Inclusion for Autistic Middle School Students

The challenges of inclusion for autistic middle school students are significant but not insurmountable. Many of the resources needed are usually already a part of the school district, but need to be re-focused and connected into a framework that will provide support not only for the child but also for the staff and family.

The schools of South Burlington, Vermont school district provide a good example of a workable approach to inclusive education for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Recognizing that ASD is both on the rise (the National Research Council now estimates one out of every 150 children has some form of the disorder) and covers a wide range of needs, the school district assembled a clinical team including:

• Special Education Administrator
• School Psychologist
• Occupational Therapist
• Applied Behavior Analyst (board-certified)
• Special Education Teacher
• Speech Language Pathologist

The team is esponsible for consultations, reviewing cases and designing professional development for other teachers throughout the district as well as "interventionists," one-on-one caregivers for the students. One of the important strategies was to rotate the adults in contact with the children on a regular basis. This both keeps the adults from burning out as well as keeping the children from becoming dependent on the adults to function.

Because ASD covers such a wide range, including autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder (not otherwise specified), Asperger’s Syndrome, and Rett Syndrome, many different kinds of resources are needed. Federal law mandates that the students be educated in the "least-restrictive" environment possible, but at the same time the specific treatment needs of autistic children will include

• speech and language therapy
• applied behavioral analysis (ABA) treatments,
• occupational therapy
• social interaction skill development
• communication and functional skills

and these are in addition to the needs of academics common to all middle school students. Providing this depth of therapy usually requires heavy involvement of community and state mental health agencies and the families of the children themselves.

Autism is a challenging disorder to deal with on the personal level, and children with ASD have to fight their own frustration as they try and make sense of and fit into the world around them. While inclusive education has a good track record for useful treatment, the sheer number of people involved means that there will be inevitable conflicts.

On the most direct level, these will be with the autistic child's fellow students, who may not understand that autism is a medical condition. Training peers and facilitating social circles with students committed to supporting their autistic friends can change a hostile environment into a nourishing one. Often teachers with a good understanding of the therapeutic goals of the autistic child will design their lesson plans so that the student can participate in a way that both contributes to the classroom as a whole and also directly addresses the IEP.

It is vital that the teachers (along with the families and administrative staff) have a clear understanding of both the child's challenges and also the planned strategy for treatment. Another level of conflict can have nothing to do directly with the child or their classroom situation, but be between treatment providers from various disciplines. Autism is still not a very well-understood disorder, and varying methodologies for treatment exist. It is important that the school district provide a unified and cooperative approach to the inclusive strategy for each autistic child, letting the lessons build on and reinforce each other.

There are clear benefits for autistic children who are included in the normalized classroom, as shown by a study by Wooten & Mesibov in 1986. It's an obvious fact that modeling social skills on non-handicapped students will have an advantage.

What is not often recognized is the benefits to the classmates, teachers, and families, as they learn more about the diverse needs of autistic and other special needs children. As they cooperate to help each other meet the challenges of inclusive education, they will strengthen themselves and each other in communication and understanding. This brings new meaning and purpose to the word "inclusive" in this method of treatment for ASD.

• Preschool Activities for Autistic Children
• Possible Causes of Autism
• Tips for Raising Kids with Autism
• What Is Your Autism Empathy Rating?

• Lesson Plans for Autistic Children
• Adult Autism Symptoms
• Social Skills Activities for Kids with Autism
• Speech Therapy Ideas for Autistic Children
• Famous Autistic People

• IEP Goals for Autistic Children
• Autistic Toddlers
• ABA for Older Autistic Children
• Applied Behavioral Analysis
• Autism and Video Modeling