World Autism Day is celebrated globally on April 2, but for Devrani Barrios, a mother of four and a teacher, it is a daily journey, as two of her children are on the autism spectrum.
“Being a mother to my two amazing autistic kids affected me profoundly. I wanted to create a safe environment for them, a place where they could feel safe, learn and grow at their own pace.”
It is this motherly love and instinct that drove Barrios to publish a series of four foundational readers aimed at helping children with autism learn phonics and simple words.
Autism is a neurological disorder that affects how a child understands, communicates with and interacts with the world. It is a broad spectrum, encompassing the challenges these children face in understanding and learning within their environments. Their way of thinking is different, and their communication can also be a challenge.
“I learnt to love beyond sight. I cannot demand normalcy from them, but I could help them grow at their own pace. In my classroom, I think of mothers like me, who want independence for their children.”
Barrios, who has been married for 24 years, has been a teacher since 2011. She started teaching privately before entering the public school system. However, she credits training at The Aural-Read-Respond-Oral-Write (Arrow) Foundation with sparking her passion.
Arrow is a non-profit organisation focused on developing literacy skills for children through a series of programmes. According to its website, children are missing the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Arrow's approach is about motivating children and increasing their attention and self-esteem through strengthening the wiring in the brain, significantly improving auditory skills, short-term memory and overall learning ability.
“I got bored quickly in my previous jobs. But teaching and watching students change and improve, I could never get bored of that. At Arrow, I saw children struggling and I wanted to help them. So I did my first degree in English. It wasn’t until my children’s autism diagnosis in 2015 that I discovered my calling in special education.”
She says her approach to teaching is simple: it’s about giving each child whatever they need to succeed, and she explains children with autism face unique challenges in learning, especially in social situations and require different teaching strategies.
“They need more time to grasp concepts and benefit from smaller, incremental steps. They may require additional support, such as aides, technology, smaller classrooms, and an autism-friendly environment.”
[caption id="attachment_1150995" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Author Devrani Barrios holding her self-published foundation reader's book. [/caption]
Barrios says emotional barriers like fear can also affect learning and says working with behavioural and occupational therapists can help students cope.
“It’s more work, but the child progresses happily – the key word is ‘happily.' I know what it’s like to be told ‘no’ over and over again by principals wh
