Impact of Setting and Instructional Context for Adolescents with Autism

I chose this article because it specifically targets the inclusion of autistic students in general education classrooms. The evidence shows that having a child read social stories and practice social interaction through role play causes an increase in a child’s social behavior thus helping him or her socialize better with classmates and teachers. This builds a better foundation for a child to express his or her wants and

Autism is categorized by deficits in maintaining social relationships and difficulty communicating. The number of children being diagnosed with autism is steadily increasing. Therefore the need incorporate effective interventions that focus on the development of the individual child has become an imperative component for their success. The key for children with Autism to achieve academic and social success depends upon the collaborative effort that is shared among all parties involved: family, teachers, peers; mental health professionals and the community.

The purpose of social mainstreaming is so that children are better able to observe and learn how other children react and behave correctly in social situations. Autistic children often learn through imitation, or learning how to “copy” the behavior of someone else. Studies have shown that a structured routine is very helpful because it supports the need to be constantly aware of what everyone else is doing and begin doing it as well. If there is too much unpredictable change, most autistic children have the tendency to become more withdrawn socially. The most obvious reasoning for this is because they must work harder to imitate the behavior of the others around them. One helpful way to help children cope with change or transition is through the use of verbal or physical representations of the process of change (Davis 57). This not only demolishes the excuse for autistic children to remain in inclusion classrooms, but it also provides a very real suggestion in order to deal with the social and structural changes within a classroom. With a view of correct behavior within a regular classroom with regular learners, an autistic child is better able to grasp his or her personal behavioral patterns, and react or “imitate” appropriately in certain

Autism is a developmental disorder and its frequency rate has risen significantly over the past decade. ASD (Autism spectrum disorder) is a disorder that can emerge in the development of the brain and can be characterized in varying degrees such as repetitive behaviors, impaired social interaction, and also verbal and nonverbal interactions. Social skill discrepancies are a key features within the spectrum of autism disorders. Interacting with one's peers can have a substantial positive impact on the lives of individuals with such disabilities. Interaction allows individuals on the autism spectrum to participate and build in their communities. Individuals having better social skills are more likely to be accepted in

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders need to learn the academic and social skills that will prepare them for future jobs, just as typically developing students do. The term “Autism Spectrum Disorders,” or ASD, refers to a group of disorders with specific characteristics including deficits with communication and socialization, repetitive behaviors, and limited or restricted interests. As much as possible, students with this disorder are typically mainstreamed, or included in, general education classes to improve their social behaviors and communication. Mainstreaming students with autism has positive benefits for their peers as well. Depending on the severity, students may also benefit academically from inclusion. However, since

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

For two disability groups in particular, opportunities to interact with typically developing peers is crucial. Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and students with Emotional Disorders and Behavioral Disorders. For students with Autism, there are two main deficit areas that comprise the diagnosis: one of which being, social communication and social interaction across contexts (American Psychiatric Association,

The most critical area of learning needs for students with autism are communication, self-care and daily living skills, social skills, basic academic skills (literacy and numeracy), self regulation and self direction, independent functioning in the community and employability. (Westwood 2007, p. 25) Contemporary literacy learning for students with autism therefore needs to reflect the seven areas, however, students will not be motivated to learn if their point of entry is not coupled with student interests and delivered with an inclusive and positive, strength based approach. The educator will need to conduct research and possibly undertake a field trip to the student’s home so that the student’s family culture becomes known to the educator as all children have virtual schoolbags that are full but only some children get the opportunity to make use of what’s inside during their school lives (Comber and Kamler 2004). Wood (2005, p. 3) says “critical literacy in the social world of students is the context for literacy instruction and learning’. Part of being inclusive will be to equip students with autism with mutimodal forms of information that are available so that they can participate in modern times in a modern world (Baker 2006, p. 371). Visual, gestural, kinaesthetic and three dimensional learning play a key role in communicative practices involving awareness of lived cultural practice, global connections, and identity issues and felt emotions (Baker 2010, p. 66).

Students with autism may be gifted or talented in one area and very weak in another. Many students with autism learn in ways that are markedly different to their mainstream peers (Wagner 1998, p. 4). Crisman (2008, p. 30) also explains that

People with autism have issues with non-verbal communication, a wide range of social interactions, and activities that include play. ("What is Autism? What Causes Autism?") The characteristics of autism include relative strengths in visual processing and relative deficits in auditory processing. Students with autism typically have difficulties with communication and social relatedness. The lack of efficient communication skills combined with an inadequate behavioral repertoire can cause problem behaviors. (Scott, 2000)

Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses the titles of autistic disorder, Asperger’s disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, and it is the general understanding that social reciprocity skills are the core underlying feature of the Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD). (White, 2006) Individuals who experience ASD have difficulty communicating with others, processing and integrating information from their environment, establishing and sustaining social relationships with others, and participating in new environments. (Bellini, 2007) These issues would understandably make the classroom environment difficult for a multitude of reasons, and their social limitations would arguably affect their learning experience, as many school

Autism is a neurological upset that can impair communicating, socialization and behavior. When this occurs, the child is usually too old to take advantage of early childhood intercession services and is evaluated for accounting entry into the special teaching activity system. Though awareness and apprehension have greatly increased over the past few decades, many people are still unaware of the true essence of Autism. It can become an overshadowing element in every look of like, including education,

As described in chapters one and two, researchers have investigated that use of reinforcement, positive behavioral strategies, instructional formats, such as discrete trial and direct instruction are best practices used to teach children with autism. In chapter three, the above strategies will be articulated so that it can be utilized by general education teachers to support students in their classroom.

Each autistic child on the spectrum behaves differently according to the severity of his or her autism. No matter how mild or severe the case of autism is every autistic child, “has the characteristic inability to engage in ordinary reciprocal social interaction,” (Frith pg 4). I have had a first hand experience when working with autistic children. There have been many autistic students that I have came in contact with throughout elementary and high school. I noticed that the students, who would be considered high functioning, had a lot of social interaction with the other students at school, but the autistic children that were considered low functioning were very distant and unapproachable. Also, I noticed that the behavior was different between the two types of autistic children that attended school with me. For example, I witnessed an autistic boy who would not speak, did not interact well in groups of people, and dislike loud noises. This boy would be considered on the low

Numerous studies including (Carter et al. 2010; Gifford-Smith and Brownell 2003; Rubin et al. 2009) as cited in (Watkins et al., 2015, p. 1070) show that students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties with developing social skills. They lack the ability to interact with peers, as well as to initiate and maintain reciprocal conversations. Lack of social skills have an effect on student’s social emotional development and the student’s success in school and their overall well-being (Watkins et al., 2015). Social skills develop early and continue to develop throughout life. That is why it is crucial to develop these skills as early as possible.