Will you be welcoming a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) into your classroom this fall?  If this is your first experience having a child with ASD in your classroom, you may be a tad nervous (well, likely more than just a tad).  You may be wondering how in the world you are going to meet this one child’s needs while balancing the needs of the other children in your classroom.  How will you handle the behaviors?  What do the parents expect?  Children with ASD often come with a barrage of service providers such as Speech/Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Behavioral Consultants, and sometimes a 1:1 para-professional– how are we all going to be working together?  You may be worrying about your lack of training in autism and be unsure if you are equipped to meet the needs of the child.  Well, take a deep breath.  With the proper perspective and some planning and preparation, this may be the most rewarding experience of your teaching career. CONTINUE READING