curious about someone, then the bullies should ask an appropriate question which doesn’t offend the other person.”
If you have been affected by bullying you can find more information and advice by visiting our page about bullying.
The National Autistic Society Scotland website has lots of information and advice about autism. They can also help you find out how to access support in your area or online. Click the button below to find out more.
