AUTISM AWARENESS
THE ANNUAL ISSUE
TEACHING WITH NO LABELS:
AN AGILE APPROACH TO ASD
BY GERARD COSTA, PH.D., DIR-C®, IMHM- C®
T
he first request that I will make of you, the reader, is to pay
attention to what happened inside you when you read
the word autism. Did you, perhaps, unconsciously stiffen
as if your mind and body were preparing for stress? Did
you find yourself quickly scanning your memory about a student
you have had who was autistic-recalling your experiences, maybe
struggles, in teaching that child? Maybe you have a friend who is
the parent of a child on the spectrum or you are a parent of a
child who has been given this label. So, reflect for a moment.
My second request. a more difficult one after years of teaching
or parenting is this: forget the label! While it has value in
research, it tells you almost nothing of real importance about
who this child is or how you might help this child to be calm and
engaged, relate, communicate, and learn. The reason for this is
both simple and complex.
To date, much of the field of educational and clinical interven-
tions has focused on emphasizing behavioral change and compli-
ance with outside requirements. This is a practice that is founded on
the very meaningful and long history of science in learning theo-
ry. We are now beginning to discover learning stemming from
AN EASY CHOICE: As a teacher, you can take an important step
in promoting the development of your students — helping them
to become physiologically, emotionally, and intellectually
available for higher-level thinking.
multidisciplinary sciences that is informing us about the neurobi-
ological underpinnings of our ability to feel, think, and behave as
social, learning beings. When we consider this learning, we can see
the underlying neurobiological forces that lead to observable dif-
ficulties in regulation, engagement, communicating, and learning.
Related to this is our learning about the way the brain operates:
the Triune Brain with the upper cortex (the “thinking” brain), the
middle limbic system (the social processing brain that activates
when we feel stress), and the lower reptilian brain that monitors
and sustains our biological functions (the autonomic brain)
(Maclean. 1990). The limbic and reptilian brains constitute our
survival brain – and when stress occurs, the survival brain can
disable the thinking brain (e.g., Siegel. 2010). In addition, the sur-
vival brain – including the social processing limbic system – is
“online,” meaning it is very active and sensitive earlier in life than
the thinking brain and remains the first line of processing
throughout our lives.
Additionally, we have right- and left-brain hemispheres, and
while the left hemisphere is considered the more logical/verbal
side, the right hemisphere is more involved in emotions, creativ-
epmagazine.com | EP Magazine • April 2022 17
ity, and spatial thinking. This right side –
more attuned to affect, gestures, interper-
sonal space, and relatedness – is also online
before the left (Siegel & Bryson, 2012).
This means that the lower brain systems
and right brain, which are very sensitive to
pre-verbal and non-verbal cues, are what we
humans first use to interpret the world and
others. (Porges 2011, 2015) in fact proposed
the Polyvagal Theory suggesting that the
very first thing a child needs to determine is
safety and that it is largely determined in
children and adults by the affect, gestures,
and voices of the other. In a moment, we
will see why this is important for all
humans, but especially for children (and
adults) with autism-and you as their teacher.
What we now know Is that individuals
with autism have neurobiological differ-
ences that render them less available for
processing information (e.g., Khan et al.,
2015) for human engagement and learning-
and that such individuals have brain sys-
tems that have difficulty managing their
internal and external stressors. Herein lies
the enormous value and contribution that
Self-Reg serves in the sciences of human
development, and in particular for autism.
Going back to the lower brain and
right/left hemispheres, a growing body of lit-
erature in the neurosciences suggests that
the brains of individuals with autism often
do not “work together” and that some areas
of the brain are overconnected – meaning
that their brain systems are overly active –
and that other areas of the brain are under-
connected and not working together to sup-
port attention, regulation, and engagement
(e.g., Khan et al., 2015: Heinsfeld, Franco,
Craddock, Buchweitz, & Meneguzzi, 2018).
Khan et al. (2015), for example, found that
the sensory-motor system is overconnected
at the expense of the higher-brain cognition
systems.
So, the word autism resides within you.
Our challenge to you is to reflect on what it
means based on current knowledge and sci-
ence. The Self-Reg approach helps us to cre-
ate a respectful, just approach to human
development. The Self-Reg Framework chal-
lenges you to reframe what you see by won-
dering about what might be happening
inside the student; to reframe what you first
view as misbehavior by seeing the same
behavior as the result of stress. By reframing
in this way, you as a teacher can take an
important step in promoting the develop-
ment of your students – helping them to
become physiologically, emotionally, and
intellectually available for higher-level
thinking.
Be “AGILE;” be questioning, be calm, and
enjoy! •

GOOD CONNECTIONS : DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY IN WHICH THE BRAIN FUNCTIONS
What does this all mean to you as a teacher of a child with autism, or for any child whose unique individual differences (brain
differences) render them less available for regulation and learning?

