The curious incident of the dog on the night-time

I began reading the Mark Haddon novel a week before meeting up with the class as I felt I more or less owned the second year art class and I really wanted to make pupil A comfortable and happy in the class room environment, although I was happy going in freshed faced into the class room and approaching autism in the classroom through further reading and researching autism I felt I was liable to upset Pupil A and not know it or pupil A to come up and say it to me.

The novel looks at a 15 year old school boy who suffers from Aspergers syndrome and the story begins when Christopher finds a dead dog on the neighbor's lawn. As he works to figure out who killed the dog, one learns a lot about Christopher's family, past and neighbors. It soon becomes clear that the dog's murder is not the only mystery worth solving in his life.

The book really spoke to me and was ideal read for me as from researching I finally made connections from the various studies and findings and symptoms assiocations of an Asperger sufferer, within the book. The book was from the perspective of a asperger sufferer and I was soon realising that I the teaching, from reading this novel and my findings on autism I will need to be a clear precise teacher giving clear directions and guidance within the class and more importantly to pupil A.

First interaction with Special needs pupils within my classroom

On first briefing of my Hdip year at my school Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown we were all informed of the special needs pupils that where in our classes and some have severe learning disabilities and maybe hard to adapt to the classroom environment.

I was informed unlike the rest of the 6 Dips students I will be teaching 2nd years and 4th years. I will have one one 'Special Needs' student in my 2nd year class. Pupil A suffers from Aspergers syndrome within the autistic spectrum of Autism. I was told he had an SNA(Special needs assistant) and she will be in the art class with him in 2 out of the 4 classes pupil A has.

At first I was alarmed being given the responsibility of teaching a 2nd year group and 4th year group in comparison to my other dips who all taught 1st years. I was also unnerved but really positive at the prospect of having a special needs pupil in my 2nd year class, I felt at first having very little past experience with autistic people in general that is was a good thing as I will be coming into the class room environment fresh faced and having no pre conceived notions I felt I was able to work with Pupil A.

 Having received the news I was teaching Pupil A, I researched Autism and Aspergers syndrome to better myself with knowledge and to be more equipped. I soon learned pupil A is high functioning and through recommendations from the resource teacher in the school, before I was introduced to the class. The resource teacher was really helpful and recommended me to read 'The curious incident of the dog in the night-time' by Mark Haddon.

My thoughts and past experiences on learning disabilities

Having spent my whole primary and secondary level education in remedial help for Maths and English. I was under the illusion that remedial help was still such a stigma for myself as a pupil when I was in school and that it was still an issue in today's classroom environment.

I have vivid memories 3 times a week being called out for 'remedial help' along with another 3 pupils in Primary school. At first I was ok and happy to get away from the classroom for 30 minutes or so to catch up on reading and maths, but soon through out my years in school I noticed that I was missing out on more interesting and exciting subject matter and was going at a much slower pace in comparison to my peers.

By 6th year and 1st year of secondary education I hated this 'remedial help' that involved me leaving the class room knowing fully aware that my fellow peers knew I needed extra concentrated help pupils would be aware of my learning difficulty and I was very unhappy with them knowing I had issues with English and Maths.

I was diagnosed being 'borderline dyslexic' in English and Numerically dyslexic in Maths in 2001 after several tests and assessments. I struggled with simple math problems and couldn't understand problem solving mathematic equations. I progressed in reading and comprehensions and poetry slowly but i still and to this day struggle with learning numbers and equations and reading problem solving dealing with figures.

By 2004 things had changed for me when I was sitting my leaving cert our classes had become a different learning environment, gone were the days I had to walk out of class and be separated from my peers, this time the teachers came to me and my fellow learning challenged peers, gone were the days of classmates asking where were we going  and why ? and separation from my class.

Instead the helpers came to the class and assisted us and other pupils that were then identified as having issues and difficulties in other subjects. The stigma of 'remedial help' was gone from the classroom and now I remember how happier and more at ease I was not having to leave the classroom with questions from all my fellow pupils and also I was happier to be part of the class once again.

This I suppose is my past experience with needing extra tuition and being diagnosed with some form of dyslexia.  I will look at now look at the current facilities within my school that I am currently teaching in and will delve further into further examination how they deal with disabilities and special needs pupils that i will encounter through out my Hdip teaching placement.