A Circle Trying To
Fit Into A Triangle:
Is It Important To Keep Children With Autism
In Mainstream Elementary Classrooms?
There are so many people in America that do not have an understanding
of, or any experience with, people with autism. The people with
autism seem to be alienated from society. Too many typically developed
people are not given the opportunity, at a young age, to interact
with people with autism as they grow up. Schools like to focus
on keeping children with special needs in self-contained classrooms,
which will make the child feel more comfortable and will not be
a distraction in the mainstream classes. Sadly, those actions
limit the experience of children with autism in acquiring social
skills. Furthermore it forfeits the typically developed children's
chance of learning about autism and engaging in personal relationships
with these incredible and unique individuals. Leading to my research
question:
Why might mainstreaming children with autism be beneficial for
both the autistic students and typically developed students?
To answer this question, I interviewed elementary teachers, parents
of children with autism, professors of the topic, a special education
teacher, and students with and without inclusion experiences.
I read books, magazine articles, and internet sources, took a
survey, and attended elementary classes that mainstreamed students
with autism. I also used some of my own personal experiences with
this topic.
Upon studying the information I concluded that the decision to
mainstream is complex. I found that mainstreaming is highly important
for elementary classrooms. The experience that children with autism
get when included with neuro-typical children plays a huge role
in their success. I have also found evidence that mainstreaming
is highly beneficial for typically developed students, for they
are better able to learn about and accept all kinds of different
people.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..2
What is autism…………………………………………………………………………......3
What do (High Functioning) children with autism
need ..………….………………..……4
What is beneficial for neuro-typical (NT)
Children ………………….…………….……..7
My original research..………………...………………………………………….…….…..9
Why inclusion may not be beneficial ………………………………..………….……..…10
Conclusion: …………………………………………………………………….…….…...12
Works Cited……………………………………………………………………...………..14
Works Consulted…………………………………………………………………………..15
Introduction
"Touch nothing but
the lamp," Nick whispered to my brother Paul and I as we
crept up the play structure. "Abu.. NOoo!" Nick quoted
exactly from the movie, Aladdin, then we all began racing down
the play structure trying to reach the yellow slide before the
lava reached us. I remember pretending to fall or get stuck on
something and Nick would come back for me and pull me up so we
could make it to safety. When we reached the end we sat down exhausted
and with a smile Nick would say, "We made it, and look, I
even got the lamp!"
Then the whistle blew and we lined up to go back to class. Later
in the day Nick and I played in the cardboard house that had too
many colored pillows to count. Nick and I stacked the pillows
in the door and in the windows so that we were entirely blocked
in. Then we layed down, satisfied with our work and talked in
the darkness. When we got antsy we bulldozed through the door
and knocked down all the pillows so we could put them up again.
We had so much fun…until free time was over and Nick got
upset.
I have a vivid memory of one of Nick's tantrums; his aide at the
time was holding his wrists tightly leading him out the door,
while he was kicking, screaming, and trying to break loose. I
didn't know at the time why Nick, who had autism, acted different
from the other kids, but it never got in the way of our friendship.
At a very young age my friendship with Nick was created. Most
of the time I never knew what autism really was other than it
made him different than me and he always had an aide. It wasn't
until I began researching for this paper, thirteen years after
I met him, that I knew the definition of autism.
According to writer Elizabeth Gerlach, Nick's mother, "Autism
is a biological disorder that affects brain functioning. This
little-understood disorder profoundly affects an individual's
ability to process sensory information, which can result in severe
behavioral symptoms and communication difficulties." Inclusion
may increase chances for greater success with learning appropriate
social behaviors and communication for the child with autism.
Mainstreaming is beneficial for both the typically developed child
as well as the child with autism, because the early awareness
and exposure between them increases their chances for later social
interactions.
What
is autism
"Autism is a spectrum disorder that affects each individual
differently and to varying degrees of severity" (Autism Society
of America Foundation (web site), October 23, 2004). It is a complex
developmental disability that affects an individual in the areas
of social interaction and communication. Four years ago it was
estimated that 1 in every 500 births had autism, while the current
level is 1 in every 250. According to Spilsbury (2001), an authority
on autism, it is a condition that causes a person to find it hard
to say what they mean, or hard to understand what other people
mean. They take things literally, because they find it hard to
imagine other possible meanings (Spilsbury, 2001). For example,
Nick Gerlach struggled with fire drills, because for many years
he pictured huge drills drilling fire into the school and killing
children.
