Autism In Elementary Schools

John is a 5th grader and arrives at school at precisely 8:10 a.m., eats a cheese sandwich and pudding cup for lunch, plays his Gameboy by himself during recess, and talks only when called upon. Brett feels like an outcast because he does not have any close friends and has to go to the special education room to get help with math and science. Brett has autism, a disorder associated with atypical social skills, poor verbal and nonverbal abilities, a lack of imaginative talents, and a limited range of interests. For most students, elementary school is an enjoyable experience in which many memories are made. However, many children diagnosed with autism, like Brett, are presented with multiple social and academic challenges in the elementary

Physically, people with autism appear normal, but they exhibit a group of behaviors that are related to autism. Every person is different; the behaviors they display may be mild or severe. The range of autistic behaviors are known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The mildest form of autism, Asperger’s syndrome, is at one end of the spectrum, while mental retardation is at the severe end (Brill, 2008). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), in 2008, about 1 in 88 American children were diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This increased from 1 in 125 children in 2004. Today that number is 1 in 68 children have been affected by Autism. ASDs have been reported to occur in all racial groups and are almost five times more common among

Working and playing with their classmates may not be pleasurable for students with autism because they are not able to use their imagination like an average child would. As Welton, Vakil, and Carasea (2004) said, children with autism like routine and frequently seek out predictable environments and situations. This dependence on sameness is different from most children. Children with autism have narrow interests, meaning they only focus on one or two topics they really enjoy (like insects or history.) In addition, they may have verbal limitations. These may include not being able to understand role playing, idioms, or sarcasm, and not being able to initiate conversations or “chit-chat” with others. This can create misunderstandings between the child with autism and the typical children (Welton et al., 2004). Without proper social skills, children become isolated from the rest of their peers. According to Welton et al. (2004), temper tantrums, aggression, and withdrawal all are commonly used by students with ASDs to avoid social interaction. These students often feel ostracized from their peers, frustrated, stressed, and