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I have a student with autism. She is high-functioning, meaning she does quite well in a normal classroom setting, and academically, she can do the school work just like all her peers. What she struggles with, however, is social interactions. She doesn't communicate like her peers, and she has very few friends because her peers think she's weird.

One of the ways she is "weird" is she speaks her mind. If she's thinking something that she deems important to share, she will say it, even if I'm mid-sentence teaching. She always raises her hand, though, and when her hand shoots up, I always fear what she may have to say.

The other day, I mispoke. I don't remember quite what I said, but I think I was reading something and I skipped a word. She immediately raised her hand. "You forgot a word. Read it again." I read it again and made sure to include the word.

A few days ago after school, she was sitting by the front doors and it was obvious she was waiting for a ride. I was walking out, so I said, "Hey Kacie, are you waiting for a ride?" She replied her mom was on her way, so I told her to have a good night. I left for about 30 minutes to have dinner and then came back (to work a volleyball game). Kacie was still sitting there, so I said, "Kacie, you're still here? Is your mom still coming?" To which she replied, "She's coming, alright. Geesh. Stop asking me about my ride."

I could only chuckle as I walked away. Note to self, don't ask her the same question twice!

This week, we were talking about the floods to the North of Denver. I said, "The big concern now is the flood water is filled with...(I wasn't quite sure how to say it, so I said chose the first word that came to my mind)....poop. They are recommending that people not walk through the water because it's filled with sewage and is highly contaminated."

I sat down to take attendance, and within seconds, Kacie was standing in front of my desk. With a very serious look and a very direct tone she said, "I don't appreciate you talking about that word (she meant poop). It is very vulgar, and you really should be careful what you talk about. Some of us ate breakfast this morning, and now I feel like throwing up!"

It took everything in my power not to burst out laughing.