Can an autistic child be placed on a regular classroom?

Question

can you tell me about autistic children?? how do teacher take care of them in the classroom..? etc..

Thank you

Answer 1

i think autistic children CAN be put into a normal classroom but depending on what sort of autism they have. they will also require a support worker to help them do certain everyday activities and if behaviour isnt an issue. i actually work in a childcare centre and am a support worker for a young autistic boy aged 4 years. he is put into the normal classroom with normal children. at times he will need help with dressing, nappy changes (as they are a little delayed in learning), communicating and even behaviour management, thats where a support worker comes in.

Answer 2

Yes a child with autism can be in a regular classroom and with proper supports can be very successful.

Answer 3

it depends on the severity. i have seen one child exclusively in spec ed, because he was too violent. the other boy had a mild case, worse than aspergers, but still mild. the parents refused spec ed, and in arkansas, parents have the right as long as it is not a risk to other students. yes, parents have a right, aha. my son is 30 percent in spec. ed, and the rest in a classroom. he used to have an aide, but now the other kids assist him, he learns faster from "normal children"  than adults anyways. like most children.

Answer 4

My son has high functioning autism, and is fully included in most of his general education classes.  He is working at grade level (7th) in all of his regular ed courses, however his work is modified for him.  He has the support of a paraprofessional with him, who helps him (and other children in the classroom) remain on task, helps keep him organized, and gives feedback to his resource teacher, who is his case manager.  This allows her to be able to work with him during their individual time together and know what exactly he needs to be working on, since he is in middle school, and changes classes during the day.  

Each child with autism (I hate using autistic to describe the kids) is different, so there is no one solution that will fit every kid with autism.  Some students will be able to fuction very well in a regular education setting, others will not.  Some students have behavior issues that will hinder the learning of their peers who are typically developing.  Some students learn at a much slower pace, and need more one on one instruction.  Some students have sensory issues that actually prevent them from being in a classroom with a large number of students.  Each student should have an IEP that will address each student's individual needs, and plan for the best way to educate the child based on what his or her needs are.

Answer 5

Absolutely! Autistic children (or children with any type of physical or developmental disability), are often mainstreamed into general education classrooms. This is also called "inclusion" and legally, a part of the "No Child Left Behind Act".

Depending on where the child falls on the autism spectrum; and their current abilities and disabilities, often an aide (parapro) is provided to help the child as well as the skills of a resource room teacher.

How does a teacher care for an autistic child in the classroom? As they do the other children and  with the help of an paraprofessional.

Best wishes!

Answer 6

Autism is a communication disorder. These children have great difficulty with understanding language and social contexts and they often have extreme difficulty expressing their needs and desires, which can lead to fairly serious acting out behavior. The language processing areas of the brain don't function properly.

That being said, each autistic child is as different from another autistic child as regular children are different from each other. Some are considered high functioning in that they can use language to a certain degree and have average to superior IQ's. These students are often found in regular ed classes with support.

Some of the support they need is training to express their needs appropriately. Even with high functioning autistic children, knowing that they can't always handle a social situation creates high anxiety levels. That is why it is so important to train these children. They may need to carry picture cues or word cues to help them.

Because autistic children rely heavily on their visual systems, due to the language issues just mentioned, it is very helpful if the teacher has a visual of the day's schedule. It is also important that the teacher provide the autistic child with written notes for any lecture that is being given. Putting things on the overhead projector or on the board is also very helpful. In addition, the child may need visuals of how to change materials during class.

Whenever you are considering the kinds of accommodations an autistic child needs, always consider the areas of weakness and play to their strengths. They are weak in communication and social skills and many have very strong visual systems. That is why we provide visuals for things that are verbally presented.

Answer 7

Depending on the severity of their autism ,  they can . It's actually becoming more and more common. In my school we have students in both direct and collaborative classrooms. The direct classes are usually the teacher , a paraprofessional(teacher's aide) and no more than 8 students. Whereas the collaborative classes have a regular education teacher and a special education teacher with a classroom made up of mostly regular ed. children and about 8 special education children.

But there are classrooms for student with severe cases of autism . These classrooms are generally smaller and the children are taught basic skills. These classes also offer a more hands on approach to teaching and the children may get more individualized help and instruction.

I have seen success in both types of classrooms!

Answer 8

As autism is a condition which is on a spectrum ranging from people with severe learning difficulties and no speech to those of above average intelligence you cannot generalise. Some children will cope very well in a main stream classroom and will out shine the other students, others would not cope at all. Most who are in  mainstream school get extra help and are either on an Individual Education Plan or have a Statement of Special Educational needs. One thing you cannot do with autism is generalise as all people with the condition are so different.

