I teach children with Autism at the Kindergarten and First Grade level in an urban school district. I currently have 14 children in my class, with 6 para-educators who work with the children as well.
The children in my class range in age from 4 to six years old. They are on the moderate to severe range of the Autism Spectrum. The children generally enter my class without language and require intensive educational intervention. The day for these children is extremely structured with instruction taking place from the time they walk in the doors to the time they leave at the end of the school day. However, because the children are so young and begin to fade by mid-day, we offer a 30 minute "Quiet Time" break. The children rest on their cots with the lights off to classical music. Some children sleep, others receive a break from the sensory input they have experienced in the morning. Following Quiet Time, the children are better able to focus and continue learning.
The cots we have for the children are old, but are holding up well. We do not have cot sheets or blankets so the children lay on the plastic of the cots. A mom myself, I imagine the children resting on the soft sheets with a blanket to cuddle with as they nap. I also know that this would be a better way to minimize the spread of germs, knowing that I can wash the sheets and blankets for the children and assure that blankets and sheets are not shared between students. I cannot afford to do this on my own. I am hoping that someone out there finds this as important as I feel it is.
I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful my children are. At one time, my class size was at 7 students. Now at 14, my numbers have doubled, representing the rise in the cases of autism in our world. I love the children as they are and teach them all that I can in a two-year span. Most importantly, I need to be their voice, asking for the things that they need and deserve. Please consider being the answer to something that seems small but will be big in the lives of these little children. They'll silently thank you when they close their eyes at school.
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