Extraordinary Children

In the past three years, I've spent quite a bit of time working in Special Ed settings, and as a sub it's one of my favorite job assignments (quite honestly, if it weren't for the onerous paperwork requirements, I probably would have become a Special Ed teacher).

I love them all, but I especially enjoy working with students who fall in various places on the Autism spectrum because they're quite fascinating (everyone is "unique", but kids with Autism often take that to a whole new level). It's not easy to put in words why I find these kids so fascinating and enjoyable to work with, but after three years in the mix I've met some really fascinating kids (and have a vast repository of heartwarming memories). Next year, I'm probably going to be working with yet another high school student who has Aspberger's, so I'll be revisiting some familiar territory.

Today I came across a really good article in Mothering written by a woman who works with children with Autism (and other developmental disorders). Philosophically, I think we're in similar places, and she does a much better job than I ever could of explaining just what it is that makes working in Special Education so fascinating. One thing we all know is that it really is all about the kids, but sometimes we forget to how to pay attention to what's right there.

"If we are to understand what our children need, we must learn how to give them the greatest gift: We must let them lead" (from Extraordinary Children by Doro Hepe).