Introduction
In contemporary society, many aspects of disabilities qualify for special education services where children have adverse variations between intellect and achievement. These include presentation portfolio, math reasoning, calculation, writing comprehension, reading skills, and oral and listening comprehension, which usually ascertain a child’s eligibility for special education. Such children lack the usual academic standards and demonstrate learning disabilities. A child is usually considered to have a disability if he requires special education and other special services. Autism is a developmental disability where children have trouble in communication and social interaction. Such children also exhibit repetitive or restricted patterns of behavior and thought. Although many forms of disabilities affect children, autism is one aspect that qualifies for special education services.
Autism as a Disability that Needs Special Education Services
There are many skills for explaining concepts and ideas, which educators practice in classrooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, and on the Internet. In the case of special education services, it is relevant to teach the many concepts that will help the child instead of focusing on individual skills. In this case, an interest-based approach can remarkably assist the learning of such a child (Friend, 2018). For example, training the child on verbal behavior will greatly help such a child in developmental capabilities. An interest-based intervention approach will allow an educator/teacher to work with the child to improve his developmental capabilities (Snowling et al., 2020). When a teacher uses an interest-based approach, the child can utilize their interests, such as music and dancing, to demonstrate their prowess in such activities. Therefore, an educator can engage well with the child as they show their interests. The teacher must find new activities that mirror those that the child likes. For example, if an autistic child prefers certain songs, a teacher can identify new songs that would help the child trust the learning process.
Teaching autistic children could take place in many ways. For example, such teaching could occur in classrooms, lecture halls, and on the Internet. In all the mentioned teaching environments, there is relevant to make teaching as practical as possible to ensure autistic children have better comprehension (Friend, 2018). According to behavioral therapists, practical learning is one of the best remedies to assist autistic children. For example, an instructor or educator could ask such a child to tie a shoelace ten times (Snowling et al., 2020). Therefore, a tack analysis on how to tie shoelaces would be ideal for helping the children have a better understanding capacity. To ensure the task is successful, the educator should demonstrate how to tie the shoelace. After that, the child would work with each step individually to ensure he can learn some actions from the educator. Human beings always want to learn new things, and the child would be no different in trying and imitating the teacher on what he does.
Children with different forms of disabilities, such as autism, need special education and other forms of early intervention mechanisms. If any child has been diagnosed with autism, such a person needs a lot of care, particularly from the parent, who should offer guidance to other caregivers such as educators. An autistic child has a fundamental right to school or education just like other children (McDonald et al., 2019). The appropriate and free education for such children is mandatory, particularly for most developed countries such as the United States. In the US, for example, the people with disabilities education legislation mandates that all children are eligible for a public education that satisfies their needs (Friend, 2018). In this case, the law requires that all children with learning disabilities have appropriate and free public education that meets their unique needs. Hence, such legislation recognizes the considerable role parents and teachers play in the development of autistic children.
How Autism Affects a Child
The disability is a disorder that involves impaired neural development. Some of the attributes of the disability entail impaired social interaction and communication. Most children are diagnosed with the issue before they reach age three. Although there is considerable debate on how to approach the subject of disability, special education services are the best way of handling the issue. Some of the characteristics of autism are failure to hear and respond to their names at times (Snowling et al., 2020). Other signs include retreating to their world, preferring to play alone, and resisting holding and cuddling. The child also lacks facial expression and avoids eye contact even with people they know. Autistic children tend to repeat phrases and words verbatim, but they do not know how to use them. Other behavior patterns affecting such persons include performing repetitive movements like hand flapping and rocking. Children with autism have challenges with coordination, such as clumsiness, and suffer exaggerated body language.
How Professionals are helping Cure or Give Autistic Children a Better Future
There are many things to do to help autistic children thrive and be better persons in the future. In this case, professionals such as teachers and educators do everything possible to assist such children in reaching their full potential. Autism is a disorder or disability where professionals help overcome the challenges affecting the person. Professionals use various forms of intervention and treatment plans for the disability (Friend, 2018). The treatment can be offered in health, community, and education settings. Although the parent is the primary source of support for an autistic child, various professionals such as educators, community workers, and nurses have become prominent in providing the necessary support. Some treatment plans/services from the professionals include developmental, behavioral, educational, psychological, social, and pharmacological. In the case of a developmental approach, the focus is to enhance some particular developmental skills like physical and language skills. An educational approach is offered at the classroom level, where visual learning and consistency are mostly considered to help the affected child.
Autistic children need maximum support by having more inclusive classrooms. In this case, such children usually have exceptional communication, social skills, and learning needs. Despite the conditions, some ideas are helpful to teachers in addressing some of the challenges that such children face (McDonald et al., 2019). Therefore, teachers can offer guidance to ensure that learners with autism become successful in their education. Most educators contend that there is no known formula for teaching autistic children. However, some particular guidelines are helpful in the support for such children. Thus, teachers must support exceptional learners with all the skills and competencies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, many aspects of disabilities qualify for special education services. When it comes to learning disabilities and the need for special education services, parents and teachers/educators play a leading role so that such children can succeed in learning. One of the most prominent learning disabilities for children is autism. Autism refers to a developmental challenge or disability which is led by some variations in the brain. Autistic children usually have challenges with social interaction and communication. Such children also have some repetitive, restricted interests or behaviors. The best way to handle such children is to develop their skills through teaching using various methods or environments such as lecture halls, classrooms, conference rooms, and the Internet. Special education services are the best remedial measure for handling children with autism so they can adequately comprehend issues such as ease of learning.
References
Friend, M. P. (2018). Special education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals. Pearson.
McDonald, C. A., Donnelly, J. P., Feldman-Alguire, A. L., Rodgers, J. D., Lopata, C., & Thomeer, M. L. (2019). Special Education Service use by children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(6), 2437–2446. Web.
Snowling, M. J., Hulme, C., & Nation, K. (2020). Defining and understanding dyslexia: Past, present and future. Oxford Review of Education, 46(4), 501–513. Web.