1. TEACH WITH THE BRAIN IN MIND 3. BE AGILE

The first lesson is that what you The third lesson is that children must feel safe, and the first line of communicating our
witness in a child’s behaviour is not safety and support of a child’s engagement and learning is our affect and gestures. I
a behavior problem to be fixed or believe that the brain systems in autism often make a child feel less safe. I have devel-
changed (although the behaviours oped a simple acronym to help you pay attention to yourself and how you "are" with a
can be very challenging to you as a child, especially a child with autism. The acronym is AGILE:
teacher). Instead, the behaviours are
related to differences in the way in
which the brain functions and
processes relationships and the envi-
ronment. So, as Siegel and Hartzell
AG I L E
AFFECT GESTURE INTONATION LATENCY ENGAGEMENT
(2014) suggest for parenting, teach This is what a Modulate and Modulate the (Wait): Wait Before you con-
with the “brain in mind”! child experi- be attuned in tone of your and allow the tinue, be sure
ences first and your facial voice, as this child time to you have
most! Your expressions, conveys affect “take you in. engaged the
demeanour and hands, move- and social/ child!
overall emotion- ment, posture, emotional
2. CO-REGULATE al state are and pacing. meaning. Calm,
The second lesson is that children what the child Carefully man- slower voices
with autism have differences in brain will experience. age your inter- convey safety
systems that first and foremost can personal space. and regulation.
make it difficult for them to be calm
and alert-those necessary develop-
mental capacities for learning. These
are felt by the child (and in you) as 4. TAKE THE CHALLENGE
stressors. Your knowledge and expe- The fourth lesson is for all of us to challenge our thinking about what autism means —
rience can co-regulate with your stu- personally, as members of the education community, and as members of the larger society.
dents when stress renders them less Consider the propositions on the next page in light of our current practices and what we
present for engagement and learning. can do as educators to make these propositions a reality in our classrooms and schools.