"There is no one thing that all children with autism have"
(Spilsbury 2001, p. 10.). "Autism is a severe form of a broader
group of disorders referred to as pervasive developmental disorders"
(Turnbull, et. al. 2004 p. 284). It is a set of diagnosis that
range from low functioning to high functioning disorders. (M.
A. Winter-Messiers, personal communication, October 22, 2004).
Pervasive developmental disorder contains five disorders: Autistic
Disorder, Rett's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder,
Asperger's Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not
Otherwise Specified. This paper will focus on autism (autistic
disorder) because "it has the highest prevalence of the five
disorders and is the one you will encounter most frequently in
school settings" (Turnbull et. al. 2004 p. 284).
"Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically
appears during the first three years of life and it is the result
of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the
brain" (Gerlach, 2000, p.1). A person with autism views the
world differently than a neuro-typical person. "Many children
with autism say they think in pictures not words. Some say their
thoughts are like videotapes playing in their mind. Often they
will find watching cartoons on TV relaxing because stories made
up of images are easy to follow" (Spilsbury 2001, p. 26).
Nick Gerlach once said, "I'm autistic because I'm animated
inside."
"Some of the behaviors that you may see in a child with autism
are: copying words exactly, behaving oddly at times, and talking,
but not listening" (Spilsbury 2001, p. 7). For example, Nick
was able to quote Aladdin exactly in the games we played, along
with his favorite character at the time, Donald Duck. "They
might also giggle at unsuitable times, joining in only if an adult
assists and helps, handles or spins objects, doesn’t play
with other children, or may do some things very well and quickly"
(Spilsbury 2001, p. 7).
What
do (High Functioning) children with autism need?
For any child to grow up and reach their potential, they need
love, to develop social skills, acquire friends, and be included.
High functioning children with autism need the exact same things.
That may seem obvious, but there are many adults and teachers
who feel that children with autism are distracting and don't belong
in the mainstream elementary classrooms. Gail Gillingham (2000)
states very clearly that, "If the education we give their
peers is what is necessary for success, how dare we not offer
it to those who are different."
Educators often believe it too difficult to get children with
autism involved with their peers, because of the great differences
students with autism have. Esther Barton, a third grade teacher
at McCornack Elementary school, stated, "you have to [keep
students with autism in mainstream elementary classrooms] because
when they grow up they are with everyone anyway." Gillingham
(2000) remarks that, "the earlier the intervention the better,"
as well as it "is the most effective method to ensure our
children are given the chance to reach their highest potential."
In self-contained classrooms, the child with autism may have teachers
who are familiar with their disorder as well as a structured setting
to better suit their needs. The child may feel included among
those peers, but that is a little world inside a big world. Once
they step out of that comfortable atmosphere and interact with
teachers, students, or anyone else, neither side will have the
experience to know how to interact with the other. Not only does
the child with autism need to know about other people and how
to associate with them, but also the person who is neuro-typical
needs to know about the child with autism and how to relate to
him or her. Raising the awareness of an autistic child's difficulties,
and building some support among their peers, can create a more
relaxed and tolerant environment (Barratt, et. al. 1998 p.11).
If a child with autism is isolated in a self-contained classroom,
they will not become familiar with the real world around them.
What happens to a child with autism who has been isolated when
he/she has to go buy milk at the store? If they are mainstreamed
"they get experience of interaction that will help when they
have to go to the store, the train station, or any other place
where they will face real life situations," according to
Esther Barton. While mainstreamed they acquire social skills and
ways to interact and deal with varieties of people who may or
may not treat them fairly.
