From the moment our children enter a public school, its main effort is directed toward teaching students academic skills such as reading, writing, math, and science. Teaching students adult functional skills is not a public school priority, yet acquiring these skills is vital for all children in order to succeed in their future adult life. Most students acquire functional skills due to their social interaction with other people, reading books, listening to mass media, and participating in different community activities. On the other hand, students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need specially designed instruction and additional support for a successful transition into adult life.
Recognizing this fact, IDEA 2004 mandates public schools to facilitate the transition process from school to adult life for students with disabilities. Teresa Foden and Connie Anderson (2011) point out the growing evidence of family dissatisfaction with the realities of the transition process conducted by public schools. According to parents, their children have little input in planning their future lives and setting goals; schools make wrong assumptions about their children and set the goals that are irrelevant to their needs. Very often these goals are vague and it is not clear what services will be provided and who is responsible for helping students achieve their goals. School districts also tend to provide students with traditional services, whether they are appropriate or not. Parental complaints are supported by the report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), asserting that compared to children with other disabilities, children with autism disorder are less likely to participate in transition in a meaningful way. Twe...
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...d from http://www.iancommunity.org/cs/adults/autism_beyond_high_school
2. Asperger's Network Support for Well-being, Education, and Research (2014). Statistics.
Retrieved from http://www.aspergersmn.org/what-is-aspergers/statistics.
3. Autism Transition Handbook. Transition Planning During School year (2014). Retrieved from http://autismhandbook.org/index.php/Transition_Planning_during_the_School_Years_Overview
4. Merrill, A. ( 2013). Supporting Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders through
Postsecondary Transition. The Reporter 18(1).
5. Heasley. S. (2013, Augast 5) With Training, Most With Autism Land Jobs. Disability Scoop. Retrieved from http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2013/08/05/with-training-jobs/18446/
6. Shore, S. (Ed.) (2004). Ask and Tell: Self-Advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum. Shawnee Mission, KA: Autism Asperger Publishing Co.
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders has risen drastically, to an estimated 1 in 68 children. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014) In order to address this growing phenomenon, educators in the New York City Department of Education – the largest public school district in the country – conducted a study of the growing number of higher functioning children with ASD attending New York City public schools. “Led by District 15 Superintendent Carmen Farina, with support from Dorothy Siegel and Shirley Cohen, the group studied the research findings of the National Research Council’s rep...
Wendy Keay-Bright and Imogen Howarth From the issue entitled "Special Issue on Autism and Technology" Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Volume 16, Number 2 (2012), 129-141, DOI: 10.1007/s00779-011-0381-5
For all teens, the transition into adulthood is generally seen as a challenging and scary process. For teens diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as their caregivers, this transition is often more complicated. The period of transition for individuals with ASD into adulthood is intensely more challenging due to their “unique characteristics, the lack of services that address the special needs of such individuals in adulthood, and the expectations of society for a typical path to adulthood in the face of atypical problems” (Geller and Greenberg, 2009, pg. 93). Without the necessary resources to transition, teens with ASD find themselves unprepared for life at work, in college, or community living. Through this paper, the reader will obtain knowledge in regards to what ASD is, the barriers it yields concerning the transition into adulthood, and the effects it has on the individual as well
Unfortunately, a lot of parents may have a difficult time accepting their child, and coping with their needs and the responsibilities. From the book “The Elephant in the Playroom,” some families dealt with depression and physical and mental deterioration of their health. These struggles were shown in the story by Laura Cichoracki. Laura’s son’s name was Patrick. Patrick was a 6-years-old boy with autism. “I wasn’t eating right, I wasn’t showering regularly, I wasn’t sleeping well” (Brodey, p. 64). I also read the story told by Susan Marrash-Minnerly, which highlighted emotions that parents face. Susan also shed light on how wonderful children with special needs can be to a family, such as her ten-year-old third grader who had autism. Susan talked about how it was normal to feel angry at times, especially with the ups and downs a child’s disability may come with. “When I look back, I want to tell other parents that a child’s future is worth grieving over – but it’s not the end of the world” (Brodey, p. 75). After reading these stories, it became apparent to me that families who are raising kids with special needs, need support, kindness, and available resources. “I was fortunate to be surrounded by other moms who understood my pain…who could be supportive and emphatic.” (Brodey, p. 67). Overall, educators can use this kind of information that was shared in “The Elephant in the Playroom” about family systems and risk/resiliency by creating lines of open communication between families. This is to connect parents together that share similar struggles. By creating open communication is can allows for the teacher and parents to be on the same page when it comes to the issues affecting special needs students and
This paper was reprinted with permission of Susan Moreno on the O.A.S.I.S. (Online Asperger's Syndrome Information and Support)
Occupational therapy plays a huge part in the treatment of Autism. Teachers and parents often work together with occupational therapists to often evaluate the performance of different tasks through out the day and set specific goals for the child. These may include how he or she behaves in public, or interacts with others, or performs in the classroom, or all of the above. Therapists are often called in to evaluate a child doing everyday activities to determine what care is needed. The therapist can then develop a program unique to the individual. These specific strategies can help the child improve skills in various situations. (Webmd.com, 2014)
...l awareness to the ability to process language and sensory experiences and integrate with ones own environment. Until research on autism and other developmental disabilities yields more information about how autism affects neurological function, children and adults who are affected will not be served to the fullest extent of our capabilities as providers of equal education and health care to all. It is only with more information about the neurological differences in the autistic brain that we will fully understand the best way to teach persons with autism so that they might participate to their fullest potential within their community. It is my personal belief that great progress will be made during my own lifetime and that a new level of outcome will be the normal expectation for parents when their child receives this shattering diagnosis during the next generation.
