Thursday, August 3, 2023 by Vanessa Phillips | Autism

When the student becomes the teacher

V. Phillips

I have a little mentor who has only been alive for just over a third of my age.  He is autistic with undiagnosed savant syndrome, so I teach him throughout the holidays to keep his routine going . Today, after he decided that he can't do one of our exercises, he suddenly got it right after weeks of frustration. I almost screamed out loud with joy but toned it down to a very demure, "I am SO proud of you, that took a lot of work and you finally got it right! 

Now, he insists on using my name in every sentence he addresses to me. This happens to be a very helpful teaching technique and this little mentor knows this. So he turned to me and said, "Keep up the good proudness Vanessa. Thank you Vanessa, I didn't know I could do that, Vanessa."

Keep up the good proudness. How beautiful is that? Good. Proudness. That was his way of thanking me for believing in him. My heart melted.

I'm not sure if this is an individual experience or if anyone else can relate, but it has been my experience in the classical music teaching arena, that your weight and rank as a teacher, is measured by how many awards or competitions your students have won.  Yes, teaching for the sake of teaching is alive and kicking, but in the cool breezes of the top branches, you have to be carrying a few medals to catch the sunlight.  I have always been ambitious in my teaching and have diligently worked hard at bettering myself as a teacher, and yes, my students have achieved success both in the classical as well as popular arenas but this is not my main focus.  Not for the immediate future at least.  

This comes from my understanding that assimilation and amalgamation of information has varying time frames for different students.  Assimilation is a slow and arduous process for students with learning difficulties.  Amalgamating everything they have learnt to the point where the teacher can witness the process takes even longer.  This takes dedication and patience, sometimes to the point of blind trust, especially when there is no real signs of improvement.  This is the magic of consistency.  One day they are unable do it and the next they are playing the Israeli National Anthem from memory.  Quite literally. 

Some students end up getting it right and some probably never will, but for a lot of students with learning difficulties, the success lies in just trying. They get so much more right in the trying part. They might not become better pianists, but they become better people. This primes them to become people who are kind, caring and appreciative of other people's time and efforts because they understand the struggle themselves. And this process of adaptation, makes you a better teacher. It makes you look for signs of improvement in ways you were never taught. This improvement in teaching transfers to your neurotypical students and voila, all of a sudden you see marked improvement across all of your students' technical abilities and sometimes even an improvement in your personal relationship with them.  

As a teacher, it's your belief in them in the moment, in the difficulty of the task, that means so much to them. I am humbled every time I am reminded of this. Our words are like gifts to children. Even to fellow adults.  We will never fully understand the value of a kind word of encouragement.  This is one of the greatest lessons this little guy has taught me.  

My student struggled to play a seemingly basic exercise and then as if taken over by some piano god, played the Israeli national anthem (self taught) with just three fingers while singing loudly with the vibrato of an old man after a draft of beer. He is also such a funny little guy and he loves that about himself. I love that about him too. I love that he is able to give himself a round of applause after getting something right in the lesson, or that he reminds himself of how smart he is when he remembers that the D major pentascale has a black note in the middle.  Some days I come home after his lesson and I find that my inner self-talk is more compassionate.  "Well done Vanessa, that was a difficult day but you did really well today!"

After he finished his performance of the Hatikvah, he sat quietly for a few seconds and said, "I like doing nothing Vanessa and I think I ate too much today Vanessa." I burst out laughing and then realise that he is staring at me with a self-fulfilled smile. He looks really proud that he made me laugh. He chuckled and said "Oh gosh Vanessa, that's so funny, I'm so funny, Vanessa." 

I reply with some standard quip like, "Ok, funny guy, silly guy!" and then he replies with his usual barrage of words signalling that he is now done with the lesson.

At the end of his lesson, I pack up my things with a feeling of having achieved so much but knowing that there isn't too much to show for it. A deep knowing that the success of this lesson will only be visible in a few weeks or months. 

After his lesson I usually have a chat with his mom and dad and play with Oscar the pug. But little guy here will always be milling around ringing the "school's out" bell because it is indeed, time for me to go.  My presence is associated with piano lessons you see and I think as long as I'm in his home, he does not yet know how to relax.  We are working on that. 

As I head for the door I hear, "You are such a silly billy Vanessa, thank you Vanessa, thank you for my lesson Vanessa. I love spending time with you Vanessa. Ok bye Vanessa, see you next week Vanessa, ok bye!" His honesty is refreshing.  He is basically saying, I love you Vanessa, but please leave now.  