Answer 9

Depends on the school system and the childs level of autism.

Answer 10

From what I understand, a child with autism could be placed in a regular classroom (it is called inclusion).  The care of a child with autism depends on the severity, whether he/she needs one on one interaction or not.

Answer 11

I used to work as a Special Ed. Teacher Aide and worked with an autistic on  a one-to-one basis and I sincerely think that I'd rather have the child on a class with other children with disabilities because she will have her own time to learn.  On a regular class it would become problematic since the teacher would have to devote a lot of attention to her(him) and it wouldn't be fair to the other students as well as to her(him)unless there was significant help.

     The autistic children I've been around used to be in their own private world, made noises of their own, became attached to specific toys and things like that.

     As a teacher/aide, I would help her(him) do things on her own so that she(he) could become more independent in eating, getting dressed and/ doing any school activity by herself(himself) with limited help and constant motivations.

     Now if the child is high functioning then, yes.

Answer 12

Not only CAN a child with autism be placed in a regular classroom,I think every effort and accommodation should be made to at least try and  make this happen.As you can see from all your previous answers,kids on the spectrum vary greatly,but in general,their common weakness areas are communication and socialization.So put them in a smaller class with say 5 other students who also have these weaknesses helps how? Again, in general, people learn from observation and imitation.As a parent, you have to decide what you want your child to get out of going to school.Are you happier when your child comes home with an English paper that has all the sentences starting with a capitol letter and ending with the appropriate punctuation mark, because the teacher only had 5 students to work with so she could give the students extra help or would you like to hear from the regular ed. teacher that your child had a genuine appropriate social interaction with a typical child when he was handing out the English papers the typical children were able to do without extra help?It is a very difficult and individual decision parents have to make for their own child. I know many people think parents that want their children placed in regualr classrooms are in some degree of denial but do they really think there are special schools or classes that could teach our kids to "not be autistic" and we are denying them of this? There is not a one blanket answer for this question but the same has to said of putting all kids on the spectrum in special education as well.

My son has autism and was in regular classes through Jr.High.An example of how a teacher can help;

When he was in the 4th grade, he made up his own alphabet, and would use it to do his school work.The teacher could have argued against him doing this but instead she made a copy of his alphabet for herself and the other 21 students in the class.She had the students make up questions pertaining to the subject they were working on using my sons alphabet.They all had so much fun with it and it got them interacting with him.Everyone gained  from it.To this day, 21 is my son's favorite number,his way of saying what a great year that was!

It definitely takes a special teacher to have a child with autism in the classroom but not necessarily a Special Education teacher.

Answer 13

There is a lot to that question!  Yes, children with autism can be placed into a regular classroom, but there are a lot of "if's" in the equation.  To start with, it will depend on the teacher, the class and the school system.  Many children with autism will need help, at least at first, in a regular classroom.  And there will always be some fundamental issues and challanges they will face.  The teacher will need to be experienced at integration/mainstreaming, have a solid understanding of autism and be in a school that will support the child's needs (speech, OT, the use of a dedicated aide, tech support and possible accomodations).  The school should also have a psychologist or behavioral specialist there to help develop behavior managemenet plans, IEP implemenatation and just to give the teacher ideas if issues arise.

Of course, the child is the main concern.  If there are severe communication issues (a non-verbal child with limited response to others), sensory issues (issues with crowding, easily distracted, sound or touch) and/or behavior problems (frequent tantrums, throwing of furniture, striking out at other students or teachers) than inclusion in a regular class, at least full time, is probably not the best placement.  Many kids on the spectrum without severe issues in the above mentioned categories still do better in smaller classes, with more individualized attention.  Of course, this is true for many "normal" students as well.  All in all, inclusion/mainstreaming takes a great deal of effort and dedication from the teacher, the school and the parents.

Answer 14

Yep  An IEPwould be a great help.

Answer 15

Yes they can be in a regular classroom. This is called mainstreaming and is what most special ed programs do now a days. Depending on the child's level of social skills, ease in transitions, and educational level he or she may be in the classroom for all or parts of the day. They will most likely have an aide to work with them and help them with their work and behaviors throughout the day. They may be taken out for modified work and will most likely be taken out for OT, Speech, etc. This is all decided by a treatment team that will observe and evaluate him or her. They will make suggestions to the parents and together set forth a plan. Let me know if you have more questions. I am an Instructional Aide for an autistic kindergarten child.