There are multiple types of schools in the United States; especially when it comes to dealing with children with Autism. Some schools do not handle autistic children well. There are multiple reports on how these children are put in isolation from other students in the school. Society frowns upon the mentally disabled, and many people feel as if this should not be. Most psychologists have said that there are no “right” schools for children with autism. However, public schools seem to have more pros, than cons. In public schools, the ratio (for teachers to students) is 1:1. There is special support, just like mainstreaming. Also, Autistic children don’t feel different than other students because the classroom has the same type-of setting and any other class. Just as there are pros, cons seem to follow however. One of the main, and only cons is simply that the parent does not agree with the choices, or setting of the school. The parent might feel the classroom is not adequate for their child.
In the recent years, there has been an increase with the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007), 1 in 150 children are said to be autistic and according to many states ASD is seen as an epidemic. The problem with these numbers is how to teach these children affectively in the best academic environment. In 2005-2006 it was reported that 31% of autistic students were placed in general education classrooms and around 40% in separate classes, typically referred as autistic support classrooms (U.S. Department of Education, 2007). Characteristically, the student will be placed in an autistic support (AS) room because the general education room is not the least restricted environment for that child.
Students with disabilities can have a smooth transition from school to post school activities. The transitional services and regulations provided by the government guarantee that students will be provided with the education, social skills and community support needed for the transition to be flawless and successful. There are many parts involved in the education, implementation and transition of students with disabilities. The parents, teachers, resource teachers, outside agencies and community partners all are involved to help transition the student into the post school world.
Zager, Dianne, Carol Alpern, Barbara McKeon, Susan Maxam, and Janet Mulvey. Educating College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York: Routledge, 2013. 21-58. Print.
Autism spectrum disorder has become the most common neurological and developmental disorder diagnosed in children today. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) estimate that 1 out of every 88 American children have been properly diagnosed. There is no known cure for autism, and the inconsistencies of the symptoms of autism in each case make it difficult to target a particular set of effective treatments. However some behavior management therapies, specifically physical therapy, may help to significantly control the unwanted symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder.
Winterman, K. & Sapona, R. (2002). Everyone’s Included: Supporting Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in a Responsive Classroom Learning Environment. Teaching Exceptional Children, 35 (1), 30-35.
During the late 1980’s and 1990’s the number of children with learning disabilities receiving special education services grew rapidly, but during 1998 and 2007 the number of children classified as having a LD has declined by 7% (Cortiella, 2009). “In 2007, 59% of students with LD spent 80% or more of their in-school time in general education classrooms. In 2000, that figure was just 40%” (Cortiella, 2009). In addition, students with disabilities are spending more time with students in traditional classroom settings. According to the Department of Education, “approximately 6 million children (roughly 10 percent of all school-aged children) receive special education services” (Pardini, 2011).
To begin with, full inclusion in the education system for people with disabilities should be the first of many steps that are needed to correct the social injustices that people with disabilities currently face. Students with disabilities are far too frequently isolated and separated in the education system (Johnson). They are often provided a diluted, inferior education and denied meaningful opportunities to learn. There are many education rights for children with disabilities to p...