What is Autism: What Issues Do Autistic
Children Face in the Mainstream
Classroom?
Brittany Fishel
Glandon and Glandon
Intro to American Ed.
Autism has become one of the most common developmental disabilities
(Understand Autism, 2009). Autism is neurological in nature. It affects the brain in
four major areas of functioning such as behavior, language/communication, social
skills, and sensory systems (Autism 101, 2009). Children with autism generally have
a hard time expressing themselves with words and/or through gestures, touch and
facial expressions (Understanding Autism). They have a hard time expressing
themselves because they have a hard time communicating. Children with autism don’t
always understand the people around them. Repeated body movements such as hand
flapping or rocking are very common in an autistic child. In some cases, the child will
focus on one task or object and only focus on that one thing rather than what they are
supposed to be doing.
Autism is a behavioral disorder; it is a different way of learning and thinking
(Autism 101, 2009). Even though these children learn in a different way, they can still
be very smart kids. Autistic children sometimes excel in certain skills such as solving
math problems, creating music, drawing, or memorizing facts. This is why they
sometimes score higher on nonverbal intelligence tests (Understanding Autism, 2009).
Each case of autism is completely different. Autism is not like diabetes. There are
many different types and ways it affects each child (Colihan, 2009).
What most people don’t know about autism is that there are several different
types. The first type of autism is the autistic disorder. Most people think of this when
they hear the word autism. Children with autistic disorder have issues with social
interactions, communications, and imaginative play in children younger than three
years. Another type of autism is Aspergers’s syndrome. Children with this disorder still
have the same social issues as children with autistic disorder, but children with
Asperger’s don’t have issues with language. These children tend to score average or
above-average on intelligence testing. The next type of autism is Pervasive
Developmental Disorder. This disorder is also known as PDD or atypical autism. This
is the category where children have autistic problems but don’t fit into the other
categories. Rett syndrome is another type of autism that only occurs in girls.
Children with Rett syndrome start out developing normally then begin to lose their
communication and social skills somewhere between the ages of one to four. Children
with this syndrome normally start with repetitive hand movement. They do this
because it is replacing their purposeful hand movements. The last type of autism is
childhood disintegrative disorder. Children with this disorder develop normally for the
first two years, and then start to lose some or most of their social and communication
skills (Understanding Autism, 2009).
The first three years of a child’s life is when autism typically appears. Children,
as early as 12-15 months, are now being diagnosed with autism. Most children, if
diagnosed early enough, will be able to enter elementary school in a typical classroom
with intensive early intervention, needing minor supports and services (Autism 101,
2009). According to the Centers for Disease Control (2007), the rate of autism is now 1
in every 150 births (as cited in Autism 101). Autism is four times more likely in boys
than it is girls (Understanding Autism, 2009). About 1 in every 68 families will be
affected with autism (Autism 101). Autism has become more common than childhood
cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDs combined. Government records are
showing that autism is growing annually about 10-17 percent (What is Autism, 20052010).
Though professionals are able to detect autism rather easily, no one knows
what causes autism. There are different theories as to what causes autism, but there
is still no definite cause. Some professionals believe that autism is genetic. Certain
combinations of genes may cause a person to get autism (Understanding Autism,
2009). Other researchers believe that autism can be linked to genetic disorders, but
only a small number of cases have been found. Since autism has so many different
levels of severity and so many combinations of different symptoms, there are probably
multiple causes (What is Autism, 2005-2010). Also, some people believe that autism
is caused by bad parenting. Though they have not proven this to be true, there are
many factors showing that parents who are unloving and cold do not cause autism in
their children (What is Autism).
Since every case of autism is different, it affects each child differently. In some
cases, children with autism are unable to attend public schools because of the severity
of the disorder. Sometimes children with autism start out in the LIU and then, when
their teachers feel they have progressed enough, they are able to go to a public school.
In other cases a child with autism will be mainstreamed from kindergarten until they
graduate. Even though a child with autism is able to attend a mainstream school,
they still face a large number of problems.
Most teachers have difficulties with students that have autism and a lot of
schools aren’t equipped for children with this disorder. Teachers that do not have
proper training or know much about autism do not know how to handle students with
autism and often punish them for “misbehaving” when really it is just part of their
autism that is causing the problem. Students with autism need individualized
attention. Since each case of autism is different, each child will have a different
learning style as well as different symptoms. Every child with autism is unique
(Colihan, 2008).
