Securing an Appropriate Education

By Mark S. Kamleiter

Attorney and Advocate for Children with Special Needs

Education is one of the most challenging trials for families of children with autism. For many years, society and educators considered children with autism to be mentally deficient and treated them accordingly. Today, we are learning that autism often hides very intact, even superior intellects. The problem is that a number of neurological issues interfere with the child’s ability to express his/her true intellect.

Depending upon the way the autism affects the child, the child may have difficulty understanding and expressing language. Sensory needs may cause distracting stereotypic behaviors, movement, and vocalizations. The child can have severe difficulty focusing on tasks, have a low threshold for frustration, and high levels of anxiety. Interactions with others may be difficult, because the child may not desire to or understand how to relate to others.

While the combination of the above issues may make the education of a child with autism seem daunting, we have learned that these children can be successfully taught. Every day, we are improving effective educational techniques for children with autism. We know how to help our children learn appropriate behavior and how to communicate their knowledge with us. We can teach our children to interact with us and each other and help them develop social skills.

Success in educating children with autism, however, depends upon several essential elements. First, only the most advanced, research-based, peer reviewed educational methods must be used. It is vital that we bring “best practices” to the education of children with autism and no longer accept twenty-year old practices instead.

Second, children with autism require extremely focused and intensive services, especially in the early years as pre-school skills are being developed. Third, we need to insist upon high expectations for our children. No one knows just how far our children can go educationally, so we need to bet on them. Finally, it is important that children with autism be educated with their typically-developing peers. The only way children with language, behavioral, and social disabilities will be able to reach beyond their disabilities is to be integrated with children who have well developed language, behavioral, and social skills. If this requires additional classroom support, then so be.

It is hard for schools to provide the level of services our children require. It is easier to put children with autism together in a classroom, with caretakers who do their best to gradually teach life skills. Insisting that children with autism receive essential, high-quality services will require a serious struggle against an archaic educational system.

This may be the most important challenge you will undertake to give your child a shot at breaking free of the restraints of autism. As you struggle, know that thousands of other parents are fighting the same fight. Our children are worth it.