Autism as a Learning Disability in the School System - Research Paper Example

 Autism as a Learning Disability in the School System Abstract Because of a long list of other disorders associated with autism, autistic children could end up experiencing learning disorder. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the need to allow eligible children with disabilities to participate in a public school not only to decrease the overall expenses associated with sending disabled children to a specialized school but also encourage this group of students to experience learning equality, social justice, and active participation in school activities. However, autistic children should not be accepted in an inclusive school for the reasons that students with ASD are more likely to require special educational support as compared to students without ASD. To increase the learning experience of children with ASD in special school, it is important to maintain a small group of students in each class, provide autistic children with intensive intervention of at least 25 hours per week and 12 months per years, document each child’s learning development, and accurately identify the specific needs of the students in order for them to effectively remove the students’ learning barriers. Introduction As a life-long non-curable disease, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neural developmental disorder that is often characterized by having impaired verbal or non-verbal communication and social interaction aside from showing repetitive behavior such as the act of arranging objects in stacks or lines, continuous hand flapping or making unusual sounds, body rocking, and ritualistic behavior like eating the same food each day or performing a ritual when dressing (Geschwind, 2008; Lam & Aman, 2007). In most cases, autism is four times more prevalent among male as compared to female individuals. As reported by the Autism Society, at least 1 percent of the entire U.S. populations of children between the ages of 3 – 17 years old were diagnosed with ASD (Autism Society, 2010). As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007), between 1 to 1.5 million Americans today are suffering from the health and learning consequences of ASD (ibid). In this study, factors that categorize autism as a learning disability will first be tackled followed by discussing the importance of inclusive education. After discussing the significance of special school in the learning ability of autistic children, strategic ways on how special school teachers could cater the special needs of children with autism will be tackled in details. Autism as a Learning Disability Autism can lead to learning disorder. Based on the report of the National Institute of Mental Health, ASD can include a number of other disorders including asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, Rett’s disorder, Pervasive developmental disorder, and autistic disorder (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2005, p. 8). On top of this, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2010), there is a risk for children with ASD to experience fragile X syndrome – causing mental retardation, tuberous sclerosis – tumor in the brain, epileptic seizures, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, and Tourette syndrome – a neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by multiple physical tics or at least one vocal tic. In relation to the onset of Tourette syndrome, ‘motor tics’ are considered as a sudden repetitive non-rhythmic movement whereas ‘phonic tics’ are characterized by sudden repetitive utterances which are produced by moving air through the throat, nose, or mouth (Leckman et al., 2006). In most cases the presence of uncontrolled and severe motor and phonic tics could lead to dyslexia – reading disabilities, dysgraphia – written language disabilities (LD Online, 2008). Importance of Inclusive Education In the United States, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) “mandates the availability of a free appropriate public education for all eligible children with disabilities and requires an individualized education program (IEP) for eligible children” (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2005, p. 11). Given the fact that sending a child to special school can be very expensive, IDEA strictly requires the inclusion of students with learning disabilities in statewide and districtwide academic assessment programs (ibid). In general, the main objective of 'inclusive education’ is to promote learning equality, social justice, and an active participation of the students in school activities by removing all forms of learning barriers caused by race, gender and ethnic discrimination and oppression which could negatively affect the well-being of the learners (Barton, 2008). As a result of promoting a socially inclusive school, each student regardless of their race, gender and learning abilities will learn to accept other students as part of the school community (Stainback & Stainback, 1990, p. 3). According to Scwartz (2000), tthe framework of three inter-related domain known as knowledge & skills, membership, and relationship shows that the implementation of a socially inclusive school could enable each children with or without mental, physical or emotional disability to develop their cognitive, emotional, and social development. By implementing a fair and consistent treatment to all students within the educational institutions, the promotion of equal learning opportunity is important to the social, emotional and psychological development of a child. Even though minority of the teachers believe that students who are diagnosed with ASD should be integrated in a normal school (McGregor & Campbell, 2001), it is less likely that children with ASD to be easily accepted in an inclusive school. As a common knowledge, children with ASD requires a special educational support such as a long list of alternative educational approach as compared to students without ASD. In most cases, autistic children requires a lot of visual learning support and lesser distractions as compared to students with normal learning capabilities (Peeters, 2000). Significance