I love this kid.  

Tips for teaching students with ASD

It is important to understand that I am not a therapist or a music therapist. My experience of working in community music projects in my capacity as a private teacher as well as working for the Northern and Western Cape Department of Education has essentially forced me to educate myself on how to better be of service to these students.

For the most part, my students were and are all verbal. However, those who were nonspeaking, communicated with gestures or sounds. The following tips are intended for use with verbal students and are generalisations across the span of my student base:

• Understand your student's level of communication:  this means that you should speak to each student on their level of understanding.  If the student is five and has a communication level of a 15 year old, communicate in this way.  Conversely, if the student is 15 and communicates on the level of a five year old, change your communication style to suit that age range.  

• Allow for processing time after giving an instruction: some students with learning difficulties need time to assimilate the information given before they can complete a task. Make sure to allow for enough time before expecting a response.  It is important to remember that slow processing speed is not classified as a learning disorder by itself. It is quite common for highly gifted students to have slow processing speed.

• Use creative learning tools like PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System): learning to recognise notes on an instrument or on paper is an abstract exercise.  This causes frustration for both students with ASD and those who are neurotypical.  (I am working on uploading some of my materials onto this site for download). It is important to understand what your student is interested in as this helps them build connections between objects and notes.  Find objects that they like, like trains, cars, shapes etc.  Then associate the musical alphabet with a different interest.  More on PECS here: National Autism Resources.  

• Create a set routine in your lesson structure and stick to it:  structure is very important for students with ASD.  If you are a roaming teacher, make sure to use the same room to teach in every week.  For the most part, keep your lesson structure the same every week. If you start with aural and then lead up to theory, keep doing that every week.  

• Understand that the autistic learner might have exceptional ability in one area and almost no ability in the next:  for example: they might be highly skilled aurally, even have perfect pitch and be able to play music by ear after hearing it only once, but they might not be able to understand music theory as it is taught on paper. Or, they might be fascinated by music history and know more than most professionals, but not be able to play an instrument or even lack the desire to do so.  This is quite normal even for neurotypical students, but im my experience, this phenomenon could be highlighted in learners with autism. 

• Understand that the results you are searching for, will not always look the same when it is produced:  when you set a task as a teacher, you know what result you are looking for.  You also know the steps that you think should be taken to get to that result.  Remember that the autistic student may not have the internal schemata to help them get to the answer you expect.  Avoid using phrases like, "no that's wrong", or "not like that". Rather focus on behaviour enhancing phrases like, "That's great! Now how can we improve that?" Remember that the frustration you might be feeling because you are not getting the desired results, is the same frustration the student is feeling.   

• Avoid stressful situations:  put a sign on your door asking people not to enter the class while you are teaching. Small distractions cause big reactions and it could be very difficult getting a student's attention back. 

• Avoid wearing strong perfumes:  this only pertains to students who are sensitive to smell, but imagine trying to concentrate in a space where there is a overwhelming smell. If it it intolerable to you, it will be for them.  

• Consult with a music therapist and other specialists:  it helps the music teacher to understand other comorbidities that the student with ASD suffers from.  If the student does not have a music therapist, it is highly suggested that you consult with a music therapist.  If a student has a condition impacting their muscle coordination alongside their ASD diagnosis, this will greatly influence their ability to build strength in the hands or coordinate their movements.  

• Avoid overstimulation:  focus on one topic at a time.  

• Know their strengths: it is usually very easy to understand our students' weaknesses because we have to work hard at improving them. But it is equally important to understand their strengths and work on that as much as possible.  This builds confidence and provides a strong fall-back for when the student gets frustrated.  

Take away 

A big portion of patience with a side of endless reward anyone?  If you have made it this far then I would like to think you are considering teaching a child with autism.  In our current financial climate in South Africa, it is quite likely that your path will cross with a child who has ASD but is undiagnosed.  Most likely, you will have no one to refer this child to, due to a lack of finances or support.  I would like you to consider just trying.  Consider the student's level of autism and if you are able to help. But if you think you can, please do. Just try. Half of your success will be in trying. 

Reading material

• The Autistic Brain - Temple Grandin   

• Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain - Oliver Sacks 

• Sensory Intelligence - Annemarie Lombard 

• National Autism Resources 

• Autism South Africa 

• The Star Academy  

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