Mainstream v. Inclusive Classroom Environment

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Mainstream Classroom 1 Is a Mainstream Classroom the Best Learning Environment for the Autistic Student? Bonnie Squicciarini Axia College of University of Phoenix Mainstream Classroom 2 Did you know that every 20 minutes a child in the United States is diagnosed with Autism? When most people hear the word Autism they think of Dustin Hoffman’s character, Raymond Babbitt, from Rain Man. They envision a person who rocks and becomes easily agitated when his routine is disrupted. This type of behavior is typical for the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) individual. Like Raymond Babbitt, these individuals have the capacity to learn in a structured environment. The ASD student can grow academically and socially in mainstream classroom settings with the support of teachers, in class support staff, peers and parents, whereas, the self-contained classroom student does not have the same advantages. What is Autism? According to Strom (2006) “Autism is a neurological developmental disorder characterized by an impairment in social interactions, communications skills and in behavior” (¶1). The Autism spectrum is comprised of 4 disorders; Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDDNOS) and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder. Symptoms of Autism are varied and can “range from severely retarded to highly intelligent” (Strom, 2006). There are many behavioral symptoms of the Autistic individual as illustrated in the chart below. But not all Autistics exhibit every symptom; each individual is unique. While one child does not speak, another could have extensive communication skills. Where one child might sing or hum, another becomes upset when they hear loud sounds. Each Autistic child must be evaluated on an individual basis and treated accordingly. Thus the term spectrum is used to describe the Autistic child.
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