[senco-forum] Autism and death!

Hi Fiona

  What an awful thing to have happened.  I don't have any experience of dealing with this with a child with ASD but I think that the way we have dealt with it with other pupils would be appropriate.
  First, I'd speak to the child's mother or other relatives to find out what the boy has already been told and how he is dealing with the situation.  In school, I'd make sure all the other children know the situation and are aware that the sensitive thing to do is to not mention it unless the boy does.  The same applies to the staff.
  As an English teacher, I know just how many books, films and poems are about death!  You can't avoid the subject so you have to be able to manage his response.  
  In the end it is going to depend on how well he is coping with the situation in the short term.  Many kids like school at a time when their home life is a problem because it represents continuity.
  Good luck.
  Amanda
  Secondary SENCO
  Cornwall

Phil <pmacken1 at bigpond.net.au> wrote:
  A 10 year old boy with high functioning autism has just lost his father
after a long illness. Boy has been off for two weeks after the funeral but
is due to return to school next week. The class teacher is panicking a bit
about how to handle the issue of the death and what to expect. Has anyone
got any advice and been through something similar? 

Thanks

Fiona

Amanda
Secondary SENCO
Cornwall