Autism

[livingwith]

Hello everyone. My name is Amy, and I am a preschool teacher. I have a 3 year old boy in my class, that has some of the symptoms of Autism but his mom thinks he is normal. I would like some advice on what I should do.
First off I’ll list some actions, and symptoms.
This boy I’ll call him James (not real name) is a sweet boy, and fairly well behaved.
James plays by himself almost all of the time. All of the other children even the younger ones are interacting with others, except for ...Read the full article

[elaine]

Hi Amy,
I was writing and lost the posts. However my advive to you is to list the things that you feel this little boy need help in, present it to the mother and than to the psycologist within the school. This is what I do when I am trying to help the student,
I also would do my research within the school system to see whwn program is best for him. Show love, patience and understanding.
elaine, good looking out, I wish more teacher were that concern.

[nandlsmum]

Amy,

You need to list your concerns and present them to the parents. It's not your job to tell her you think it's Autism but it is your job to let her know that he is not developing in the 'Norm'. I know that most teachers that have a suspicion are usually right but as a parent (I have 2 boys on the spectrum) we don't want to be told that there could be something wrong with our kids and therefore we do tend to ignore the obvious (self preservation). She may thank you for your observations or she may be extremely angry either way you know you have done the right thing. You are not there to be her friend but to give her child the best start possible.

When my son's preschool teacher voiced her concerns I listened but I didn't really believe her. She suggested certain professionals to see and I did but with no definite answer. It was not until a few years later when I had the diagnosis and I bumped into her that I thanked her. I will always remember her for the caring way in which she brought this to my attention and I know that my initial response probably frustrated her but she planted the seed. She will remain an important part of my son's journey and diagnosis.

Just as you would tell a parent how well their child is developing it is equally as important to tell a parent that their child is not reaching appropriate goals.

I hope this has helped

Good Luck
T