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Promote inclusion of autism students in all settings Provide consultative services for general education teachers; present students’ program supports Provide student support in general education setting Incidental and explicit instruction of social skills, communication, self-regulation, and organization Provide visuals; content, directions, schedules, routines etc. Supplement and reinforce general education instruction based on students’ academic needs To look at the whole person while considering the whole life span of each individual with autism and develop necessary skills to maximize student learning and human potential. To advocate for students with autism rights to an appropriate education and ensuring each person will be treated with the love and respect all students deserve. Autism was first described by Leo Kanner in the 1940’s. Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities. Autism is more common in our youth than cancer, diabetes and Aids combined. Nearly 1 in 150 children in this country are on the autism spectrum; as many as 1 in 94 boys are identified as being on the autism spectrum. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; American Psychiatric Association [ Educators of today are beginning to see autism through a new lens referred to as the “Social Model of Autism.” This model recognizes that some people have severe struggles, challenges, and impairments due to their disability, but we also understand that these individuals may be more or as disabled by the barriers that exist in a society that does not take account of their needs and differences. People with autism tend to have uncooperative bodies in that they have sensory problems and outward behavior may be the result of their reaction to something in the environment. People with autism may be particularly sensitive to certain lighting, sounds, movement, smells and tastes. Many people with autism are very social, affectionate, display creative talents, and are very empathetic towards others. Sometimes it may not seem so due to difficulties with expression or the skills needed to appropriately demonstrate these behaviors. One of the best ways to develop a better understanding of autism is by reading literature authored by people on the autism spectrum. Some people with autism identify the most disabling aspects of their diagnosis to be the attitudes, perspectives, and actions of those without labels, or as people with autism might say “neurotypicals.” (See http://isnt.autistics.org for a humorous and unusual parody depicting “Neurotypical syndrome.”) Autism isn’t something a person has, or a ‘shell’ that a person is trapped inside. There’s no normal child hidden behind the autism. Autism is a way of being. It is pervasive: it colors every experience, every sensation, perception, thought, emotion, and encounter, every aspect of existence. It is not possible to separate the autism from the person – and if it were possible, the person you’d have left would not be the same person you started with. (Sinclair, as cited in Kluth 1993) Yet I believe autism can be a beautiful way of seeing the world. I believe that within autism there is not only the group – the label – but the individual as well; there is strength in it, and there is terror in its power. When I speak of emerging from the darkness of autism I don not mean I offer a success story neatly wrapped and finished with a ‘cure.’ I and the others who are autistic do not want to be cured. What I mean when I say ‘emergence’ is that my soul was lifted from the context of my earlier autism and became autistic in another context, one filled with wonder and discovery and full of the feelings that so poetically inform each human life. (Prince-Hughes, as cited in Kluth, 2004) Autism means having to watch how I feel every second that I am awake. Autism means having challenge [sic] when I leave the room fearing that others will say unkind things about me to her people. Autism means being dateless on weekends as well as constant loneliness, only watching TV on Saturday night. Autism means not being able to fit in social peer relations. However, autism, in my case, means that I have a calendar memory for birthdays, being articulate and having skills. I, all in all, would rather be autistic than normal. (Ronan, as cited in Gillingham, as cited in Kluth p.6) I believe autism is a marvelous occurrence of nature, not a tragic example of the human mind gone wrong. In many cases, autism can also be a kind of genius undiscovered. (O’Neill, as cited in Kluth, 2008 p.6) I like being different. I prefer having AS [Asperger syndrome] to being normal. I don’t have the foggiest idea exactly what it is I like about AS. I think that people with AS see things differently. I also think they see them more clearly. (Hall, as cited in Kluth, p.6) Autism Society of America: Autism Information Center, DD, NCBDDD, CDC Autism Research Institute
Focus on Individualized Educational Plan’s goals
Autism = Autism Spectrum Disorder which also includes: Asperger Syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett syndrome. Asperger Syndrome is often viewed as a milder form of autism without significant speech or language delays, or self-help skills.
Movement
Excessive and/or atypical movement and/or lack of typical movement Unusual sensory experiences, (hearing, touch, smell, sight, or taste)
Communication
Some students use few or no spoken words. Others use their voices reliably, but their speech many have unusual intonation or pacing. Still others use speech in ways that seem idiosyncratic or are difficult to interpret. Echolalia is when students repeat memorized sounds, words, phrases, or scripts from a television show or movie instantly or minutes, days or months later. Students who have difficulty with pragmatics may not know exactly how to enter or exit a conversation or how to adjust conversation among speaking partners, (friend vs. adult), how to read communication cues (verbal and nonverbal) and respond, how to stay on a topic not of choice, switch topics, and turn taking.
Social
People with autism report difficulty reading body language or faces, observing social norms, rules, and rhythms of personal interaction. Some students are acutely attuned to social rules and follow proper etiquette in a variety of situations, which could easily be regarded as a social gift.
Learning differences
Students with autism may struggle with perception, memory, and/or comprehension (especially inferring information and comprehending fiction that uses literature devices such as idioms, similes, metaphors, figurative language etc). Rarely, students with autism may display savant skills; a special talent or skill. Often autism students demonstrate a gift of being able to focus intently on objects or topics. Students with autism may have visual or auditory processing issues. Individuals with autism have reported a wide range of learning disabilities such as, difficulty with memory, processing, and expression. These issues very similar to the types of struggles experienced by individuals with learning disabilities. Not all people with disability labels view their differences as negative, tragic, or even disabling, including with some physical disabilities, some who are deaf and hard of hearing and those with Asperger syndrome and autism (Kluth & Chandler-Olcott 2008).
Kids Health: Autism
Http://www.autisitics.org
The primary mission of ASAF is to raise and allocate funds to address the many
unanswered questions about autism. ASAF sponsors work as diverse as the ...
Autism Speaks, Home Page
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders,
to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, ...
Autism Collaboration - www.autism.org
Collaboration is pleased to offer the most valuable autism answer search
facility available: The A+ Recovery Search Engine. ...
Information on autism. Provided by the
Prevention.
For more than 40 years, the Autism Research Institute (
to conducting research and to disseminating the results of research on the ...
The National Autistic Society - Home
The National Autistic Society: the UK's foremost charity for people with
autistic spectrum disorders.
