Teacher's Are You Ready?

            Autism affects more than half a million children in the United States. Contrary to common belief, it is a developmental disorder of brain function. Symptoms include a wide scope of behavioral and learning issues. While some cases render children unable to speak others experience the opposite effect, extremely talkative. This range of symptoms makes it difficult for non-specialized educators to help in the learning process. Traditional methods of discipline, such as time-out, are unsuccessful because it requires children to recognize and explain why the behavior was inappropriate. Children with autism find it hard to recognize poor social behavior.

 

           There is no cure for autism. Specific symptoms are alleviated through customized therapy or intervention programs consisting of educational, behavioral and medical treatment. This is typically achieved through private schools specializing in the development of exceptional children, costing about $75,000 per year for each child. Public schools are looking to curve this cost by integrating less severe cases into mainstream education.

            In the classroom, teachers are responsible for the safety and educational development of fifty to twenty students. The typical student can learn one skill and apply it to multiple situations. Depending on the case, an autistic child's learning process may require repeatedly learning one skill as it applies to new situation. This is an individual attention public school student’s do not receive outside of specialized programs.

             No Child Left Behind annually assesses student progress. Will this form of inclusion negatively affect school racking? If test score do not meet expectation could this produce a new situation causing more finger pointing towards teachers?

             While the education system is saving money, there is no mention of salary increases for teachers pursuing additional training to accommodate the special needs of these new students? The change could potentially result in job loss for special education teachers experiencing the decrease in student population.

I am not sure this will work towards the student's best interest. This is a major integration that could have serious social implications. Are teachers ready?

 

 

 

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/10/19/kids-with-autism-find-it-hard-to-describe-poor-behavior-study-finds

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12776434

http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-psychology/autism-aspergers/autism_fact_sheet.shtml