Children with autism also need friends. I observed at Adams Elementary
School that a majority of the children with autism isolate themselves
from the rest of their classmates. However it is a two way street
because the typically developed kids don't often interact with
the children with autism either. At recess I watched the kids
run around and have fun, but "John", a boy with autism
played by himself. I had been talking with his aide, who had to
leave abruptly to assist another boy with autism who was crying
because the boys he was playing with pushed him down. As the aide
was coming back my direction, carrying the crying child, John
came up to me and without any words, reached out his hand and
took mine and led me to the play structure. A smile stretched
across his face as he ran up and down the play structure, seeming
to just be pleased with simply having a friend to play with. Perhaps
the boy had been yearning for someone to play with and he found
acceptance in my smiling eyes that he probably rarely found in
others' eyes. I'll never know for sure.
One of the problems that children with autism have to face is
not picking up on the hidden social curriculum. These are the
things that neuro-typical children learn growing up that does
not come out of a textbook. These are subtle social cues that
most of us take for granted. Scientists believe that children
with autism have trouble with it because, "parts of the brain
that deal with the way they take in information, work out what
it means, and then decide what they think and feel about it don't
develop in the usual way" (Spilsbury (2001) p. 9). The children
will often need special teaching to learn to interact appropriately
with others in social situations. A great way for a child with
autism to learn hidden social curriculum is to use social stories,
which are "stories written by educators, parents, or students
to describe social situations in terms of important social cues
and appropriate responses to those cues" (Turnbull, et. al.
2004 p. 296).
"Children with autism need a program that can provide individually
appropriate instruction, social interaction, and development,
as well as support and respect" (Gerlach 2000 p.27). Those
are words from a mother of a boy with autism, who is now in high
school. She has fought very hard to keep him in the mainstream
classrooms and to find success for him. I have witnessed how integration
has made Nick a profoundly stronger person and his ability to
make friends an easier task. Nick's dad, Rand Gerlach said, "Nick
can now start up a conversation with a stranger," because
of the social life he grew up with. Integration plays a key role
for a child with high functioning autism to succeed in the larger
world.
What
is beneficial for neuro-typical (NT) Children
If NT children are sheltered from the realm of autism or any disability,
they miss a huge part of life. It is like NOT adding yeast to
bread dough; the bread isn't able to expand and rise. NT children
are not able to expand their horizons and rise to their full potential
if they are not exposed to interaction with children with a disability/challenge.
Ali McQueen, a girl who went to school with a boy who has autism
says that "It gave me a new perspective," and that she
feels "more opened-minded." As a result of growing up
and knowing this boy for more than ten years, she gets upset at
any injustice towards him. Ali says, "When I see people pick
on him, it gets to me."
When a child with autism is part of a NT person's daily routine
they will become aware of what those children need and how to
interact with them. One of the most common questions I get when
I include my friend Nick, with my friends at school is "I
don't know how to treat him or what to say to him." I had
someone say, "I'm going to observe and keep my distance so
I can let him feel comfortable with me and so I can get a feel
for him." When children with autism are put into a separate
class, the NT students at the school see them as different, are
afraid of them, or don't know how to interact with them. However,
if there are children with autism in the regular classrooms, the
kids in those classes are more comfortable and able to interact
with students different from themselves. According to Rand Gerlach,
people need to grow up with these experiences and learn that you
treat them like a person.
NT kids need some of the same help that a child with autism needs.
Cyndi Potterf, Nick's aide from third grade to seventh grade,
remarks that "there were students that I took out of class
with Nick because they too needed to learn the material in a visual,
sensory, and auditory way." Not only did she do it to help
them learn but it also became a great way for the kids to interact
and gain respect for each other. Inclusion teaches students that
children with autism are part of their class and are to be treated
with respect just like everyone else.
One of the most important things that NT children need is to be
educated about autism and how they can help their peers who have
autism. An autism aide was asked by a NT student, "What's
wrong with "Sally?" She replied, "Sally has a learning
disability and she needs you and others to help her stay on track."
The aide then told me that after she explained this to the child
the child began helping Sally and other peers began to follow
her actions.
At Adams Elementary School, at recess, I observed an autistic
boy I'll call "Larry" interacting with NT children.
Larry loves to swing during recess and he is very aware of the
rules of how to get a turn on the swing. As he was waiting for
his turn I watched him talking to a boy and begin to cry. I approached
the boys and asked the boy on the swing if he was sharing and
he stated that Larry hadn't counted to 60 yet to get his turn.
