AUTISTIC CHILD AND TEACHER: SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR HANDLING AN AUTISTIC CHILD Vijay Kumar Grover

Paper is about tips to teacher for educating an autistic c hild. Paper starts with explaining concept of autism spectrum distinguishing autism from Asperger syndrome and PDD - NOS. autism has been explained in terms of lack of social, communication and imagination skills. Author elaborates help teacher can provide t o the autistic child in the domains of pedagogy, information processing and behavioral management. Pedagogic help involves - Using concrete learning material, giving one task at a time, sequencing the learning tasks, using preferred sense for learning and a llowing preferred mode of speech; information processing help involves - ensuring eye contact, using regression as tool of learning, and handling problems of visual processing; finally behavior management includes - reducing attention span, avoiding distract ions and irritants, controlling hyperactivity, attending specific difficulty, attuning to technology help, handling issue of sameness in non academic routines. Paper ends the paper with very important aspect of ‘Savant syndrome’ and ‘Savant skills’. Teache r is suggested to run two layered program including ‘Individualized education program’ (IEP) for compensating social, communication and cognitive deficit and a ‘Spring board program’ for boosting and giving expression to the savant skills of autistic or ac quired savants. Author remained indecisive about whether these suggestions can work in inclusive classroom or are workable only in one to one situation.