Supporting Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Grief and Loss

Kara Hume, Tara Regan, Laura Megronigle, Charlene Rhinehalt

Ms. Bellamy was a beloved high school teacher serving students on the autism spectrum, as well as a highly visible staff member on her campus, where she was the varsity tennis coach. Her unexpected death affected everyone on campus and across the broader community, none more so than the eight students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with whom she worked daily across the school year. Her colleagues, though devastated, rallied together to support the students as they learned of her death, processed their grief, and worked toward understanding their profound loss. The supports and strategies used to help “Ms. Bellamy’s boys,” as she fondly referred to them, can be used to support students of various ages across the spectrum as they grapple with loss of all magnitudes.

Citation: 

Hume, K., Regan, T., Megronigle, L., & Rhinehalt, C. (2016). Supporting Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Grief and Loss. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 48(3), 128–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059915618196