I began to try to help Larry by telling him that I would count
with him, but he was already frustrated and worked up that recess
was almost over. As I began to insist that it would only take
a minute, the boy on the swing stated, "He's just mental,"
and the bell rang and recess was over.
That last comment showed me that the boy doesn't really know what
Larry has and through his teasing, didn't have respect for individuals
like Larry. NT students, along with their parents, need to be
taught about what autism is and how to respond to it, putting
everyone at the same level of understanding and reduce awkwardness.
This would allow students and their parents to be able to learn,
accept and interact with all types of people.
The interaction will help them when they are at the store and
are around a person with autism. They will have learned to ignore
them if they are having a tantrum plus they will know to accept
and not to make fun of them. From my own experience I feel that
I am lucky to have been able to grow up with a child with autism
in my elementary through high school classes. I know that it has
shaped my views and caused me to have a strong heart for other
people. "They have a lot to give and have opened my eyes
to my surroundings," says Rand Gerlach. Everyone should be
able to have the opportunity to grow up with these views, for
it is the yeast that expands their horizons.
My
original research.
At an elementary school I visited there was a boy who had autism
who did not have a part in his classes' Thanksgiving play. This
was not "ok" in the eyes of the boy's aide and parents
so they confronted the teacher and the boy was given a line to
say. He preformed wonderfully the night of the play. There are
some teachers who are afraid that the child with autism will make
them look bad in parents' eyes, as a teacher who can't control
her kids. In a similar situation two young boys with autism and
their aides found themselves sitting on the floor while their
entire class and all their parents were sitting at a table eating
a thanksgiving meal. A special education teacher ended up stepping
in and guiding the boys to a chair to include them. There are
also some teachers who forget that they even have a child with
autism in their class, because the child is taken out for individual
help so often.
Another incident occurred when the Register-Guard was coming to
the school to take pictures of the kids. A teacher told a girl
who had autism that she could not come to the library that day,
for the teacher was afraid that child would not behave properly.
In the end, the girl was brought down by a special education teacher
against the teacher's wishes and behaved 100% appropriately. Children
with autism need to be included in everything, even if it has
to be revised for their needs. The risk of inclusion is worth
the end result of experience for everyone.
Why
inclusion may not be beneficial
Inclusion is a big step for anyone involved with autism. It can
become very scary for everyone; students, parents, the child,
and especially the teacher. A NT person typically wants to hang
out with people who are like them, because people feel comfortable
around those who share their same interests. A child with autism
lacks people who know what they are going through. Because autism
displays itself with so many different and often unpredictable
behaviors, self-contained classrooms may be more comfortable on
a number of levels.
NT people are not aware of the many things that children with
autism have to deal with. For example; odors or noises in a room
may drive a child with autism to distraction. "A child may
be very scared in a mainstream classroom, but it may just be as
simple as an image on a poster," said Elizabeth Gerlach.
Children with autism can become very disruptive, and take away
from other students' learning. The child with autism may also
not be able to feel comfortable and learn, even with a lot of
trial and error, to attempt to make the inclusion possible.
A self-contained room can provide an environment that is ultimately
safer for the child with autism to be in and learn. Basic things
like lights, carpet odors, and computer buzzes each have potential
to cause a child with autism to get distracted and become unable
to learn. The teachers in a self-contained room understand the
student's individual needs and do their best to cater to them.
A child with autism is "better served with people who understand
them" (Winter-Messiers personal communication, October 22,
2004).
If the child with autism is suffering from harassment, self-contained
classrooms are a good solution. Due to their low social skills,
those with autism are often viewed as odd, and can easily become
victims of teasing and bullying. In a survey I took at my high
school, an individual stated that the kid in their elementary
classes, who had autism, was ignored and made fun of. If the harassment
is hindering the child with autism from learning, developing,
and ultimately succeeding, then perhaps a self-contained classroom
is a better solution.
Students with autism are involved with Individual Education Programs
(IEP), which are programs that are written for their individual
needs. It is the law that a student with autism has to be considered
for education in the least restrictive environment. Law 94-142
states that each child, no matter what their physical or mental
capabilities, are allowed the same opportunities within classrooms
as those children without special needs (Heward, 1996). Although,
there are some children with autism who need more support and
they may go to a class or school that focuses on their needs.
