Virginia Commonwealth University Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE)

Autism Spectrum Disorders for Paraprofessionals

Module 1

Slide 1: Dignity and Respect

Alicia Hart

Autism Spectrum Disorders Coordinator

Slide 2:Introduction

  • In this presentation we will discuss: the ethics of caring for a student with ASD including:
  • What are basic human rights?
  • How do we show dignity and respect?
  • How do we ensure we respect individual differences?
  • How do we use person first language?
  • What is presuming competence?
  • Why is confidentiality so important?
  • How do we keep students safe and free from harm?

In this presentation, we will discuss one of the most important aspects of your job as a paraprofessional: the ethics of caring for a student with ASD.As a paraprofessional, you have a big responsibility. It is to ensure each student you support receives an appropriate education and that you always do this with dignity and respect! Your responsibility as a paraprofessional carries with it many ethical considerations. In this presentation, you will learn about these considerations as we cover the following topics.

What are basic human rights?How do we show dignity and respect?How do we ensure we respect individual differences?How do we use person first language?What is presuming competence?Why is confidentiality so important?How do we keep students safe and free from harm?

Slide 3: The Golden Rule

  • Autism is complex and can be very challenging for educators, professionals and even families.
  • The child, teenager and adult with ASD needs to be treated like any other human being.
  • If you follow only one rule, let it be what we consider the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would want to be treated.”

Autism is complex and can be very challenging for educators, professionals and even families. It can be easy to forget that this is a person when someone is yelling, throwing things, or running away from you. It is easy to forget about the desires, interests and even the strengths of this person when you are presented day after day with the challenges. Before long, all anyone can think about it is the label: autism.

Yet once we take away all the labels, all the behaviors, all the challenges and all the challenges and the fancy terms, we are left with a child, a teenager or a young adult. This child, this teenager or this young adult needs you to balance what you will learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder with how you would treat any other human being.

It seems simple, doesn’t it? The reality, however, is that being a paraprofessional is hard work and situations can change quickly. What started out as a good day can quickly become a crisis situation. How you handle the challenges will be crucial. If you follow only one rule, let it be what we consider the Golden Rule. “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” In every situation, no matter how serious, how challenging, or how confusing, remember this Golden Rule and let it guide your work as a paraprofessional.

Slide 4: Basic human rights

  • Every child, every teenager and every young adult with ASD needs what every other typically developing person needs: basic human rights.
  • EVERY student, regardless of disability, has basic human rights including:
  • The right to be treated with dignity and respect
  • The right to privacy
  • The right to be safe

Every child, every teenager and every young adult with ASD needs what every other typically developing person needs: basic human rights. Your responsibility as a paraprofessional is to remember that EVERY student, regardless of disability, has basic human rights. Basic human rights are the following:Every student has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.Every student has the right to privacy regarding the events of their life.Every student has the right to be safe.Let’s go through each basic human right, starting with dignity and respect.

Slide 5: Dignity and respect

  • Dignity and respect can mean different things to different people.
  • Dignity means, “The condition of deserving respect.”
  • Do you believe your student deserves respect?
  • The answer should ALWAYS be YES!

Dignity and respect can mean different things to different people. Dignity simply means “the condition of deserving respect.” So, the first question you must ask is, “Do I believe my student deserves respect?” The answer should always be YES. Every single minute you spend with your student, you should ALWAYS believe he or she deserves your respect. Even when the student is angry and even when your student frustrates you, he or she ALWAYS deserves your respect. As a paraprofessional, your ability to believe your student deserves respect and how you show that respect makes all the difference in the world.

Slide 6: What is respect?

  • What does respect mean to you?
  • Respect can mean many different things:
  • Respect may mean appreciating a person’s individuality and differences.
  • Respect may mean treating someone with compassion and kindness.
  • Respect may mean valuing another person’s beliefs or opinions, even if they differ from yours.
  • Respect also includes presuming a person is competent and capable and has the ability to do something well.

