Not everyone is capable of becoming a professional aba therapist to help children facing disabilities overcome them and live a life filled with happiness and opportunities. People are suitable for this field to have long-lasting patience that can withstand the mental and physical drainage required to deal with autistic children and young adults. Not only is it extremely physically exhausting, but it is also mentally stressful and frustrating and therefore requires characteristics that not everyone naturally has. Unfortunately, many young individuals in modern times are being diagnosed with autism at an increasing rate which means there is a dire need for professional teachers and staff who will be required to help and support them. Doing so will allow the medical institutes to ensure that sufficient special help is provided to every autistic child and young adult to overcome their disabilities and lead a happy life.
We have created a list of TOP NINE characteristics and qualities for people who are very much interested in helping autistic individuals and are thinking of joining the professional force of therapists and experts who can facilitate their growth and development. These personality traits significantly boost your chances of becoming an effective and productive caregiver or professional therapist for people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Empathy
If you are looking to enter the Support Teacher role for any group of individuals, you need to be empathetic. That is a must, and those who do not have this quality can’t help out their patients effectively. Empathy is required to understand another human being fully. The professional caregivers need to thoroughly understand and connect with the individuals under their care to help them and allow them to overcome their shortcomings. In its most basic definition, empathy is the capacity to feel what the other person is experiencing. It allows the caregivers to see things from their patients’ perspectives, leading to better decision-making and handling of the situation.
Therefore, any person trying to become a professional in this field must carry a high dose of solid empathy towards others. Since autistic children and young adults face unique problems and challenges every day, the first step to helping these individuals is recognizing and acknowledging their daily struggles. Empathy also represents a person’s emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Without the right level of compassion, the Support Teacher won’t be able to connect with the children they need to help.
Patience
People say patience is a virtue, and well, they aren’t wrong, especially in the case of wanting to become a professional therapist who helps autistic children and young adults. Teaching and educating an individual who is facing autism takes a great deal of patience since they look at the world from a completely different angle. For them, learning even the most basic skill is an extremely difficult task to accomplish. Communication is one of the biggest challenges these individuals have to overcome. Support Teachers need to understand that the people affected by autism will behave irrationally and undermine their authority. It’s not necessarily because they want to challenge you, but they could also just not understand what type of attitude and behavior is appropriate in the situation.
Children and young adults diagnosed with autism need special attention and assistance with learning social and communication skills, appropriate behavior, nonverbal communication, and much more. Therefore, the person wanting to enter this supportive field must have endless patience to facilitate every individual facing autism under their care correctly.
Knowledge
This one is pretty obvious but doesn’t mean it’s any less important. Professional caregivers must always be at the forefront of the educational research and knowledge of their respective fields. It allows them to be constantly updated and learn new ways to handle the patients under their care. Research and studies on autism evolve daily, and new information is recorded. New publications often shed light on new methods, tricks, and techniques useful for professional therapists treating autistic individuals. It also allows them to understand better the behavior and attitude of the person they are taking care of. According to National Autism Association, no two autistic individuals will behave the same, have the same challenging conditions and require the same unique treatment program. Consequently, each professional caregiver for autistic individuals must keep themselves updated with the latest findings in the field of autism. Given the extremely wide ranger of behavior, conditions, and symptoms, Support Teachers must educate themselves properly so that they can deliver the exceptional help their patients require to overcome their autistic disabilities.
Attentiveness
Despite the fact that constant attention isn’t suitable for people facing autism, the professional therapist under whose care they are needs to find an effective way to always keep an eye on them. People facing autism do not bode well in a large class environment because they need an environment that has more one on one and focused attention to cater to their unique needs. Another critical point of attentiveness is that almost all children and young adults with autism use non-verbal communication. This means the Support Teacher must be aware of these students, monitor them closely, and proactively assist them effectively.
Curiosity
One of the main factors that drive people to become better and better at something is the undying curiosity of that particular thing. If a person lacks a high level of curiosity, chances are they will give up before trying to find the underlying cause of the unique conditions their patients facing autism are going through. Since they lack sufficient motivation and incentive to carry on this strenuous task, the professional caregiver will simply not have the energy to put in the extra effort and go beyond to provide care and assistance. People who can maintain a questioning and learning mindset free from all kinds of judgment and bias can turn this ever-learning and evolving task into something exciting and satisfying. The curiosity and the feeling of doing something good by helping autistic children and young adults improve their lives and achieve happiness will drive them into going that extra mile to help their patients effectively.
Adaptive
It goes without saying that the person who wants to enter an ever-evolving and learning field should be flexible and adaptive. Being adaptable to change is an excellent quality and skill that helps create an excellent professional therapist for autistic individuals. Dealing with autistic people means dealing with unpredictable and irrational behavior, attitude, and situations that will challenge the Support Teacher every step of the way. The caregiver will be involved in many circumstances where they need to react on the fly and make decisions to control the current happenings effectively so that the situation doesn’t get out of hand. Nothing can be appropriately planned for when you are dealing with individuals diagnosed with autism.
Creative
Creativity is as essential as adaptability because one complements the other. Without creativity, the professional caregiver will not be able to effectively develop the perfect solution to deal with the unique problem at hand. People facing autism find themselves in unique challenges and problems every day; it is the duty of the Support Teacher to come up with a creative solution to solve the problems their autistic patients are facing productively. Coming up with unique and engaging activities and lessons, differentiating for various requirements, finding new ways and techniques to accommodate students, identifying out-of-the-box solutions, and developing fun, exciting and meaningful projects and activities are the most important jobs of a professional therapist treating autism.
Organized
Someone who isn’t organized will never be able to handle ta classroom in an organized fashion which is a must if you want to handle a class full of children diagnosed with autism. Being organized is an important personality trait for a Support Teacher and is a skill that slowly develops over time. Not everyone is organized by nature; some need to learn it through various training and techniques. Professional caregivers understand that being disorganized is a quick way to create a mess and lose valuable patient information.
Positive
No matter how good you are at things, it all becomes a moot point if you aren’t positive and happy about them. The world is all about positivity now; everywhere you look, schools, social media, communities, everyone is sharing quotes and reminders to stay positive. Being a Support Teacher for autistic children and young adults can be extremely challenging, frustrating, and draining. Therefore, finding positivity and happiness in the little things when you are with your patients is a key factor for staying productive, tolerant, patient, and ultimately satisfied with what you are doing.
