Autism's Three-Tiered Model

Autism is a brain disorder that can affect a child’s development in the sense that they would have trouble with verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behavior, or social interaction in general. Autism can be detected in children ages two to three years old and 1 in every 88 children in America are diagnosed with autism yearly.

However, the negative aspects of inclusion have not proven a strong enough point in that the good, which comes from this experience, severely outweighs any doubt of its success. Inclusion of autistic children has shown to be beneficial due to the notion that these 'disabled kids' can attend 'normal' classes with their non-learning disabled peers. By allowing all kids to feel 'normal' we, as a society, stand a chance of making prejudice which we associate the disabled under, cease to exist.

Wally had been identified as a student with Emotional Behavior Disorders (EBD) upon enrolling to kindergarten. He has attended 7 schools throughout his educational career due to his behavioral issues as well as his family moving. During this time frame various strategies have been implemented to determine the most appropriate learning environment for Wally.

Autism is a disorder that is encompassed in the autism spectrum (ASDs) (Landa, 2007). Autism spectrum disorders describe the brain development disorders and encompass Asperger syndrome, autism, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) disorders. Features of the ASDs includes sensory and cognition problems, difficulty in communicating with other people, and repetitive behaviors. This paper will discuss autism with respect to what it is, the causes, autism in the inclusive classroom (what can be done to enhance total inclusion) and the role of the community.

Children with autism spectrum disorder will be able to receive increased services in educational settings (Hatton, et al., 2006). Teachers who educate children with autism spectrum disorder may benefit from learning the general characteristics of the disorder and evidence-based instructional strategies. Children may benefit from

Autism- is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before the age of 3, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance. Other characteristics often associated with autism are engagement in repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

Autism is described as a neurodevelopmental disorder that inhibits characteristics like impaired social interaction, difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, cognitive disorders and repetitive behavior.

(2000). Co-Teaching: A different approach to inclusion. Principal, 79(4), 48, 50-51; Cammuso, K. (2011). Inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorders. The Brown University child and adolescent behavior newsletter, 27(11). Gavish , B. (2011).

Throughout my experience as a student, I’ve been told that inclusion is a good thing and beneficial for everyone involved. However, when Heather went to visit a hearing classroom, she felt left out since everyone was speaking. Simply including Heather in the hearing classroom was not enough as she could only sign, but no other students could. Seeing this interaction made me believe that deaf schools are more beneficial than the integration of deaf students into hearing schools. If deaf students are doing well in deaf classrooms, then the same logic should apply to students with autism. Autistic classrooms could help students embrace their autism and help them create an autistic community. This challenges the belief that autism is a disease that needs to be cured, just like Heather’s parents being part of a deaf community shaped their beliefs that being deaf is a good thing that needs to be

Autism is a group of complex disorders of brain development. There are many other names for this such as autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) or high-functioning autism (HFA). Autism impacts the normal way people interact, communicate, and function. People with autism suffer from medical conditions such as allergies, asthma, feeding disorders, sleeping disorders, and many more. Autism gets diagnosed in boys four times more than girls. It does not affect life expectancy, this is one of the fastest growing developmental disorders in the U.S. There is no medical test that diagnosed this but trained physicians and psychologist administer their behavioral evaluation.

So what is autism? Autism is a developmental disorder that can cause severe impairments in attention, cognition, communication, and social functioning. In the most extreme forms, persons

This quote is a good principle on how to teach any child, autistic or not. Children with autism spectrum disorder should be integrated into a regular classroom setting because it promotes peer interaction, requires social communication and furthers academic skills.

Children with autism spectrum disorder present many challenges in the inclusive classroom. Characteristics of these students include socially withdrawn and socially inept. They are likely to exhibit behavior problems, including temper tantrums, stereotypic behavior, and/or aggressive behavior. Students with ASD can learn with the premise that instruction be explicit, and include a full range of social, self-help, language, reading, writing, and math skills.

Autism is a developmental disability that presents at an early age (typically under the age of three years) that can affect a child’s educational performance. Child and adults can have deficiencies in communication, social skills, and using language. People with autism tend to engage in motor/vocal stereotypy. The spectrum for autism has a wide range from mild to severe. To determine where a child falls on the spectrum many assessments can be administered.

Children on the spectrum benefit heavily from being integrated into a peer-group social setting (such as preschool) as soon as possible. For example, a study by Autism Speaks found that children who suffered from autism benefited from early integration in play groups or a preschool setting.