In the essay, the balance between being an educator and a mother of a child with autism is explored in respect to how the roles might influence the actions of a pre-school teacher. Writing is used as a method of reflection, it gives the teacher a chance to take a step back and view her practical experiences from a novel perspective; conclusions are recounted throughout the teachers narrative. The essay is based on the following questions; which problems might arise in the meeting with parents such as Adams where there is a suspicion of autism for the child? Which advantages/disadvantages might the teacher’s personal experience of autism have for the role as educator? How would the dual roles as educator and mother of an autistic child best be balanced in the future?

The essay highlights special educational and parent perspectives on the matter of autism. Professor of pedagogy Claes Nilholm, specializes in special needs education. Nilholm discusses the existence of compensatory and critical perspectives on autism in the classroom, which are presented in the essay as a problematic dichotomy which the teacher must navigate. Based on the work performed by psychologist Lennart Lindqvist the teacher presents her own experiences of being a mother of a child with autism and how it affects her role as educator. From the reflective process the teacher concluded that personal experience from children with autism might be of advantage in the educational environment but has distinct disadvantages when communicating with parents. Aristoteles three forms of knowledge episteme, techne and fronesis were used to further highlight the difficulties when dealing with parents of children with suspected autism. Especially the concept of fronesis was discussed in relation to the teacher’s narrative as an influencing factor. Fronesis, the wisdom to act correctly in a given situation, was concluded be of advantage in the role as educator. When meeting parents of children with suspected autism the teachers unprocessed feeling on the matter may become a disadvantage. The aim of the essay was to deepen the knowledge of the teachers own experiences in order to better utilize them in the role as an educator.