aspergers & waldorf

Question
hi ms. alexander-

i'm hoping this email finds you well, if at all. my question is in your experience, how do aspergers children tend to do in waldorf schools?

i feel like i'm writing you in a desperate state. i have a son who is 5 years old and in kindergarten. he is currently in a montessori school, which i thought would be the best fit for him after spending months visiting, researching, and observing all our local school options.

he is not diagnosed but displays many characteristics of aspergers. sensitivity to sounds & other sensorial issues, sensitivities to smells & tastes, extremely creative and artistic, pretty introverted, but i spent alot of time as a stay at home parent taking him to playgroups and socializing so i feel like he's learned alot of socializing skills from that, moreso than many asperger kids

he went to a very traditional, structured preschool and did well there. this year he is having ALOT of difficulty learning & staying focused in the montessori environment. the characteristic "buzz of activity" within the classroom is a constant distraction for him. i had him enrolled at a waldorf school also & decided on the montessori instead. but we have exhausted their resources there and are faced with having to change schools.

i'm wondering in your experience how well aspergers children tend to do in a waldorf school? i know it's hard to say being that the individual differences in aspergers kids can range widely. he really thrives on painting and creating and i could see that being a good tool for teaching him. but at the same time, he really needs a more structured environment to basically pull him out of his mind & into the real world to focus on learning things. any input you have would be helpful. thanks so much! -monica

Answer
Dear Monica,

You found me well and very keen to respond. I can totally relate to your desperation, especially considering all the work you've put in so far (as a stay-at-home parent). Your question is not easy, for the reason you already surmised (so many differences to consider with Autism) but also because the level of coping with the disorder varies greatly across the board. The more Highly Functioning the child is, the more difficult the problem of schooling in particular seems to become. But I will try to help you think on a couple of crucial points.

I am still in the process of editing a rather expansive essay on Autism from an Anthroposophical view; although it might not help you much with practical points, even if I did send it to you (but I will put you on my mailing list, anyway: send me a request for the essay to my private email address [email protected] (please mention in your subject box that you are an About Questioner to avoid ending up as Spam). The most useful book to help bring you up to speed on what Anthroposophy claims to be able to do for your child has been written by Bob Woodward, "Autism, a holistic approach". I find it covers the basics in a sincere and relatively objective manner (Woodward is not exclusively Anthroposophically focussed, if we consider his career as a whole, and specifically his pscyic abilities, which would not be welcomed outrightly in most Anthroposophic circles). However, I feel it is not a complete work (not that it claims to be) and for sure it does not address the issues my son has with his High Functioning (Classic) Autism.

While this work does not satisfy the question what does Autism serve as seen from a karmic and esoteric angle; and still presumes it can be "made better" (if not exactly cured, although some Autistic circles do believe it will pass once the child has incarnated sufficiently)it does explain a lot about the (twelve) senses and the stages in early childhood development Waldorf schooling is specifically geared into dealing with. It plies apart the core processing issues that make Autism what it is (both in the head and metabolic system).

However, much depends on how much you believe the sensory processing (a brain process) can be improved upon by etheric and astral-Ego energy. If there is faulty wiring on a genetic and pervasive (life-long) level you can only hope to find proper management systems to prevent overload and encourage independent soul-development (with its inevitable impairments or retardations). Some of the wiring is too feeble to use and so people with Autism will always be vulnerable in certain areas, or at certai times, or under certain circumstances. No training up here will work, is my experience (40 years of living with Autistic people)

Waldorf works a lot with the heart region of the soul (which is triune, with also a head and lower pole). This can be irritating for a soul in an Autistic state (as I see it). My son did not like the arts and crafts, with all the watery paint and the fiddly bees wax, fine wool-work, weaving, felting etc which all required an eye for detail, good eye-hand coordination, fine motoric skills, and a sense of purpose as impelled from a creative soul. Cause and effect has to be set out for him dogmatically or he loses the plot and chaos ensues in his head - this only became clearer once he could express himself better. Unfortunately, he does not like being told what to do, and his stubborn nature is his own worst enemy! It refuses help initially (automatic antipathetic reaction is common and caused by insecurities, fear and overall fogginess). Stubborn he is, but perseverant not. The will in Autism is odd: forceful in an unharnassed way. Much effort will go into manning it throughout their lives. Trust is not easily gained from a child with Autism, because it is hard for them to read your face, your words, your intent, let alone make sense of them all put together. It was unhelpful that Waldorf staff adored my blue-eyed, blonde angelic boy to the point of suspecting I was a bad mother (freckles and an intellectual past did not help my case....). Children with Autism often have something outer-worldly about them which is attractive to those who like to believe they are spiritually inclined (Waldorf staff). This passes as time goes on, when they are merely strangers to the ways of the world in some aspects (when high functioning). They can become quite coarse, boring or bland, then, for a lack of emotional depth. This is all very cliche, of course, and tons of finer nuances must be made, but I can only sketch very roughly here.

