FOX 35 Care Force: Honoring ASD teacher at Osteen Elementary School

Honoring Osteen Teacher Charles Richardson

In this segment of FOX 35's Care Force, we're honoring Osteen Elementary School teacher Charles Richardson for his outstanding work in teaching students with autism spectrum disorder.

OSTEEN, Fla. - Charles Richardson teaches third through fifth graders with autism spectrum disorder at Osteen Elementary School. FOX 35’s Amanda McKenzie had the opportunity to shadow him in his classroom for part of a day.

From business to ASD teaching career

What we know:

Richardson, with a background in business, sold his company during COVID and decided to shift careers to help others after seeing the needs of his own son with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

"I have twins and one is autistic," he said. "There’s not a lot of professionals going into that setting and so there is actually a deficit right now. My own son, it probably took me nine months to get him seen by a therapist."

Not just wanting to volunteer, he became certified as an ASD instructor.

What they're saying:

"He decided to make a commitment in his life to serve these students and it really is an amazing story," said Principal Scott Lifvendahl.

A story that centers around grace.

"You gotta give a lot of grace and patience. That’s the big thing," Richardson said.

While in his classroom, one student stood up and began to cry out, unable to articulate what he needed at that moment. Richardson offered him a blanket and invited him to sit on the floor with him.

"They may not be able to communicate as clearly as some of the other students would," he said. "Majority of my students unfortunately, are behind, and so they don’t learn at the same pace as other children. It has more to do with their personal aspects, because you are dealing with behavior, as I said, that can be extremely violent, sometimes, and sometimes the child just wants to cry and that’s OK too. But it is a rollercoaster of emotions that we go through."

Richardson said burnout is a big issue in this profession.

"What I’ve been told is that most people in the ESE field only last about two years. It is very stressful. Dealing with these children is complicated. This is not an easy task for anyone and so I definitely think there is a need for more ESE teachers that are ASD certified to come into the room to work with these kids," he said.

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