Hello friend reader, in life it doesn't matter what profession you have, what career you graduated from college, or if you have any specialization in any area. Or if you work for a company. When at the end of the month you do not have the budget to buy the basic necessities, you always have to look for alternatives to solve the economic crisis, regardless of the country where you live, it is always like that. We cannot stand idly by while the world falls apart. In this way of thinking, my eldest son is like me.
My eldest son is an engineer and an English translator. For years he has been working as an engineer in a company, and teaches in his spare time as an English instructor. In these times of confinement, he works from home in his two professions. In fact, he has had more participants to give them English lessons.
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A month ago he received at home, by appointment by cell phone, a man who lives in the same neighborhood where we are. The neighbor, that's what we call him, tells my son that he wants him to give English lessons to his 24-year-old son, who has the characteristic of being a young man with Asperger's syndrome.
My son did not know what to say to him at that moment because he has never had such a case. But since he knows that I have had them, he calls me to be with them at their meeting. The neighbor and I exchanged details about the young man and my son felt more confident and agreed to be the young man's instructor. We discussed the schedule, the payment system for the course and at my suggestion it was determined that the young man's house would be the place to give the classes, explaining to my son that people with Asperger's syndrome work better, without anxiety or stress, in their usual area.
When the neighbor left, my son asked me for guidance on how he could provide English classes to the young man. I gave him several recommendations, but the most important ones I remember were, first, don't give English classes on the first day, first observe and evaluate. Strengthen the approach first, let the youngster relax, let him know what you are there for, since people with Asperger's tend to become rigid if they feel their space is invaded. When you talk to him use exact language, no subliminal or ambiguous messages, he will not understand. Give him specific instructions, don't dwell on details. Find out what his tastes are, what he prefers to do in his free time, what sports he plays, what music he listens to, so that when you give him conversations in English they are about those tastes, this way you will motivate him to talk about those topics that he dominates. Avoid making negative comments if he doesn't do the conversation well, he will feel better this way, since criticism will only make him nervous and in a bad mood. And then they don't want to participate in conversations anymore. And above all, try to maintain eye contact with him. Constantly repeat the lessons on the most relevant points, as he will learn faster by repeating patterns.
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Well, it's been a month since his first English classes with the young man. Today I asked him how he has been doing. My son feels very comfortable working with him. He has made a lot of progress, since the young man had previous knowledge of the language. What he lacked was a fluent conversation with another person to guide him. The young man is a very kind person, with a good heart, he behaves like a child, always at the end of his class, he gives something to my son, a piece of fruit, a piece of cake. The parents are very responsible in his education and the important thing I notice is that they are teaching him to be an independent individual, regardless of his Asperger's condition, they are preparing him for life.
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I remember when I used to teach kids English, I and my fellow co-tutors kept encouraging them to be conversant even though they made lots of mistakes because we want them to be comfortable. In the long run, we would correct them on the spot or after. I try as much as possible to use simple words. It's challenging to explain to them words they are just encountering for the first time but it was all fun.
I admire the parents of your son's student. Our parents or guardians will not always be there and sooner or later they will be gone so it's important that we prepare kids early on regardless of disability or not. Good luck to them both!