My son also did not like group activities. They made him hyper, and he felt pursued on the play ground (thinking it was a game, then scared at night trying to process it). He was notably disgusted by dirty hands, faces and did not like sing-songs or loud clapping/stamping of feet (they do this a lot at Waldorf during maths). This all before the age of 9 when he really could take no more. After Kindergarten the school becomes relatively structured, with emphasis on the whole class as a unit. The little chicks follow mother hen, for the next 6-7 years. (You had better like her, and she take your problems seriously....)

The school believes in the class as a homogenous, karmic unit, and will make an effort to take the weaker ones on board. This can be a splendid approach, but works a lot better in very small schools and where like-minded families gather. In larger cities the group can become quite a challenging hotch-potch, and sometimes full of all sorts of "problem children" who don't fit in anywhere else. This will depend on where you live, which continent even, and how traditional your Waldorf school choses to be. The more liberal schools tend to have the disadvantage of being even less organised or far more improvised.

The problem with Asperger children tends to be their intelligence: which can be high and call for a lot of structured learning or other presentations of learning material (computer/informative tv etc: not at all available at Waldorf). The learning is only partially methodical at Waldorf. The lesson plans are fixed per class (ever since the 1920s) and blocks of six weeks keep subjects readily available (if you dislike maths you don't get much of a good day, for a while, then, alas for my son) but much is improvised during the lessons - children design a lot o the lesson themselves, and many experiments take place and games that aim to make the work stick to real-life.

There are also plenty of special festivals to disrupt the regular routine. My son had no patience with them, seldom grasping the point (goal-means disjointed). What is also worrying, in view of the future is that the level you reach after the 6th or 7th year tends to be very basic on an academic level. This may make finding a follow-up school (junior high, middle school? what in England we call secondary school) very tricky. Unless you want to pursue Waldorf to the very end (age 21). This makes for a romantic option, and works out very nicely for artistic and independent children or radically free thinkers with a special charm or for those in more remote  or traditional villages (in Eastern Europe or India success stories are more frequent). But many a child has been known to get stuck half way towards full social integration for a lack of own initiative or what Waldorf would say "soul quality". With Autism I am not sure you would even step onto that path at all from secondary Waldorf schooling. Accredition from Waldorf will not be accepted by (European) universities. You need to take extra entrance or finishing exams. Great self-discipline and self-motivation are required - usually not available for Autism.

The path with Waldorf ought to be a spiritually motivated choice, above all, or you may become disappointed. This can mean as little as a subtle gut feeling that you belong at that school, maybe for a welcoming reception, a warm embrace, or a genuine community spirit. If your child refuses to fit in, however, there will be a constant attempt to "remedy" this (remedial teaching and therapy programmes). My son found this very tedious and alas there were no lasting improvements.

My son is relatively creative, independent and keen on nature for his Anthroposophical background (at home and Waldorf till age 9), but this is perhaps compared to children who only know how to "play" on the Net. He would not chose to be creative - but then again, self-impelled choice is not his thing. Anthroposophy (the life-style I still adopt) helps keep him sensitive in accord with his innate character (he is Cancer, the crab). It pads and protects him a bit from the mad world (we are urban dwellers) which helps keep his head a little quieter than it otherwise would be. It also (I believe) has prevented him from having to go on (those dreadful) medications (which do not seem to work if I look at the kids at his school - a school for Autism).

I was a Montessori child myself, and loved it. My sister (Aspergers) hated it. So I knew that my son would not appreciate going there. Indeed, it is way too unstructured for such children, especially if they ARE socially inclined (like my son). If they are more introverted they tend to get on with their own assignments - at least in Montessori you will have books to work from in the higher classes especially (not at Waldorf - all materials are created by the child themselves).

