When speaking to your child's class about autism, you're likely going to explain a little bit about what autism is more broadly, things related to communication differences and how your child might interact with others, as well as some things that might be different in terms of their behavior or any special interests that may occur. Autism can be incredibly different from person to person. You can explain things related to the strengths of your child, the things that they love and that they're interested in. You can spend some time talking about things that your child may not appreciate or like and interactions because that can be helpful for them as well.

There's a lot of evidence that peers can be a great support for children with autism in classroom settings. These children can serve as allies as well as friends when they understand your child's needs and can interact successfully with. Children are incredibly curious, so it is important to offer space to answer questions that they may have. Sometimes will take the approach of for sharing one example of something that your child might do and then give them the opportunity to ask whatever questions they might have about other things that they've noticed about your child. Your child's school may have specialized programs like lunch or recess buddies or perhaps reading programs with book buddies. You can identify if there are certain older children that may be assigned to support your child during some of those tasks, and if so, you can spend a bit more time interacting with your child as well as with that buddy. It is important to really focus on your child's strengths and the things that they enjoy. They are an individual, and children are incredibly creative and tend to be very accepting of difference when they're exposed to it at an early age. So, this is something that will really benefit your child in the long term.

The decision to disclose your child’s diagnosis or not:

A lot of factors will go into the decision of whether to disclose your child's diagnosis. If your child support needs are quite high, it may be more overt to others that they have differences in their development. However, perhaps your child's differences are more subtle and they're diagnosis may not be obvious to others around them. There are a few things going to that decision. The 1st is your child aware yet that they have a diagnosis of autism. And if they are aware and they're comfortable speaking about their autism, that might be a good jumping off point. If you're feeling that your child will continue to be challenged and supported in the ways that they need to help them grow and thrive, then it's an important consideration to have that conversation with their classmates. But again, this is a personal decision. You can make the choice to disclose or not disclose that diagnosis at different stages and both choices could be the right decision for you.

Tips on how to explain your child's autism to their classmates:

1. Explain Autism Broadly: Talk about what autism is, including communication differences and how your child might interact with others.
2. Highlight Strengths: Focus on your child's strengths, interests, and the things they love.
3. Discuss Behavior: Explain any differences in behavior or special interests that may occur.
4. Encourage Questions: Offer space for classmates to ask questions about your child.
5. Peer Support: Identify if there are certain older children that may be assigned to support your child during tasks like lunch or recess.
6. Focus on Individuality: Emphasize that your child is an individual and that children are generally accepting of differences when exposed to them at an early age.
7. Decision to Disclose: Consider whether to disclose your child's diagnosis based on their support needs and comfort level.