Emma Goodall says children with autism need to be understood and liked by their teachers. Photo: Altogether Autism
Emma Goodall is on a crusade to change the world one teacher at a time. She is an education consultant and university lecturer with a special interest in autism. Emma is on the spectrum herself and has just written a book with simple tips for teaching children with autism.
She says the most important things a teacher can do for a child is to like and value them and strive to understand them. “My driving force is if I can achieve why can’t other people on the spectrum achieve? Everyone has the right to a happy life and I think everybody on the spectrum could have that if they were understood and their support was appropriate.”
Image: Emma Goodall with Altogether Autism Manager, Catherine Trezona
Emma’s book includes a sensory screen, an information-gathering tool that can help teachers identify triggers for children on the autism spectrum that make them feel very uncomfortable and could be a barrier to them engaging in learning.
Emma was one of the speakers at the recent Altogether Autism conference in Auckland which brought together people with lived experience of autism, parents and professionals to discuss best practice and research and to share their stories.
One in Five talks to Emma Goodall and two of the other presenters at the autism conference, Sue Kinnear and Erika Ford.
