Join me for a trip down memory lane, where I discuss my experience of school in the 70s and 80s as a then-undiagnosed autistic girl. Spoiler alert – it was awful!
autism and education
Are schools and the government doing enough to educate autistic children? Share your opinion in our poll.
Autism and education
“Are schools and the government doing enough to provide education for autistic children?”
This is a fairly complex question, and I have to say that all the staff in schools I’ve met over the years have been absolutely brilliant and totally committed to their students.
The overall strategies are not well-coordinated. Additionally, student offerings can vary from one place to another, and there is a lack of flexibility in some areas. I believe that improvements could be made.
But what do you think?
Please share your views using our poll below.
Autism and Education – Temple Grandin on “Educating Students Who Have Different Kinds of Minds.”
Temple Grandin on autism and education
Temple Grandin on “Educating Students Who Have Different Kinds of Minds.”
Temple Grandin (Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University) gives the Sunday keynote for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Induction Weekend on “Educating Students Who Have Different Kinds of Minds.”
Certainly! Here’s the revised text:
“Temple Grandin on autism and education
Temple Grandin, Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, gives the Sunday keynote address for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Induction Weekend on the topic of “Educating Students Who Have Different Kinds of Minds.”
Autism and Education – Please can you help my wife and I with a problem? Thanks
Autism and Education
Yes, I know the theme of this week’s blogging about autism seems to be education.
But I can defend this on the grounds that John, our eight-year-old son, is still in education, so it is of great interest. But I really need your help and advice with a problem that has just arisen.
So firstly, a bit of background!
As we have mentioned before, our son attends ResourceBase, which is a halfway house between a specialist ASD school and a mainstream one. I’ve blogged about it in some detail here if you are interested.
As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, my wife and I are very pleased with John’s development at the Resourcebase. The numerous staff members are committed and caring. Above all, they are properly trained to do their jobs, and that training is ongoing.
Indeed, John has progressed rapidly in the nearly two years he has been at ResourseBase.
That being said, he still has some way to go before he reaches parity with his peers. There are a number of reasons for this, but most especially, there are his problems with handwriting, which in turn are caused by his many issues with fine motor skills. He does need some intensive work, in particular, in occupational therapy, to help him move forward.
So, his mother and I have suggested to the school that they keep him down a year next year so that he can cement the skills he has already learned and develop those he needs before it is time to move on to new challenges. He also needs to make up for lost therapy during his time in mainstream education.
The school’s reaction has not been positive so far. This is not really from the school but from the local government body that deals with education. For those of you who do not know, my family and I live in London, England.
There are a number of reasons stated, but mainly, it comes down to transitioning our son to other schools when he has finished his current stage. In the UK, this transition normally takes place at the age of 11. But we know from our own experience that it has been shared for autistic children to be “kept down a year,” in fact, with much success.
So why would we like your help?
Very simple.
Please share your thoughts on this problem in the comments section below.
In particular, we are interested in your views on the following questions.
a) Do you think keeping an autistic child “down a year” is a good or bad idea in principle?
b) Have you had any experience with this yourself? Please tell your story in the comments section below.
c) What happened when you child transitioned out of education or to a new level such as high school or university?
d) In general, when you disagreed with the proposals of your child’s education providers, how did that work out?
My wife and I would love to read your comments to help prepare a case to give our son the best education possible.
I really appreciate any help you can provide.
PS If you know of anyone who might be able to help with any of these questions please can you share this blog post with them. Thx.
Lasell University, UMass Lowell collaborate to diversify pipeline of special education teachers
UMass Lowell Rocio Rosales Adrien Bisson for UMass Lowell
Lasell University and UMass Lowell today announced a joint venture designed to diversify the pipeline of students pursuing careers in special education and applied behavior analysis.
With a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Lasell and UMass Lowell faculty will develop an interdisciplinary graduate level program that will prepare professionals to meet the special educational needs of school-aged students (K-8) with autism spectrum disorder and related disabilities.
As part of the grant, full scholarships will be awarded to a cohort of 24 graduate students. Twelve participants representing each institution will enter the program beginning in Fall 2022.
Planning and curriculum development are currently underway. The availability of scholarships will allow graduate students to continue their training, preparing them to work with the rising number of children with a variety of behavior needs.
The master’s program will encourage the next generation of educators to work in concert to support children in grades K-8 by introducing a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to special education and applied behavior analysis while integrating culturally responsive methodologies to address the needs of a growingly diverse student population. Together, Lasell and UMass Lowell graduate students will attend coordinated seminars and workshops that promote best practices and reinforce collaboration and problem-solving.
This new initiative is a natural extension of the Pathways to Teacher Diversity (PTD) program established at Lasell in 2015 by Professor Claudia Rinaldi who chairs the Newton-based university’s education department. PTD mentors undergraduate students representing diverse backgrounds and experiences, encouraging them to contemplate careers as educators in their local communities. This spring, the first cohort of undergraduates will complete the program. Since its launch, the PTD program has been a catalyst, bringing culturally and linguistically diverse students to the teaching profession. In the last five years alone, PTD has increased the diversity among its participants from 3% to 22% in the teacher preparation program.
“Schools here and across the country have grown increasingly more diverse, yet the educator workforce does not reflect this evolution within our communities,” said Rinaldi. “Today, in the U.S, as many as 87% of all teachers are white. The more students see and hear themselves, their cultures, and languages in the classroom, the more likely they are to experience academic success and pursue teaching as a career.”
For the past six years, Lasell has partnered with 11 Massachusetts district high schools in Boston, Lawrence, Martha’s Vineyard, Milford, and Marlborough among others, to engage students considering careers in education.
“Under the PTD model, we pair Lasell undergrad education mentors with high school students through in-person sessions on campus, at the participating high schools and via online experiences,” said Rinaldi. “The partnership with UMass Lowell is the logical next step in our efforts to bring new cross discipline and cultural responsiveness, real-life teacher preparation to special education.”
In addition to Rinaldi, the team behind this new alliance includes faculty from both schools who are experts in special education, applied behavior analysis, key public schools and nonprofit autism service organizations. UMass Lowell faculty Robai Werunga, School of Education assistant professor, whose work focuses on special education and early intervention, and Psychology Associate Prof. Rocio Rosales, program coordinator, Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism Studies, are partnering with Rinaldi in leading this endeavor.
Though the demand for qualified educators is high, numerous factors have resulted in a shortage of teachers, including a sharp decline in the number of high school graduates enrolling in college-level teacher preparation programs. Further, while children of color represent 51% of all students in the United States, only 13% of teachers represent diverse backgrounds. And locally, the disparity within the special education sector is even more significant, with only 8% of special education teachers in Massachusetts identifying as Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC.)
Between 2019 and 2020 alone, 7.3 million or 14% of American public school students ages 3 to 21 who were diagnosed with a variety of challenges including learning disabilities, hearing, vision, speech, and language impairments, emotional, behavioral and autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays and traumatic brain injuries received no-cost special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Lasell University on this new initiative to provide interdisciplinary training to graduate students in the Applied Behavior Analysis and Autism Studies program at UMass Lowell,” said Rosales. “Our graduate program has always embraced a collaborative training model by exposing students to a wide range of perspectives within the field of psychology. Adding a focus in special education is a natural fit since our graduate students regularly work with children who receive educational services in public and specialized school settings. This new program will also help us respond to the clear need to diversify the workforce to best meet the needs of families of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.”