of Special School in the Learning Ability of Autistic Children The use of educational intervention as early as ASD has been diagnosed is beneficial on the part of the autistic children (Meyers & Johnson, 2007). Education could not only improve the child’s ability to develop their independence from their parents but also improve their academic learning experiences as well as socializing and communicating with other children. In the long-run, autistic children who are given the opportunity to attend school are expected to be able to improve their adaptive skills by learning how to control their interfering behaviors. Autistic children needs a wide-range of special educational services which includes not only the presence of special education teachers and aides but also the intervention of professional speech-language pathologists, behavioral therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and psychologists or counselors (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2005, p. 19). By working with other professionals, it will be easier for the special school teacher to develop a more effective strategy on how to motivate and handle the student with autism. Allowing the parents of autistic children to participate in special school activities is another strategy that can useful in the learning process of autistic children (Meyers & Johnson, 2007). For this reason, it would be difficult to enroll autistic children in one of the local public schools. Strategic Ways on how Special School Teachers could Cater the Special Needs of Children with Autism It is very expensive to hire 1:1 ratio of special school teacher and autistic student. Therefore, a small group of students is highly recommended. In line with this, special school teachers should provide autistic children with intensive intervention of at least 25 hours per week and 12 months per years (Meyers & Johnson, 2007). Aside from intensive intervention, special school teachers are also required to document each child’s learning development. This record will be used in determining whether or not there is a need to adjust the child’s special curriculum such as allowing the child to apply his newly learned reading or writing skills in an entirely new environment. The case of students with autism is unique in the sense that some students may suffer from fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and epileptic seizures whereas other students may show signs of attention deficit disorder or Tourette syndrome. In relation to cognitive problems, physical or sensory impairments, behavioral abnormalities or emotional difficulties, each autistic student has their own individual needs. Therefore, special school teachers should accurately identify the specific needs of the students in order for them to effectively remove the students’ learning barriers. For example: Because of phonic tics, an autistic student is having difficulty learning how to read and speak properly. Therefore, the special school teacher should work together with the help of a professional speech-language pathologists in order to be able to control the sudden repetitive utterances of the student. In case an autistic student is showing behavioral problems in class, the special school teacher should work together with a behavioral therapist in order to solve the problem. Through the help of a behavioral therapist, the special school teacher will be able to fully understand the main causes that triggers the emotional burden of a student. Conclusion The symptoms of autism are life-long and non-curable. Even though there is no cure for autism, it is still possible to treat autistic children by maximizing their independence and improve their quality of life. To minimize the degree of maladaptive behavior, sending autistic children to school can be used as a strategy in promoting their socialization skills while developing their learning capabilities. It is through early diagnosis and treatment that we can become successful in education children with autism. Although not all children with autism could experience the symptoms of Tourette syndrome, it is necessary to immediately treat the symptoms of autism through educational or behavioral intervention, medications, and other related therapies like dietary intervention. These strategies are not only useful in preventing the occurrence of serious lifetime learning difficulties but also avoid worsening the health condition of an autistic child. The idea of promoting social inclusion within the U.S. educational system is good. However, there will always be a limitation to this type of educational program since children with special educational needs such as those with ASD will have a difficult time coping with the normal educational system needed by the ‘able students’. To avoid future learning problems, it is necessary to encourage students with ASD to undergo a series of cognitive assessment before allowing them to attend the public school. References Autism Society. (2010). 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The Attitude of Teachers in Scotland to the Integration of Children with Autism into Mainstream Schools. Autism , 5:189 - 207. Meyers, S. M., & Johnson, C. P. (2007). Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pediatrics , 120(5):1162-1182. National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke. (2010). Retrieved October 4, 2010, from Autism Fact Sheet: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm Peeters, T. (2000). The Role of Training in Developing Good Services for Persons with Autism and their Families. International Journal of Mental Health , 29:44 - 59. Schwartz, I. (2000). Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Looking Ahead to Facilitating Membership and Relationships for Children with Disabilities. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education , 20(2):123 – 128. Stainback, W., & Stainback, S. (1990). Support Networks for Inclusive Schooling: Interdependent Integrated Education. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2005, January). Retrieved October 4, 2010, from Special Education. Children w/ Autism: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05220.pdf Read More