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Southwest’s Answer to Supporting Students with Autism
By: Nicki Hensley, BPS News
There are more than 1,500 students attending Brevard public schools whose primary exceptionality is Autism, meaning they have been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder (or ASD), and receive some form of “exceptional education” and accommodations. Currently, 2.3-percent of BPS students are identified
under the BPS Autism Program (1 in 42 are in elementary (Pre-K-6), and 1 in 44 are secondary (grades 7-12). This number, however, does not include other students who are considered “on the [Autism] spectrum,” but have another primary program. Those numbers are even higher.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, as of 2013, more than six in 10 school-age students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act spent at least 80-percent of their day in regular classrooms. “School inclusion” is on the rise, as more and more parents of children with disabilities want them to experience a general education classroom, particularly in their middle and high school years.
While inclusive education does not meet the needs of all students with disabilities, studies have found that students with varying social emotional and behavioral exceptionalities may benefit from a more natural progression pattern through their education.
Once in middle school, students with disabilities seeking a standard diploma are included in general education classes. Students with ASD must assimilate to a traditional classroom setting with general education, subject specific instructors who may or may not be trained in meeting the unique needs and learning styles of a student with Autism. It’s no wonder children on the spectrum are six times more likely to
present with “school refusal,” or a lack of desire to attend school, and are written up for behavioral issues more often than not.
The transition to middle school can be stressful for any student. Switching classes, using lockers, changing in and out of gym uniforms, riding buses, and negotiating big or crowded hallways can be overwhelming for the savviest of teenagers, but the process can be even more challenging for those with ASD, as they struggle with emotional regulation and understanding social cues.
Students on the spectrum often need time away from other students and the demands of the mainstream classroom.
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In 2018 the CDC determined that approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed withanautism spectrumdisorder(ASD).
•1in37boys
•1in151girls
• Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
• Most children were still being diagnosed after age 4, though autism can be reliably diagnosed as early as age 2.
• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disorder, yet most underfunded
• Autism affects all ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
Minority groups tend to be diagnosed later and less often.
• There is no medical detection for autism.
Courtesy of Autismspeaks.org
–PORTLAND, OREGON–
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