Autism Acceptance Month – A teacher’s perspective

16 March 2021

16 Mar 2021

April is Autism Acceptance Month.

Emily Grisold is a prep teacher at our specialist school, St Paul’s College, which supports children with a wide range of intellectual, physical, profound multiple and sensory disabilities, including autism.

Here, Emily shares her insights on working with children with disabilities and what she would like to see change within the community to better support children on the autism spectrum.

What made you want to work with children with disabilities?

I love the unique connection I am able to forge with students and their families. And the ability to support students holistically through their learning journey.

What do you love most about your role?

I love working as the prep teacher because it is such a privilege to be involved in the first year of school. I’m able to work with parents and students during a milestone year and see amazing growth.

What are the challenges of teaching someone on the autism spectrum?

It can be difficult to make school and our wider community an accessible and safe place for all of our students.

What are the rewards?

It is really rewarding to persist with a child at something really challenging and see progress. It’s always great to get a glimpse into their perspective of the world.

What is something you’d like the general public to know about autism?

We need to listen to and amplify the voices of people with autism. It is important to give them the platform to advocate for themselves and educate the wider community on how we can make the world more accessible.

Do you think there’s anything special/unique about how St Paul’s supports children living with autism?

As St. Paul’s supports students with a diverse range of disabilities, all students are approached as individual learners. It’s not about the diagnosis, we focus on the child.

To find out more about St Paul’s College, visit: https://vmch.com.au/services/st-pauls-college/our-school

Written by VMCH – March 16, 2021 – View a range of our articles here.

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