Children With Autism In Schools

“I think I'll start out and just talk a little bit about what exactly autism is. Autism is a very big continuum that goes from very severe — the child remains nonverbal — all the way up to brilliant scientists and engineers.” Temple Grandin, a professor and someone who has autism opened her speech with this intro. Due to several factors including early intervention, Grandin was able to contribute to society, and those contributions are still being used today. Because Grandin was exposed to different settings, I believe this is what has made her a success. Programs in school or out in the community provide children with ways to build skills in sports, dance, arts and so on. These programs are not tailored for all but for children considered …show more content…
As of now, Chuckie Cheese and different movie locations have attempted to offer services for these children by opening earlier, reducing noise and sound, and dimming lights. A few years ago, the Virginia Zoo had Autism Day and offered free admissions to each child and adult. Efforts have been put forth to include these children but it just is not enough. The negatives outweigh the positives. Daycare providers have taken children in with autism but little effort had been made to create a lesson to teach or challenge them in ways that could be beneficial. For schools in Newport News, there is a required non- refundable $80.00 fee just to access a child with special needs in order for them to be considered for before and after school care. Also in Newport News, a therapeutic program for children and adults with disabilities was closed in 2014. This left many parents looking for an alternative when there was not one. Many complained of having to take family leave, which would not last, to ensure safety for their loved one. Peninsula Center for Autism was made for children who have this diagnoses. It is a private school and children who are severely affected can use vouchers to attend. For those whose parents cannot afford tuition or whose children are considered highly functioning, they are not given the opportunity to …show more content…
First, I would like to see the required fee for before and after school care in schools removed. It is not fair to parents and caregivers to pay a fee without confirmation that the child will be allowed a spot in the program. If a fee is required, it should only be used for enrollment fees. I would also like to see before and after school programs opened to all children with special needs not just the ones that need minimal help. A way to meet children’s needs in a special needs program would be to have teachers trained on Autism Spectrum Disorder. They would need to have low teacher to student ratios in the classroom and work closely with these kids on social development. But what about middle school and high school students with special needs? Most daycares stop providing care at age 13. There needs to be some after school program provided by the school that offers services to these individuals that does not disqualify them do to age. There are Medicaid vouchers that place children, teens, and adults on waitlists to provide in home support but again depending on where the individual is on the spectrum is the deciding factor on how soon they will receive care. Funding by the state is necessary to implement such programs. Equipment such as computers, devices that speak for children who are non- verbal, and different learning centers could be paid for within the