Autistic Childhood Education
According to "The Foundation for Autistic Childhood Education and Support" (FACES), over $90 billion per annum is spent on treating autism in the U.S. This figure is expected to increase to $400 billion by 2015. Autism typically first appears when a child is between 1 and 3 years old, so how a child begins to be educated in these years is especially critical.
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What is Autism?
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Children with autism struggle with education. Autism, including Aspergers syndrome, is a disorder affecting brain function, causing side effects such as strange or repeating body movements, speech delays, difficulty concentrating, fascination with objects rather than people and inability to nurture relationships or endure physical contact. Children with autism seem "in their own world" and show compulsive behaviors.
Treatments
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The autistic child isolates himself from peers. "Early Intervention" or behavior modification is widely applied. Ideally beginning before 3 years of age, it involves up to forty hours per week of one-on-one therapy, addressing language, behavior, social skills and self-help. A child must be seen in different social settings including home, preschool and community for environmental effects to be sustained.
Vitamin or mineral supplements are common, especially vitamin B6 and magnesium, designed to normalize metabolism. "Auditory integration therapy" is popular and designed to reduce sensitivity to sound frequencies. Music therapy stimulates and enhances communication.
Other specialized approaches are geared towards severe disability. These include the daily life program offered by Higashi schools, the "Picture Exchange Communication System," and the options approach "Son-Rise." Recommended reading covering these approaches is included in the Resources at the end of this article.
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At School
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Schools may need specialist guidance from an autism foundation to know how to deal with an autistic child and maximize his learning potential. Special academic programs need to be devised to ensure compliance and minimize unruly behavior. Parents of autistic children should ask about these provisions when considering school suitability. Parents need close involvement with a chosen school to ensure treatment and care plans are followed, as there is potential for disruption and aggression if autistic children aren't closely observed.
Life-Skills Education
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Parents need to know how to help an autistic child. Parents of autistic children need support and guidance in their role in educating. Teaching chores is a vital part of the developmental program, since daily tasks are challenging. FACES and other organizations can offer families fee-based consultation and training that makes a difference between coping and feeling overwhelmed.
Social Education
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Social skills are as important as academic skills. Autistic children have difficulty communicating. Ongoing teaching of social skills in an autistic child is vital, so persisting with integration opportunities is important. Finding social groups for children with autism so they can mix with peers, must continue even if progress is slow. Opportunities to mix should be sought from preschool age.
Schooling Problems
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School is intimidating for autistic children. Autistic children are being integrated into mainstream schools, as it is recognized that they do not benefit from segregation. It isn't sufficient to rely on schools for all the education of autistic children. Parents should ensure skills learned at home, and programs followed in terms of self-help and socialization, are implemented at school and vice versa. Routines are important.
Discipline is awkward. Autistic children don't understand what disruptive behavior means. An autistic child takes control of toys and games, refuses to take part in group activities, protests against difficult situations, bores easily and distances himself from peers.
Helping Strategies
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Parents and schools should agree on guidelines. These might include having set routines, not accepting rudeness, giving firm unambiguous instructions, insisting on basic etiquette like turn-taking and thanking, providing warning of changes, ensuring staff consistency of approach, keeping the same teachers, using pictures and task-completion charts, protection against teasing and bullying and enhanced supervision in activities.
Liaison of school and parents with educational psychologists, language therapists and other specialists is needed. Specialists should discuss a child's educational progress regularly.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Child image by Serenitie from Fotolia.com child image by Vaida from Fotolia.com child reading image by Ryan Shapiro from Fotolia.com Child image by Miroslav from Fotolia.com school buses image by alwayspp from Fotolia.com
