Kenneth Szeto
2019-04-26
If you want to watch a movie/TV programme for relaxation, "The Good Doctor" is a good choice. It is an American medical drama television series. The series stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young autistic savant surgical resident at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Beau Garrett, Hill Harper, and Richard Schiff also star in the show. I'm not going to focus on how many artistic characters there are in this series; what I want to focus on is autism. Autism spectrum is a range of neurodevelopmental disorders that includes autism, Asperger syndrome and other related conditions.  Individuals on the spectrum are often hyper sensitive to sensory stimuli, and have problems in social communication and social interaction. They may also have restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. 

Have you ever had autistic students in your class?  Here are some approaches we can employ.    

  1. Use Simple, Concrete Language
    Simple, concrete language is easier for autistic students to interpret. Simple, straightforward, and precise language is more readily understood, which is why it's also best to avoid using idioms and long sentences.
  2. Give Limited, Clear Choices
    For autistic students, choosing can become nearly impossible when given a wide range of options to consider. It's important that the alternatives presented to them are both clear and limited in scope. This rule should be applied to both assignments and personal decisions.
  3. Be Gentle in Criticism
    Like all children and teenagers, autistic students need honesty, guidance, and feedback regarding when they are doing tasks correctly and when they are not, but it's important to always be gentle in tone and word choice when offering corrections or critique. When offering criticism, it's important that a gentle, regular tone of voice be used. 

In sum, "The Good Doctor" is a good story for us to start learning more about autistic students!

Source：HKCC Learning & Teaching Weekly Bulletin
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