Joy of expression
PAROMITA PAIN
|
Mainstreaming autistic children with special education and therapy will help.
|
Reuters
They need to be a part of the mainstream.
Autism, affecting approximately one out of every 500 children, is a developmental disorder characterised by an inability to relate to people, situations, inexpressive behaviour and repetitive actions. This condemns autistic children to institutions with no exposure to those without disability. With little learning by example, their social segregation is further intensified.
Mainstreaming
Education theorists are now exploring the concept of mainstreaming or putting autistic children in schools where interaction with non-disabled peers can provide a more conducive atmosphere. The concept is yet to find answers for questions like: is grouping children without disability and special children a realistic solution, will a heterogeneous crowd increase social interaction and decrease feelings of isolation? How it helps
Mythili Chari, special educator, believes, "Mainstreaming means placing students with special needs in regular education settings to cope with academic demands with minimum support. Schools interpret mainstreaming differently.
Some consider it as participation in extracurricular and non-academic activities. Others offer `pull out' support by providing a resource room with a special educator, where children with and without disabilities attend the same school, though they may or may not study together and mingle during the lunch or cultural activities time." Classrooms needn't be radically altered to cater to special students. Various methods include identifying classroom, environmental, curricular and instructional demands, noting student learning strengths and needs, identifying potential areas of achievements and difficulties and adapting lessons accordingly with periodic evaluation.
At what age?
Various levels of autism can be integrated successfully. Ms. Rama Ravi, working with special children in Chennai, says, "All children below the age of six should go to regular schools, supplanted with special education and therapy. Though great behavioural changes may not be immediately apparent, the child observes and retains information, understands and plans his activities. Older children, doing well academically need peer group interaction to tackle socialisation and communication issues. My son was diagnosed at five and put in a regular school when he was 10 years old, to improve his speech and socialisation. The experience of hearing others speak helped him initiate conversation and speak more fluently."
Shared responsibility
Ms. Padmavathy, working with autistic children says, "The very characteristics of autism make mainstreaming integral to their progress. Autism without any other condition generally means the child has either normal or above normal intelligence. A typical autistic child is intelligent but has modest powers of expression. So it definitely helps to be with those whose intelligence level is either equal or higher."
Madeline Will, during the 1980s, proposed mainstreaming to emphasise that educating students with disabilities is a shared responsibility of regular and special educators. Today it is also about providing equal rights and opportunities to children with special needs.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Quest