I thought Waldorf would suit him better once they went to first grade and got to sit down at desks. But one has to have a very active imagination to learn with the Waldorf method. Autism tends to need something to copy to get the brain started; you can't just say: think of something and work on that for a bit. You would get them to drift off way too far off course, which may seem "gifted" or cosmically charged at times, but is far from practical, plus it is of no use to the child themselves.

If your son is motorically unchallenged in any way, you have a head start with the hope of fitting into Waldorf. Mine struggled with shoe laces till age 10 and could not ride a bike till age 8; kicking and throwing a ball was impossible till age 8 too.  Eventhough the therapeutic approach can work wonders (Woodward also testifies) and bring a child to full development given time (by the very virtue of giving them time!)we must ask the child whether this is what he wants to invest his time in. Of course not directly, but if we communicate on a soul level we may learn that it is also simply not possible to do this. I am not sure it makes any esoteric, medical sense to expect a fuller incarnation. A suble guidance for the soul is fine, but its effects are tiny with High Functioning children, who seem almost bent on doing their own thing regardless of what you offer or the consequences of negative behaviour (as if it hurts their brain not to, as is apparent from tics and obsessive-compuslive behaviour). We must be prepared to live with them, along side them, without the normal sympathy-antipathy relationships. We must try to understand them, even when they cannot understand us. There is always a cut off point with Autism, I believe cannot be fixed (THIS life time) - perhaps for a very special and necessary reason...? We must take care that they do not bully us into their life-style. Likewise we must not find them merely moulded by an autiform world.

Yes, we can help these children integrate, just like we can live interactively with people with Down's Syndrome; but it is, sadly, problematic for the covert nature of the Autism in so many cases. Without a steady and safe place in society and the awareness of others with regard to emotional limitations, many adult High Functioning Asperger/Autism sufferers fail to cope at managing a life at all. We have to bear this in mind early on. There is a surprising amount of correspondence between High Functioning and very apparent Autism on a fundamental soul level, which cannot be ignored if we are to honor each individual behind the disorder. A door can be opened with diagnosis allowing an honest framing of the Autism, and giving the spirit behind it a chance to breathe easy - even if the soul will never participate to the fullest of its spiritual capacity (the brain sets limits, alas where it is a cast from ante-natal etheric forces or possibly affected by such forces after birth, in late-onsets of Autism, which however Asperger never is).

Anthroposophy does not really do diagnosis for HF Autism. ADHD is often a more common (mis)diagnosis - misdiganosed when it is usually a by-product of poorly managed Autism. To my horror Anthroposophical professionals tend to find the pathology at this "mild" level an invention that serves as an excuse for bad parenting or reduced social morality. You and I both know there is nothing "mild" about it, unless you also class 3 months pregnant merely as a "little bit" pregnant, or call a melanoma a tiny bit of cancer. This attitude and ignorance is a tremendous drawback to Waldorf. It takes a special professionalism to manage Autism and keep it subjected to larger goals (self-development). It does take a special knowledge of the soul, too, which special-needs carers often have unwittingly (or unpretentiously and unself-importantly). Bearing this in mind, I got over my bitter disappointment with Waldorf and opted for a specialist school. Yes, there are more "serious" cases there; but my son has never fared better. He, too, needs all the detailed planning, no-nonsense support, small groups, (and in his case limited academic demands, since any kind of pressure to perform drives his brain into over time and eventually causes burn out).

If your child shows a proclivity to study or absorb facts, I would not counter this too much (Waldorf will insist you curb it drastically, finding in this a cause for Autism, sometimes!). A child which likes to talk, but expresses (most rationally) many fears needs a school with methods of classical learning (at a desk, with plenty of bookish assignments). This will help create a calm state of mind, and this will unclutter the sense-processing part of the brain that Autism somehow cannot control very well.  Mind, that even the brightest kids with Autism tend to do poorly with homework. Places and activities become exclusively attatched to one another. A school with extra support with homework, a traditional setting (recurring routines), organised social interaction, and minimal demands for extra-curricula involvement tends to suit Asperger best. They need the divide between school-home to organise themselves. They can often organise a small part of their lives meticulously (their desk, the nature table, a small box of crayons) but on the whole they live in a disarray for a lack of the whole picture and the impaired ability to string fragments together.