Now let’s talk about respect. What does respect mean to you? Respect can mean many different things. It can involve all of the following. Respect may mean appreciating a person’s individuality and differences. Respect may mean treating someone with compassion and kindness. Respect may mean valuing another person’s beliefs or opinions, even if they differ from yours. Respect also includes presuming a person is competent and capable and has the ability to do something well.

For the paraprofessional, treating a student with respect will involve ALL of these things. Let’s go through each of these in a little more depth in the upcoming slides.

Slide 7: Appreciate individuality and unique differences

  • Respect starts with understanding that all students with ASD are different.
  • Each student will have individual strengths, individual challenges, and individual ways they learn.

As you learn more about ASD in this course and as you learn more about the students you support, you will find that respect starts with understanding that all students with ASD are different. Each student will have individual strengths, individual challenges, and individual ways that they learn. Part of what makes a successful experience for the student with ASD is playing up to a student’s strengths and providing the student with ways to overcome his or her challenges.

As a paraprofessional, one of the first things you should do when you start supporting a new student is take the time to learn about his or her strengths. These are often overlooked, because we get so caught up in the student’s needs. Every student has many strengths, and you will use these over and over again as you provide instruction and help the student learn.

Slide 8: Individualized education

  • Since EVERY student with ASD is unique, this means that our strategies and methods for supporting students with ASD may be completely different!
  • Every student is different and a quality education program recognizes and appreciates such differences.
  • Every time you provide support or instruction, it is crucial to make sure it is individualized and designed to help the student learn.

Since EVERY student with ASD is unique, this means that our strategies and methods for supporting students with ASD may be completely different! There will be different ways to motivate and teach every student with ASD in your building. In this sense, we must respect that every student with ASD needs an individualized education. In fact, later on, you’ll learn that IEP stands for Individualized Education Program! While it may seem like a good idea to use the same approach and the same strategies for all students with ASD, we know that every student is different and a quality education program recognizes and appreciates such differences.

As a paraprofessional, you are on the frontlines of this student’s education and may often be the first person to demonstrate and model respect for how the student learns. Every time you provide support or instruction, it is crucial to make sure it is individualized and designed to help the student learn. Let’s look at some example of this.

Slide9: Examples

In this table you will find examples of teachers providing instruction that do and do not promote dignity and respect.

Promote dignity and respect

Tyler loves trains. His teacher makes an addition math worksheet where Tyler counts train cars.

Does not promote dignity and respect

Tyler struggles with handwriting and is good at typing. Tyler’s teacher has him hand write an entire paper.

Promote dignity and respect

Shari struggles with doing group work with peers. Her teacher pairs her with one peer and helps the girls complete the activity.

Does not promote dignity and respect

Shari is really bothered by bright lights, especially fluorescent lights. When Shari rocks and covers her eyes, her teacher tells her to put her hands down and stop rocking.

Promote dignity and respect

In science class, Austin struggles with multiple directions. When his teacher gives class directions, she taps him on the shoulder and then gives the direction.

Does not promote dignity and respect

Austin participates in whole class lectures but does better in a small group setting. Even though he is failing, his teacher continues to provide whole group lectures without support.

Slide 10: Compassion and kindness

  • Another component of respect is showing compassion and kindness.
  • Remember, “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in his shoes.”
  • The student with ASD needs you to understand that he or she sees the world from a very different perspective and may not be able to handle seemingly everyday situations.

Another component of respect is showing compassion and kindness. Think about simple ways we show compassion and kindness. We comfort those who are in pain.We help those who are struggling, and we stop others from being cruel or causing pain. We talked about the Golden Rule. There’s another phrase that will be useful as you support the student with ASD and that is, “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in his shoes.”

Life for the student with ASD is often loud, scary, and out of control. He or she may not always know how to handle every situation and may need a lot of guidance and patience. The student with ASD needs you to understand that he or she sees the world from a very different perspective and may not be able to handle seemingly everyday situations. As you go through this course, you will learn how the student with ASD may perceive the world and also how to support him or her through many different types of challenges. By the end, you will appreciate how difficult that mile is to walk for your student!

