Adele Devine

Children with autism are colourful - they are often very beautiful and, like the rainbow, they stand out.

My aim is to sort the jumble of information we throw at these children and present it in such a way that they will have a greater chance of achieving independence and fulfilment.

Teachers should not fear going off plan if a better learning opportunity presents itself. Plans are plans, but children are living, breathing, creative people, who deserve to have their questions answered and original ideas explored.

Love every child without condition, listen with an open heart, get to know who they are, what they love, and follow more often than you lead.

We know that children with autism like order, that they are often very visual and that they can be quite literal. They deserve beautiful resources and symbols that make sense. If a picture does not explain visually, it is pointless and the child will stop looking to the pictures for information.

Could some of the challenging behaviours that often partner autism begin as experiements on measuring human reactions? Are these children exploring boundaries - seeing what makes the toy squeak or the adult shriek?

Children with autism are constantly testing and pursuing truth. They are a bundle of contradictions. They love order and routine, yet often have the most amazingly inventive and creative minds. They may appear to follow rules, but are also the most likely people to come up with a revolutionary new idea. They feel emotion intensly, but often seem to struggle to read facial expressions.

The closer we come to understanding the challenges of autism, the better we are placed to accommodate and educate without risking removing that individuality we all love.

When teaching children with autism we must be quick to adapt, follow our instinct and go off plan.

Are we allowing individuals to develop their talents with our current teaching methods? Is there more or maybe less we should be doing?

Teachers should be made aware of visual stress symptoms and the potential difference coloured lights, overlays and lenses could make to a learners perception.

Adapting our own perception, following rather than leading and building bridges are all keys to helping the child with autism learn.

Our visuals must represent the truth and decode the verbal jumble so these children can find the right direction.