According to research by the National Institutes of Health, the Amygdala, which is the part of the brain thought to regulate emotions, scans the sensory system for danger, alerts fight/flight responses, and interpret facial expressions, seems to undergo atypically accelerated growth in autistic children. More information here: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/amygdala-overgrowth-occurs-autism-spectrum-disorder-may-begin-during-infancy

Here are some reminders that for teaching autistic children and adults:

Support Auditory Processing with Multimodal Options: Avoid relying solely on lengthy verbal instructions, as many autistic individuals experience auditory processing delays or differences. Rather than assuming information is simply “lost,” provide processing time and pair spoken language with robust visual, written, or tactile supports.

Establish Predictable Routines and Contextual Familiarity: Instead of using mechanical repetition or rigid behavioral drilling to force recollection, cultivate predictable environments and collaborative routines that naturally reduce cognitive load and anxiety.

Implement Environmental Adjustments and Collaborative Problem-Solving: Move away from placing the entire burden of social exclusion on the child (e.g., asking them what they will do if rejected). Instead, address the Double Empathy Problem by educating peers, fostering inclusive play spaces, and collaborating with the student to understand their sensory or social comfort zones.

Utilize Visual Supports to Foster Autonomy: Provide visual tools, schedules, and communication options. These should not be used as strict “prompt cards” to enforce compliance, but as accessible resources that enhance a student’s self-regulation, agency, and independent choice-making.

Incorporate Bi-Directional Social Narratives: Use social narratives not to dictate “correct” neurotypical behavior or force compliance, but to objectively explain social contexts, perspective-taking, and hidden curriculum rules while fully validating the autistic student’s own perspective and comfort.

Focus on Co-Regulation and Addressing Underlying Needs: Move away from continuous verbal prompting and behaviorist reward systems that pressure a student to mask their distress. Focus instead on co-regulation, identifying the sensory or emotional need driving a behavior, and validating authentic progress without tying it to arbitrary rewards.