One way to help a child with autism is to learn their strengths and their
weaknesses. In order for a parent to learn more about their child’s condition and to
learn more about their child’s strengths and weaknesses, there is a program called
ADOS. ADOS stands for Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. This will evaluate
the child’s social and communication behavior which will help to guide the child’s IEP
or individualized education plan. Another thing is to practice the things they have
difficulties with. This will help to make the child more comfortable with what they
have to accomplish (Colihan, 2008).
The teachers of students with autism can also help the child learn by giving
them easier instructions and repeating the directions for the child if needed.
Sometimes children with autism forget what their instructions are if there is a gap of
time between the directions and the actual activity. The parents of a child that has
autism can also join the PTA and get involved in school activities. This will benefit the
child because the teachers will get to know the child’s parents a little better. Also, the
parents will then have a better idea of the different things that are happening and
going on at their child’s school. If a parent finds their child in a classroom with a
teacher who knows little about autism, sometimes giving the teacher a little
information about it can help their child to succeed (Colihan, 2008).
Children with autism that are mainstreamed must have an IEP. An IEP will
outline the educational programs the child will need, as well as therapies. Such
therapies could include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and
behavioral therapy. The IEP will also determine the amount of time the child needs to
spend with a special education teacher.
According to Kerri Smith (personal communication, 25 Mar, 2010), her son was
diagnosed with autism spectrum at the age of 3. He is now mainstreamed after
attending the LIU for grades K-6. Smith’s son was first introduced to a mainstream
school when he was in 2nd grade. He only attended the mainstream school for a
month before Smith put him back into the LIU. Smith’s son would act out in the
morning before going to school because he did not like it in the mainstream. He would
cry and scream to the point where he made himself sick. He was then reintroduced to
mainstream schools in 7th grade, where he has been attending for the last two years.
Smith’s son is currently in 8th grade and is progressing very well. The longer he is in
the mainstream classroom, the better he progresses (Smith, personal communication).
When Smith first tried to put her son into the mainstream, the teachers were
unfamiliar with her son’s diagnosis so they were unaware of the special
accommodations he needed. Teachers tried to tell Smith that her son was mentally
retarded, where as Smith knew that her son’s autism was the reason for his inability
to learn like the other children. Smith’s son doesn’t learn as fast as the average child
or even in the same manner as an average child, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t smart.
Like most children with autism, Smith’s son is a very bright young man. He just
learns differently. Math is his best subject, but reading has become a close second.
He enjoys reading now that it is no longer a struggle (Smith, personal communication,
25 Mar, 2010).
Since children with autism do not always know how to communicate with their
peers, they act out in different ways. This may cause their peers to pick on them
because of them acting differently. Smith (personal communication, 25 Mar, 2010)
states that her son gets picked on at school, though he does not realize the other
children are making fun of him. Smith (personal communication) says she does not
like that her son will never be able to adjust normally to a typical day to day class, but
she is very proud of how well he is progressing in the last two years while being
mainstreamed (Smith, personal communication).
Dianne McCleary’s son, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s at the age of 8, has
always been in a mainstream school. McCleary (personal communication, 23 Mar,
2010) said when her son was around the age of six, her and her husband, Ken, started
to notice that he had some of the symptoms of autism. Like stated previously,
Asperger’s is a type of autism which is high functioning. According to McCleary, her
son struggles in unstructured/relaxed classrooms because one of his quirks is an
attention to following the rules. He also struggles with kids wanting to see what he is
doing on occasion because he has space issues. His social skills are behind those of
his peers, so he has trouble making friends or recognizing when another child wants
to be his friend (McCleary, personal communication).
Autistic children sometimes need directions and long term assignments to be
broken down into smaller increments, which is one of the issues McCleary’s son faces.
He tends to get lost in the details on a multistep assignment or if an assignment has a
lot of instructions. He has a fear of getting things wrong but pays very close attention
to detail. This causes him much frustration at times, according to McCleary (personal
communication, 23 Mar, 2010). This can be a doubled edged sword. Though he gets
frustrated with this, it also helps him to do the assignment well. McCleary also states
that her son needs to work in an area where there is minimal distraction. Also, group
work is not always the best setting for him. He does best in social studies and
reading, which are also his favorite subjects (McCleary, personal communication).
McCleary’s son sometimes acts out when he is angry or nervous so he carries
around “power cards” with him in school to help him remember what to do when he
starts to feel angry or nervous (McCleary, personal communication, 23 Mar, 2010). He
also gets a “cooling off pass” in every classroom. This allows him to step out of the
classroom if he feels he is going to lose his temper or get upset. McCleary’s son also
meets with a Special Education counselor to discuss his feelings. Sometimes he gets
teased and picked on in school because he acts differently than the other children,
states McCleary (personal communication). He also gets pick on at times because he
gets upset so easily.
