How a classroom autism aide can make all the difference for your child

Those of you who have autistic children who attend school with a specialized helper, know what a tremendous difference a classroom autism aide can make.

What is a classroom autism aide?

Depending on where you live in the world, the person who is helping your child in the classroom may have one of many different titles. An autism aide can also be called an educational assistant, a paraprofessional educator, a para-pro, an AVS, a teacher’s aide, a classroom assistant or an instructional assistant.

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What does a classroom autism aide do to help a child with autism thrive at school?

The autism aide can help your child with autism thrive in many ways. These are some ways that he or she can help from day 1.

Adapting classroom activities to make sure they correspond with your child’s level for that particular activity.
Prompting your child to communicate in a natural and fun way throughout the day.
Using a visual schedule with your child to decrease frustrations and meltdowns and increase communication, learning and fun.
Facilitate social interactions by helping your child participate in games and activities with other children.

An autism aide helps bridge potential communication gaps between the school and parents

Classroom teachers are very busy and sometimes don’t have time to communicate with parents as much as they would like to. An autism aide can take on the role of a bridge between you, the parents, and the school. When I train and supervise classroom autism aides, I always put in place a notebook so that there is one specific place for teachers, aides and parents to write down information and communicate with one another on an ongoing basis.

As part of my role as an autism center owner here in Paris, I create specialized school programs for the children who are attending my program part time and going to school part time. I have so much respect for classroom autism aides because I know what a difference they can make to your child’s experience at school.