A version of this article was originally published on Noodle. Over a decade ago, I bit the bullet and created a Twitter account. I had no idea what to expect. I was in for a big surprise. I made my Twitter account in preparation for a conference in Atlanta called TASH; I was presenting. At the time, I was a classroom teacher for students with significant intellectual disabilities, and the Georgia Department of Education partnered with my school district for a pilot inclusion

By Melissa Winchell Ana, a typical third-grader, is the preferred playmate of her autistic classmate, Jeni. Ana does her best to include Jeni—she invites her to climb on the playground equipment with her, to play “house,” and to join in the basketball game on the blacktop. But Ana does not always understand Jeni. Sometimes Jeni flaps her arms and does not respond to Ana’s attempts at conversation, and Ana wants to know why. One day as Ana takes Jeni’s hand to walk to the swin