Joseph Monti, Emotional Support teacher/ LIU employee, works with an
autistic child with Asperger’s. He has only ever worked with Asperger’s personally, but
has briefly witnessed other types of autism. The boy that Monti (personal
communication, 23 Mar, 2010) works with struggles in the mainstream schools
because he often feels as though his peers are talking about him negatively and he is
easily frustrated when things do not go the way he wants. He also will act out by
yelling and arguing with others. When he is asked to complete writing assignments,
he also tends to demonstrate this behavior. According to Monti, not all children with
autism adjust to the mainstream schooling system. It depends on the individual. He
states that some students will struggle socially and excel in the academics, where as
others will struggle more with academics and excel more socially (Monti, personal
communication).
Autistic children in the mainstream school system are sometimes in an
emotional support program. Other children with autism do not have to be in an
emotional support program. These children are then normally in a learning support
program. Children who are in an emotional support program must have a behavior
plan, where as children who are just in learning support are not required to have a
behavior plan. The children in learning support generally don’t have to have a
behavior plan because the child’s behavior is not the main issue. Monti (personal
communication, 23 Mar, 2010) states that the young boy he works with tends to
exaggerate when other children tease him and he is overly paranoid. He has difficulty
hearing so that most likely contributes to his suspicious nature (Monti, personal
communication).
Autism, like previously stated, affects a child’s way of learning. The child
Joseph Monti works with does not always fully understand what he is reading and
may not absorb instructions when his mind is preoccupied on something else. He also
feels that his teachers and parents are “yelling at him” when they are just giving him
constructive criticism. Since he feels as though he is getting “yelled at,” he sometimes
does not complete his assignments (Monti, personal communication, 23 Mar, 2010).
Monti has only ever worked with Asperger’s but he has witnessed other children
with different types of autism. Monti (personal communication, 23 Mar, 2010) says
that there were students that were almost obsessed with a certain object or objects
which kept them from participating in class. The children were too busy talking about
the object to pay attention to what was going on in class (Monti, personal
communication).
Even though children with autism learn differently than children that do not
have autism, they still learn the same material if they are able to. However, the
curriculum will be changed and adapted to fit the finding of the IEP team,
psychologists, and parents (Monti, personal communication, 23 Mar, 2010). Monti
noted from his experiences that most children with autism are very intelligent. He
says, “the only limit to their academic success is the severity to which their disability
inhibits their learning.” Also, it depends on the student because each case is very
unique and may involve several different diagnoses. According to Monti, doctors still
are having difficulty diagnosing students with everything from ADD, ADHD,
Depressions, to Autism (Monti, personal communication, 23 Mar, 2010).
Looking at these three young boys who have autism, it is obvious to see the
difference between them. All three of them have a form of autism, and yet, are affected
in different ways. Also, each of the boys handles each situation in a different way.
These three cases just prove how unique each child with autism really is. Each one of
these boys are very intelligent individuals, they just learn in a different way than other
children. Though each case of autism is different, all three of the boy’s social skills
are behind those of their peers. Even though they are all the same in that aspect, they
all react to this in a different way.
Autism has become increasingly common in young children. Children do not
grow out of autism; they will always have it. Over time, people with autism may be
able to adjust, depending on the severity, to life and live life normally. Children with
autism also can go to college. It sometimes may take them a little longer than the
average student, but they are able to do the same things people without autism can
do. In some cases, it may hold a person back, but most of the time it does not.
Knowing about autism is important for people who work with children or adults with
autism. If people know a little bit about the disorder they are dealing with, it will help
them to understand why the child with autism acts in the way that they do. This, in
the long run, will help schools to become more accessible for students with autism
and other disabilities and will help to give those students a more equal opportunity to
learn and succeed in school.
Bibliography
Autism 101. (2009). Autism Digest. Retrieved from
http://www.autismdigest.com/autisminformation/tabid/63/Default.aspx
Colihan, K. (2008, December 2). Autism in the classroom. Web MD. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/features/autism-in-the-classroom
McCleary, D.H. (2010, March). Personal Interview.
Monti, J. (2010, March). Personal Interview.
Smith, K. (2010, March). Personal Interview.
Understanding autism- The basics. (2009). Web MD. Retrieved from
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/understanding-autism-basics
What is autism? (2005-2010). Autism Speaks. Retrieved from
http://www.autismspeaks.org/whatisit/index.php