Why public school doesn’t work for kids with autism (part one)
February 7, 2009
Why doesn’t public school work for kids with autism? Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and some kids really do thrive. But in this series of blogs, I want to lay out some of the basic problems that underlie the attempt to provide kids with autism with a quality public education. This first blog looks at just some of the issues that have been created by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
Don’t get me wrong: the IDEA was a critically important measure for children with disabilities. The problems lie, not so much with the IDEA in general, but with the IDEA as it relates to what we now call Autism Spectrum Disorders.
So, in no particular order, here are some of the basic problems we face in working with the IDEA to educate kids with autism spectrum disorders in the public schools:
1. Parents of children with autism believe that they can and should demand an educational package for their child with autism which could easily cost their district $50,000 or more per year – per child. In fact, according to the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ) our kids are legally entitled to just that type of education. Yet the costs make it literally impossible to provide such an education for every child with special needs. Thus, the schools and the parents must be at odds, if only for budgetary reasons.
2. The IDEA requires that special ed programs be developed based on kids’ needs rather than on diagnoses or available resources. But the reality is that such a system is expensive, impractical, and extremely difficult to implement. From an administrative and budgetary perspective, creating an “autism program” makes much more sense. But legally, it’s not the right way to manage the needs of kids with autism.
3. The IDEA also requires that kids be included with typical peers as much as is possible. What does that mean? There are no benchmarks to measure what “as much as possible” means. Some parents want their child with autism included even when his behaviors disrupt the class. Others want their child in a specialized, small program – even when they can be included in a typical classroom without causing a disruption. Where should the child be placed? There’s no simple or equitable way to make a determination.
4. The IDEA requirement for inclusion means that a great deal of each day is spent in teaching “typicalness” to the child with autism. While social skills, transition skills, etc. are important, the skills required will change from year to year as the child progresses. What’s learned in kindergarten may be irrelevant in first grade. Meanwhile, “typicalness” lessons wind up taking the place of academics, art, music, library – precisely those areas where a child with autism is most likely to shine.
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See the rest of the original article here.
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