Teaching children with autism: practical strategies

Reviewed by the London College of Teachers Academic Team · Last reviewed 13 October 2026 · Editorial policy

Understanding autism

Autism is a lifelong developmental difference affecting social communication and interaction, often with focused interests, preference for routine and sensory differences. It is a spectrum: some children speak fluently and others communicate with gestures, pictures or devices. Seeing behaviour as communication is the first step to good support.

Ten classroom strategies

• Use a visual timetable and keep routines predictable
• Give advance warning of changes and transitions
• Give one short instruction at a time, with a visual
• Use the child's interests in tasks
• Offer choices to build independence
• Reduce noise, clutter and harsh lighting
• Provide a calm corner and movement breaks
• Teach social skills explicitly through modelling and role play
• Praise specific behaviour immediately
• Share what works with home every day

Responding to distress

Meltdowns are not tantrums; they happen when a child is overwhelmed. Keep the child safe, reduce demands and sensory input, use few words, and wait. Afterwards, look for the trigger and plan to prevent it next time.

Learning more

Autism is a focus of the PG Diploma in SEN (with IEP, Autism and ADHD) and is introduced in the SEN Certificate.

Common myths about autism

• 'Autistic children don't want friends.' Many do, but find social rules hard.
• 'Autism is caused by parenting.' It is not.
• 'Non-speaking means not understanding.' Many non-speaking children understand a great deal.

Working with parents of autistic children

Parents know their child best. Ask what calms and motivates the child, share a daily note, and use the same visual supports at home and school.

Supporting communication

• Use the child's name before giving an instruction
• Keep language short and literal; avoid sarcasm and idioms
• Give time to process: wait before repeating
• Offer pictures, choice boards or a communication device
• Teach requesting, refusing and asking for help explicitly

Making the classroom sensory-friendly

Many autistic children are over- or under-sensitive to sound, light, touch or movement. Seat the child away from noisy areas, allow ear defenders, reduce wall clutter near their workspace, give warning before loud events, and build sensory breaks into the timetable. Ask parents what helps at home.

Building social inclusion

Pair the child with a kind peer for group work, teach classmates about differences in a positive way, structure break-time games, and celebrate the child's strengths and interests in front of the class.

A worked example: making transitions calmer

Meera, aged five, screamed and dropped to the floor every time the class moved from play to circle time. Her teacher noticed the problem was the sudden change, not circle time itself. She added a picture schedule, gave a two-minute warning with a sand timer, and let Meera carry a small toy as a transition object. She also gave Meera a job at circle time: handing out the song cards.

Within two weeks the screaming happened once a week instead of daily. The teacher shared the same picture schedule with Meera's parents, who used it at home for bedtime, and the progress held.

Sensory strategies checklist

• Offer ear defenders during noisy activities
• Reduce visual clutter around the child's workspace
• Provide movement breaks every 15 to 20 minutes
• Allow fidget tools or a wobble cushion
• Give warning before fire drills and assemblies
• Create a quiet calm-down space

Step by step: introducing a visual schedule

• Choose pictures or symbols the child understands.
• Show the first three activities of the day, left to right or top to bottom.
• Point to the next picture before each change and say the activity name.
• Let the child move or remove each picture when the activity ends.
• Add more activities as the child gets used to it.
• Use the same schedule style at home if possible.

Questions to ask parents

• What calms your child?
• What upsets them?
• How do they communicate needs?
• What do they love?
• What works at home that we could use at school?