Karen Plumley's Blog
Posted by Karen Plumley
The latest buzz on autism in the United States is that the previously estimated number of kids affected by an autism spectrum disorder (autism, Asperger syndrome, pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified) was off. The old estimates came from a 2003 National Survey on Children's Health and at that time, only 1 in 150 kids were reported to have an ASD. Now, the estimates coming out of a more recent survey suggest that autism occurs once in every ninety U.S. children.
What is going on here? Are children just being diagnosed with autism more often than before because there is more awareness and knowlege of the disorder, or is there actually been an increase in the incidents of autism due to environmental or genetic factors? Important to note is that some of the statistics have remained steady, such as that boys are four times as likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
Whatever the case may be, and hopefully there will be further studies to determine risk factors and causes of autism, one thing is abundantly clear: The educational system of this country will need to be more prepared than ever for the inevitable influx of children who have been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. The likelihood that a classroom of 25 kids contains at least one on the autistic spectrum is becoming greater and greater. How will teachers prepare their curriculum, lesson plans, and daily activities to enhance awareness of and meet the needs of autistic children? The following articles may be a start for teachers looking to help their students with autism:
Autism Social Skills:
- Classroom Social Skills Training
- Raising Autism Awareness in the Classroom
- Conversation Skills
- Coping with Bullies
- Teambuilding Games
- Acting Lessons
- Classroom Parties
Improving Academic Skills for Autistic Students:
Helping Autistic Kids Through the Day:
Posted by Karen Plumley
These 12-year-old students were homeschoolers that signed up for a one-hour American Sign Language course taught by Signs and Smiles owner Mary Buckley. Slightly befuddled with what was probably the hardest introductory test they had ever taken, the children were visibly affected by the poignancy of the listening activity.
Deafness can be an isolating condition, and it can be devastating to students who are trying to make sense of sound in a hearing world. But if the hearing population could only relate to the challenging issues facing children who are deaf or hard of hearing, the barriers to understanding would be torn down. I believe that the listening exercises provided by Mary Buckley accomplished this goal perfectly.
Buckley holds certificates in ASL and Deaf Studies, and she is a certified ASL/English Interpreter. She also believes wholeheartedly that children, hearing or otherwise, who learn sign language early will boost their communication skills. If it means that the hearing will understand the deaf and vice versa, then the first step has already been accomplished for these young students.
For further reading, take a look at my related articles here at Suite101.com:
Identifying Hearing Loss in Children
Learning Difficulties for the Hearing Impaired
Assistive Listening Devices in the Classroom