Teaching Adolescents With Autism
Practical Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom
- Walter Kaweski - California State University - Sacramento
Foreword by Kathy Gee
Reaching teens with autism requires knowledge and heart
Award-winning educator Walter Kaweski offers secondary teachers practical strategies and heartfelt insights based on his extensive experience as an autism specialist, inclusion coordinator, and father of a son with Asperger syndrome. Students with special needs often require extra support as they adjust to middle and high school and the changes that accompany adolescence. Without support, this time can be overwhelming. Teaching Adolescents With Autism offers hundreds of valuable ideas to help teachers:
- Understand the causes and manifestations of autism
- Solve adolescent behavior challenges
- Support students with diverse needs
- Implement academic and behavioral interventions
- Help students adjust to social situations
- Understand special education policy
Each chapter offers numerous personal stories that illustrate and reinforce strategies in a tangible way. Important concepts are augmented with bulleted lists, tables, figures, photographs, and cartoons drawn by a student with autism. This unique book takes the mystery out of teaching adolescents with autism and inspires teachers to appreciate the individuality of each student.
"A welcome and needed addition to the literature, the author presents educators, related professionals, and parents an easy-to-read resource for understanding and successfully teaching middle and high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I wish this book were available when I was a child struggling through the academic and social challenges of public school."
"This is not only a handy reference tool for fundamentals of the terminology and history but also a guide for effective instructional strategies. During the past 10 years, I have had several autistic high school students in my classroom; the descriptions of the social aspects of school and their impact on the autistic student are realistically described in this book and should be read by all teachers."
"This is a book worthy of study by all members of the educational community whether they are working with autism syndrome students or not. The concepts presented speak to a creating and maintaining a child-centered classroom that provides an education fashioned to meet the needs of each student."
"Kaweski's exciting new addition to the field presents complex issues in very accessible language. He offers dozens of practical, research-based practices for educating students with autism in inclusive settings. I strongly endorse this user-friendly planning guide."