Slide 11: Person first language

  • Show compassion and kindness by using person first language.
  • Person first language acknowledges that people are people, no matter what disability they may have.
  • Instead of autistic child, say child with autism.
  • People should not be defined by their disability.
  • Think of your student as a person first!

Another way to show compassion and kindness is by using what we call person first language. This means that we acknowledge that people are people, no matter what disability they may have. I’m sure you may have heard people in the past use language that did not put the person first. This would include statements like these: “autistic child” or “learning disabled student.” In this event, the disability is put before the person. A better way to say this is “the child with autism” or “John, who has a learning disability”. Do you see the difference? Of course, the best way to talk about ANY student is to simply use their name!

People should not be defined by their disability. They should be thought of as a person! The words and phrases we use when talking about a student greatly affects the images that are formed about the student.

Slide12: Think About It!

  • Find your Participant Handbook and go to the question entitled: Person First Language.
  • Write down the correct way to refer to the same person using person first language.
  • Wheel chair bound
  • Autistic boy
  • Dyslexic girl
  • Learning disabled

Find your Participant Handbook and go to the question entitled: Person First Language. Let’s practice using person first language through the following exercises. We have provided you with a list of incorrect ways to describe a student with a disability. You need to write down the correct way to refer to the same person using person first language.

Wheel chair bound:

Autistic boy:

Dyslexic girl:

Learning disabled:

Slide 13: Thoughts!

  • Person first language examples:
  • A boy who uses a wheelchair
  • A boy with autism
  • A girl with dyslexia
  • A student with a learning disability

You may have written down the following. Instead of saying wheelchair bound, you might say a boy who uses a wheelchair.Instead of saying an autistic boy, you might say a boy with autism.Instead of saying dyslexic girl, you might say a girl with dyslexia. And finally, instead of saying learning disabled student, you might say a student who has a learning disability, or perhaps, a student with a learning disability.

Slide 14: Value other beliefs and opinions

  • Respect includes:
  • Valuing other people’s beliefs and opinions
  • This includes valuing various beliefs about caring for and educating a child with ASD.
  • Families raising children with ASD have more stress than parents of any other children!

Another aspect of respect includes valuing other people’s beliefs and opinions. There are many differences related to the family of the student with ASD. The family may have unique cultural considerations. For example, Juan’s family is Hispanic. His mother speaks limited English. The school uses an interpreter to help communicate with the family. Matthew’s family is Jewish. During the unit on winter holidays, they would like for him to learn about Hanukah. Being culturally sensitive means, you will show respect for the differences, including beliefs and customs of others.

Just as there are various beliefs and opinions about caring for and educating a typically developing child, there are a great many beliefs and opinions about caring for and educating a child with ASD. Families make decisions about their child with ASD based off a number of different factors. It is certainly not easy to raise a child with ASD, and research has shown us that parents of children with ASD have more stress than parents of any other children, including children with other disabilities. Families may be raising other children besides the student with ASD, may have challenging work schedules, and have varying levels of support from extended family members. All of these factors may impact their ability to implement interventions at home.

Again, it’s best to think of that phrase, ‘Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes,’ when considering the family of a student with ASD. Most people do not understand the difficulties and decisions caregivers must face day in and day out. While it may be very easy to judge a family, I caution you against this. Families of students with ASD need our support just as much as your student with ASD does!

Slide 15: Presume competence

  • Show respect by:
  • Presuming competence
  • To presume competence means that you believe your student has abilities and is capable.
  • Remember each student is an intelligent and capable human being with many skills and talents.
  • Every educator and paraprofessional should believe in their student and ALWAYS presume competence!

Finally, one of the last ways to show respect to your student is by presuming competence. To presume competence means that you believe your student has abilities and is capable. As educators, we presume a great many things about our students every year! Teachers of general education students presume that a student CAN do it, until they demonstrate that they cannot.

We should always presume competence in every student; however, many people do not always presume such competence for many students with disabilities. Often, instead of presuming they can, we assume they can’t. Presuming the student is incompetent can be a big barrier for students with ASD. We must always remember each student is an intelligent and capable human being with many skills and talents.