18 April 2022 • EP Magazine | epmagazine.com

 Source
Costa, G. (2020). Expert voice: On Autism. In, Shanker, S. and Hopkins, S. Self-Reg for
CHALLENGING OUR THINKING : 15 PROPOSITIONS
Schools: A Handbook for Educators. Pearson Canada: North York, Ontario, Canada. 58-61.
Consider these propositions in light of our current practices and
References what we can do as educators to make these propositions a reality in
our classrooms and schools.
Heinsfeld, A. S., Franco, A. R., Craddock, R. C., Buchweitz, A., & Meneguzzi, F. (2018).
Identification of autism spectrum disorder using deep learning and the ABIDE dataset.
NeuroImage: Clinical, 17, 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2017.08.017.4 1. Autism has ALWAYS existed in Universal Design for Learning
Khan, A. J., Nair, A., Keown, C. L., Datko, M. C., Lincoln, A. J., & Müller, R.-A. (2015). Cerebro- the human experience! (UDL) view.
cerebellar resting-state functional connectivity in children and adolescents with autism spectrum
disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 78(9), 625–634. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.03.024
MacLean, P. D. (1990). The triune brain in evolution: Role in paleocerebral functions. New
York, NY: Plenum.
2. Naming a “disorder” changes 10. Presume COMPETENCY. This
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, the social, cultural, economic, was a common reminder In the
attachment, communication, and self-regulation. New York, NY: Norton. and political views and responses, work of child psychiatrist Stanley
Porges, S. W. (2015). Making the world safe for our children: Down-regulating defence and
up-regulating social engagement to “optimise” the human experience. Children Australia, 40(2), and creates an “othering” and Greenspan (e.g., Greenspan,
114–123. https://doi.org/10.1017/cha.2015.12 power imbalance. Wieder, & Simons, 1998;
Siegel, D.J. (2010). Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. New York:
Bantam Books. Greenspan & Wieder, 2006).
Siegel, D.J and Hartzell, M. (2014). Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self- 3. The meaning of autism varies
11. Embrace a “Competence-
Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive. New York: Penguin Group.
by culture and society and
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: changes over time within and Moderator- Performance” frame-
Gerard Costa served as the founding director of among cultures. work. Competencies in all of us
the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental can exist, but internal and exter-
and a Professor in the Department of Teaching 4. The term autism may have nal variables can moderate their
and Learning at Montclair State University. He is value in as much as it helps in manifestation in our perform-
a member of the faculty of the Infant and Early
understanding and helping those ance.
Childhood Development (IECD) Ph.D. program at
Fielding University (formerly the ICDL Graduate whose individual differences
School). He serves as a trustee and President of need to be supported — and 12. Science must inform us
the Interdisciplinary Council on Development and whose suffering must be about the underlying biological/
Learning, founded by Drs. Stanley Greenspan and relieved. constitutional forces that are at
Serena Wieder, and has served as a consultant to ZERO TO THREE for the
work in supporting regulation,
past 20+ years. He is one of the first 16 “Expert Faculty” selected by ZERO
TO THREE in the new DC: 0-5 (2016) Classification system. He sits on sev- 5. The term autistic may have engagement. relating, communi-
eral state and non-profit boards and was appointed by two New Jersey value as a tribal identity cation, and thinking.
Governors to serve on the New Jersey Council for Young Children, where (Silberman, 2016).
he headed the Infancy and Early Childhood Mental Health committee. He 13. Support, education, and
received his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Temple University
and was one of the first 16 recipients of the DIR certificate by Dr. Stanley
6. Autism, as a way of being in a intervention must honor unique
Greenspan and Dr. Serena Wieder. He is a trained faculty member in the neurodiverse community, must individual differences, and the
Brazelton Touchpoints Model and holds a “Self-Reg” Certificate from the be understood beyond disability goal must be to promote full
MEHRIT Center in Canada, led by Dr. Stuart Shanker. He holds an and inability/deficits but as allow- human development.
endorsement as an Infant Mental Health Clinical Mentor, through the ing unique gifts and strengths.
New Jersey Association for Infant Mental Health and Michigan Association
for Infant Mental Health. He led a 4-year Infant and Early Childhood Mental
14. Research into the nature of
Health systems development project in partnership with Child Development 7. In the disability rights move- autism and ways to support indi-
Services of Wyoming and the Wyoming Developmental Disabilities Division ment — “Nothing about us with- viduals on the spectrum must
and is the principal author of a 15 module Infant and Early Childhood Mental out us!” — a social and political embrace multidisciplinary sci-
Health training curriculum. He led a multi-year training and consultation voice exists that demands respect, ences and the larger ecological
project with 25 Infant Mental Health mentors with South Dakota Voices for
inclusion, and full participation. context and embodiment implica-
Children, and he led a strategic planning initiative with the Missouri
Association for Infant Mental Health-Early Childhood. He has presented tions. Searching for genetic mark-
keynotes, workshops and trainings at hundreds of events and programs. 8. As is the case with all humans, ers alone is insufficient.
Since 2018 he serves as the Coordinator of the Northeast Regional there is a range of capacities and
Terrorism and Disaster Coalition. He served as the Principal Investigator of abilities, in the spectrum among 15. The phenomenological expe-
the New Jersey Inclusive Education Technical Assistance (NJIETA) project,
individuals with autism. This rience of autism spectrum disor-
an $8 Million, 5-½ year project advancing full inclusion in New Jersey
Public Schools. He is past president of the NJ Association for Infant Mental means that we must honour the der reflects the consequences of
Health, and is President of the Interdisciplinary Council on Development different ways in which those a human body-and associated
and Learning (ICDL). Dr. Costa has been honored with numerous awards with autism live, learn, and com- mental and emotional processes-
including the Christian Kjeldsen Champion for Children Award by the NJ municate. associated with heightened levels
Child Care Advisory Council, the Lucille Weistuch Early Childhood Special
of stress and dysregulation. This
Education Award, by the New Jersey Division for Early Childhood (NJDEC),
and the Golden Bell Leadership Award, by the New Jersey Mental Health 9. For any student, and that is an important area to help
Association. He has conducted presentations and trainings in 31 states includes students with autism, reduce suffering and enhance
and 11 countries, and he is the recipient of numerous awards. He is a NJ we cannot have a one-size-fits-all regulation, engagement, reci-
licensed psychologist and is the author of articles and book chapters on approach to learning, relating, procity, and higher forms of
autism, infant mental health and professional formation. He is the 2021
and communicating. Employ a human development.
recipient of the Weatherston Leadership in Infant Mental Health Award,
from the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health.
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