Question about Autism in Schools

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What would you say are the three main things general education teachers can do to encourage inclusion of students with ASD in the classroom?

The public educational system is nowhere near ready for general ed teachers to be well equipped for this.

That's the special ed department's job, and in most schools, they aren't even up to speed on it.

Let's keep the horse before the cart. Get the people who's job it is up to speed first, then we can start working on everyone else.

Yes, but since many AS students are placed in general education classrooms, don't you think there are things that general education teachers could do (and should do) to make their school experience a positive one?

I think this person means inclusion of Aspies who are already in mainstream classrooms in the kids' society, not the classrooms.

If this is what you mean, I think one of the most important things is to not let other kids do punishable things to the ASD students, even if the students don't complain to you about it. To many students with ASD, it doesn't occur to us that we can tell the teachers about what other kids are doing to us. In the end, we end up retaliating, and we get in trouble while the other kids get off free.

Another thing you could do is try to understand the kids as individuals, not "students with ASD." It helps because you'll know the individuals' strengths and weaknesses, and you'll be able to help minimize anxiety and help the kids reach their full potential. You may have to let the kids leave class when they get too anxious, or you may have to allow them to take tests in a different room, etc.

I'll have to think about the third thing. I thought I had something in mind, but I can't remember it. Good luck!

If the SPED team is up to par, yes there is. Cooperate with SPED, and the IEP of any student that has one.

Oops! I'm assuming the U.S. here. No idea where you are.

In the U.S. ALL AS students are in with the Gen-Ed population, unless parents of the student request or agree with a different arrangement.

In the school system where I teach, we have autism spectrum students (my son included) placed in the general education classrooms. This has worked very well at our school. We have specialized teachers who work with any student who needs extra help within the classrooms of our school system. Also, so far with my son who just gotten out of elementary school, he has had teachers who have had training dealing with autism and other specialized needs students.

Interesting to note is that like my son, I have Asperger's. And after 19 years of teaching general high school English (in challenging large classrooms), the school system has provided me with teaching jobs I feel more comfortable with. I worked with the gifted students for 4 years, and I am now a Title I reading teacher in the middle school.

Actually, something did just occur to me. This is a problem with all three of my boys.

General Ed teachers actually DO need to keep in mind that although my kids are just like all the other kids in some ways, in other ways, they are NOTHING like all the other kids.

They need to keep in mind that AS communicative difficulties can go beyond just difficulty in understanding what's being said to them. They need to understand that communication is not just about transfer and retention of information. It goes beyond that.

You would not believe how many times we've been told our kids have not been doing their homework, and later discovered they have been!

Every time it happens, it's because they thought they were doing what they should have done with the completed assignments. No one helps them verify that what needs to happen with completed papers, actually happens. Teachers simply look wherever they look, don't see the papers, and politely give them zeros. It's damned maddening!

THE single most important thing they can do is ACKNOWLEDGE that these kids HAVE AS! That they do not think and process like everyone else! They need, when assignments turn up missing, to take that extra step and HELP these kids figure out where the stuff is, and get into whatever stupid system they've created for it.

1. outspoken acceptation of personal differences, while working to solve or creating work-arounds for problem areas.
2. Being trustworthy.
3. Being a benevolent leader.



- Giving personal attention to each student, not just to those without ASD to prevent creating further inequality amongst students.
- Providing the room to grow as a person and a safe haven to fall back on in lesser moments.
- Finding out the strenghts and lesser strengths to coach and suggest the person in a direction fitting for the student at that moment.