Children with Autism file everything in separate snap-shots in the mind and need to reorder these pictures for every thought process separately (exhausting process! hence the need for minimal stimuli and distractions). Their love of organic flow and holism is not great.  Respect must proven justified anew each time, since generalisations are not easily made by an Autistically affected brain; itand must be asked for each time again with clear (repeated) rules and regulations.

Natural awe and devotion is expected from a Waldorf child, and one works with that. My son did not have this soul quality available to him. He has grown into a respectful child from constant repetition and unwavering good examples - but each new facet must be learned anew and he is always behind his peers (for the extra time this process takes). On the other hand, he is able to be very original in his thinking with a peculiar eye for certain details and ideosyncratic notions. Again, I have yet to note that Waldorf appreciates this much.

Another problem is patience, which Autism can find hard to bring to the table where they cannot get their heads around the final outcome. Wait for a bit does not work. Wait for an hour, is fine, once you hand them a clock and let them get on with precisely that: waiting (not likely to read a book in the mean time). Such set quirky needs vary greatly per child, but a red thread does run through them all, and centre around issues of time, goal-setting, routine, predictability, standard measures (also not available at Waldorf), stability, unconditional acceptance and masses of positive encouragement (self-criticism is usually not available to them, everybody else is always to blame, so sorry becomes a meaningless or impossible word.)

These were then a few considerations for you. In my heart I am hoping that you have a quainte, solid, idealistic but also pragmatic Waldorf to choose from where you can educate them as you go along about your son's Autism. But I felt compelled to share my negative experiences with you, to prevent another child from becoming fairly seriously neglected with regard to his real (special) needs. I cannot say that I have met an Asperger type Autistic soul who would benefit particularly from a Waldorf school, over another regular (small and caring) school. The Asperger aspect really does seem to prefer set tasks over free projects which run over many weeks.

One need not necessarily fear that regular schooling will spoil your child's finer sensibilities or more delicate traits. The unmanaged Autism always did much more harm than harsh social influences do now(bad language is quite annoying!). My son is currently enjoying woodwork (the drill is cool: he likes to hear the drone in his head for real, I think); and he does always concentrate as best he can during craft lessons (notoriously hard to manage kids during such a period) and there he makes unusual (if somewhat clumsily crafted) things. In his mind he is left more up to his own devices in secondary school, which he prefers (no pressure!), but this is not so really. Clear boundaries exist and within this saftey net he is gaining his first sense of independence and the subsequent responsibilities that come with it. He loves cooking lessons best of all: he loves food, and since I cook well for the two of us he has a head start on product knowledge and kitchen equipment(not that he wants to help out at home ever!) - this is what he likes about it, it is something achievable and organised. The bread baking at Waldorf was less enjoyable, because there was singing going on at the same time, and other kids were doing something else in the mean time (all casual like - not unlike Montessori here, especially till they are 7 years old).

I hope that in sharing a few thoughts with you I have encouraged you to do more research and be even more honest to yourself about your son's special needs. I know that sometimes a diagnosis can stigmatise a child (depends on your immediate community, often, and who does the diagnosing: you need to consult the highest, neuro-psychiatric expertise if you want to have anything useful to go on is my experience). A label must serve to get your child the best specialised care available (however little you need, or only in a few areas). It is tough enough out there without society calling your child anti-social, a misfit, maybe a mysogenist or even a thug of sorts, when he grows up misunderstood. Signalling Autism is a moral duty of compassion. If you were to live with Autism unknowingly you get to damage many other souls (counting misunderstandings alone); but you also may live with severe depression, failing to understand yourself. It is lamentable that there is no iniative, yet, from Waldorf to make a special unit for Autism (not to be mixed with other disorders). Whatever Autism is, and whoever has the real deal, or the milder version, such Autism-specialised environments work well under the greatest expertise and with the best of intentions to leave each individual free, but well cared for at the same time. It makes practical, logical, and compassionate sense few people understand so far.

I apologise for the disjointed nature of my response to you. I just wanted to get some jots out to you for starters. Please do not hesitate to pick up on anything specific, or ask any other questions. I would love to hear how you get on!
I wish you all the best.
Lots of encouragement, warmth and love
from Evelyn.  

1. Prev:Blood urea nitrogen to creatinine ratio
2. Next:going paleo