That may be the only solution for learning and progress. Other
children with autism may be good candidates for inclusion in regular
education classrooms.
There is also the issue of whether the teacher is able to spend
the extra time needed to create a modified curriculum and teaching
strategies for their students with autism. The budget cuts in
some school districts have caused class sizes to increased and
become over-crowded. Already, the teacher has a large amount of
restless children and to add the extra attention that a child
with autism would need, may impair the children from helpful and
effective learning. In this situation the teachers and parents
need to consider if the child with autism is getting the extra
time and attention they may need to succeed.
Conclusion:
Autism is like a circle trying to fit into a triangle. I have
had Nick Gerlach, a boy with autism, in my life since I've been
in kindergarten. It has been 13 years and he has played a huge
part in shaping my values and beliefs. I feel lucky to have grown
up with someone who has autism. It has given me numerous memories
and most of all a great friendship that will never end. I am very
lucky to have had this experience, for I have realized that it
is not very common. If people are not able to grow up with the
kind of experience I had, even the kindest people may find themselves
afraid of the unfamiliar differences.
"People who pick on someone who has autism don't understand
what autism is" (Spilsbury, 2001, p. 25). A full time aide
can help the student with autism while also educating the children
who are NT learn about autism. "In some schools children
with autism have a buddy who offers to hang with them, help them
understand the rules of any game they may not understand or to
make sure they are not bullied" (Spilsbury, 2001, p. 25).
In the end it is up to the IEP team to decide where the child's
needs can best be met. The answer may be to do a little of both,
to find the best of both worlds. If the child is to be mainstreamed,
a class discussion without the child with autism present can be
one of the best solutions. A discussion can eliminate wrong ideas
that peers might have about it and the class can become educated
about who the student is and why the student seems different.
"Children at high risk of having a great deal of difficulty
adjusting to a new placement, might need to be very slowly and
gradually integrated into the school" (Whitfeild, 2002 P.
11).
The true success of inclusion is the daily interaction of children
with autism and NT children. "Parents and professionals can
work together to determine what is appropriate for each child
and family" (Gerlach, 2002 p. 1). Children with autism have
more chances to adjust to the conditions of an inclusive world
and NT children have more opportunities to accommodate them and
make them a part of their world. Every child is different. Whether
they should be mainstreamed or placed in a self-contained classroom
should be up to the educational success of the individual child,
their level of function, and the agreement between teachers and
families. No matter what educational placement is chosen, as my
friend Nick Gerlach said in a poem, "We're all the
same inside."
Works Cited
Barton, Esther. Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2004.
Gerlach, Elizabeth King. Autism Treatment Guide. Arlington, Texas:
Furture Horizons,
2000.
Gerlach, Elizabeth King. "The Beginning: How Parents Move
Forward and Make
Choices After Diagnosis," Exceptional Parent Magazine, Special
Publication. 2002.
Gerlach, Elizabeth King, Personal interview. 24 Oct. 2004.
Gerlach, Nick, Personal communication. 1992-2004.
Gerlach, Rand. Telephone interview. 8 Oct. 2004.
Gillingham, Gail. Autism a New Understanding. Alberta, Canada:
Tacit, 2000.
Heward, W.L. Exceptional Children: An Introduction To Special
Education (5th ed.).
New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
McQueen, Ali. Personal interview. 12 Oct. 2004.
NA, NA. Autism Info. Autism Society of America Foundation. October
23, 2004
<http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=allaboutautism>.
Potterf, Cyndi. Personal interview. 8 Oct. 2004.
Spilsbury, Louise. What Does It Mean To Have Autism. Chicago:
Reed Education and
Professional Publishing, 2001.
Turnbull, Ann, et. al. Exceptional Lives . Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey: Pearson,
2004.
Whitfield, Cynthia. "Transitions & The Placement Process
– It’s All About Choices,
Exceptional Parent Magazine, Special Publication. 2002.
Winter-Messiers, Mary Ann. Personal interview. 22 Oct. 2004.
Works Consulted
Barrett, Penny, et. al. Asperger Syndrome Practical Strategies
For The Classroom: A
Teachers Guide. London: The National Autistic Society. 1998.
Eads, Jenna. Personal interview. 24 Nov. 2004.
Contact Haley Meshnik
