LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read about a teen who has autism; understand what autism spectrum disorder is and identify a range of ways that autistic people experience the world differently; distinguish facts from myths about autism.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze influences that affect health and well-being of self and others.

CASEL: Social awareness, relationship skills

KEY VOCAB

spectrum

traits

overstimulated 

Lesson Plan: My Life With Autism

Allison, 18, always felt different. This is the story of how she learned she has autism—and realized that “different” isn’t bad. 

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the article “My Life With Autism,” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

How do people with autism experience the world differently? 

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the article “My Life With Autism”; read the article out loud to them; or have students partner-read the article out loud.
  • After they’ve read the article, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed?

BUILDING COMPREHENSION

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz with vocabulary questions

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In SPREADING AUTISM AWARENESS, have students work individually or in small groups to create one-minute PSA-style TikToks or videos to help their classmates understand autism better. To keep the videos unique, encourage your students to focus on a single subtopic from the article, such as the basics of autism, facts vs. myths about autism, and/or masking. They can do additional research on their chosen subtopic, but remind them to use only trustworthy sources. For extra engagement, have your class view one another’s videos and hold a vote for the most creative and informational PSA.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech