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thrown off balance due to the direct change. Autism creates a situation where the child takes in the world completely different from how you do. Transition has to be done consistently and with enough warning so that the child has time to adjust to the change. One person with autism spoke of how he perceived numbers as colors, each one having its own particular shade. This can even be found in the way actions, feelings, and events are perceived. This different viewpoint can often be hard to figure out for the person with autism, and this is why getting training and working closely with the family and special education staff is essential.

Another important consideration is to keep the visual stimuli and noise in the classroom to as much of a minimum as possible. Visual "noise" can be just as loud and distracting as the noise that hurts our ears, so both must be considered. Set up an area of your classroom that is a quiet, relaxing area away from the noiser activities in the room. Add a fish tank, variety of books, and soft places to sit where the child can go and get calm when overloaded. Also, keep decorations and wall coverings in the room to a minimum. The more that is around, the more there is to be distracted by. A child with autism walking into a room that is covered with clutter, noise, and things everywhere can hit sensory overload fast. It is similar to a car air filter. With the proper kind, it keeps dirt and debris from getting in parts of the engine where they shouldn't be, so the engine will run smooth and relatively problem free. Now imagine having a filter that has huge holes in it in some spots, which allows in the debris and dirt, causing the engine to sputter and run awry. This latter filter is the kind that many of these children have: it is not the case that nothing is getting in, but that everything is getting in. The child's mind is overloaded, and can sometimes just shut off to stop the overflow. The average person can filter out random noises, visual stimuli and other numerous everyday distractions that keep them from focusing on a particular task or conversation. A child with autism takes it all in, and what comes in sometimes doesn't come out the same way, either. This is what makes Asperger's such a mystery: keep in mind that your perception of the world and the student with Asperger's might be eons apart.

This is why it is so crucial to pay attention to the space as well as the child. Another aspect of this is consideration

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