I have the feeling (certainly subjective and maybe wrong) that neurodiverse students like my teaching style and many students (ND+NT) tell me they like how I structure and explain things.
Yet, I often don't get what's happening and I struggle designing lessons NT-friendly. That's why it's often difficult and I don't know how to deal with some students.
I think we make great teachers, even for NT students, because we're less likely to make assumptions about students. So we teach in an accessible and enthusiastic (maybe too enthusiastic 😆) way, and, by not jumping to conclusions about students, we can be more sympathetic than an NT teacher.
I think as long as you foster a trusting environment where students feel able to talk to you, then this can overcome some limitations. There's unlikely to be a workaround to missing all subtleties, but what you can offer outweighs the negatives.
But as I'm thinking about it: they generally trust me and tell me what they're thinking because they know I won't punish them for being honest. But some exploit my attitude and try to manipulate me. That's when I struggle a lot and don't know how to respond.
I sympathise. I'm a geriatric autistic (apparently) and I still feel like this. My only option is to take difficult interactions at my own pace and not try to formulate a stock response.
What you said about your own pace sounds very good. How do you do it in the situation l, face-to-face? Do you ask them to be patient with you as you need to think about your response?
Basically that's it: I ask for some time to think about it. This can vary from just a few moments to "I'll get back to you on this". But, of course, sometimes this isn't possible.
Not every interaction is going to be a success, you can only do your best. Creating a sense that you both see each other as human beings might give you a little more space to respond. What's most important isn't their patience, but yours. Allowing them to get their question right.
@onisillos@actuallyautistic That's good advice. Thanks ☺️
I will definitely try to do that. First step is to grant myself this time for consideration and to learn to communicate my needs 😉
But the outcomes will be much better I suspect.
Some ND teachers DO jump to conclusions though - eg a logical & philosophically minded lecturer who taught v technical stuff he found simple.
When students asked questions it didn't occur to him that they weren't understanding the - oh so simple & surely self evident - basics. Thus he'd interpret the question as asking something deep about the underlying nature of the system, & excitedly launch into a tangent about metalogic/metaphysics.
I’m guilty of this too. I worry that everyone knows what I know, so I hold back out of fear of seeming condescending. The trap of making assumptions is a minefield. 😱
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