{"id":5934,"date":"2014-04-24T09:42:33","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T13:42:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/?p=5934"},"modified":"2014-05-04T17:40:35","modified_gmt":"2014-05-04T21:40:35","slug":"evolution-of-autism-in-public-schooling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/2014\/04\/evolution-of-autism-in-public-schooling\/","title":{"rendered":"Evolution of Autism in Public Schooling"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h1>\n

<\/h1>\n

Autism, a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts, has been a controversial topic in schooling for all of time.\u00a0 (Webster).\u00a0 Throughout history, the concept of Autism has come to mean different things.\u00a0 Initially, Other Learning Disabilities was the broad category that encompassed all types of disabilities.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In response to a vague category, public schools dealt with these disabilities in various ways that are different than strategies often used for children with Autism today. How did the teaching strategies for this population change from the 1930\u2019s to the present and why did these changes occur?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Prior to the 1960\u2019s, children with disabilities were often neglected and excluded from the public school system entirely.\u00a0 Moving forward, the sixties was a time period where the disabilities were more widely accepted; although, there were still few disabled children in the public school system.\u00a0In the 1970\u2019s, the passing of a federal law permitted disabled children to obtain a free public education however; the treatment of the children in the schools did not change directly due to the law.\u00a0 This did not occur until outraged parents made a splash in the public sphere through a series of lawsuits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In the 1930\u2019s, disabilities were just beginning to become recognized. In America, children who were disabled were often instituted, ignored, or neglected.\u00a0 Language for the time described these children as \u201cmentally retarded\u201d, \u201cdaft\u201d, or plain \u201cstupid\u201d.\u00a0 (Quinn 1).\u00a0 Families in this time period who had disabled children moved downward in social status, were frowned upon, and were socially ostracized. Disabled children were religiously viewed as Satan\u2019s children and were a result of the parents\u2019 sins prior to childbirth.\u00a0 (Ravensbergen 1).\u00a0 The life expectancy was no more than twenty years of age and they were very empty years of life for not only the children but the families as well.\u00a0 Often children were shipped off to institutions, which resembled prisons.\u00a0 (Quinn 2).\u00a0 They were left to rot away and were intentionally meant to be kept out of the way of those who were \u201cnormal\u201d in society.\u00a0 Due to the lack of compassion, care, and acceptance of the disabled children, early public schools were never forced to create a program to educate this part of the population.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The term \u201cAutism\u201d did not come into our country\u2019s common vocabulary until the 1960\u2019s.\u00a0 (Googlegram).\u00a0 However, while the term became prevalent, it was extremely rare for children of the 1960\u2019s to be diagnosed with Autism.\u00a0 (Connecticut State Department of Education 97).\u00a0 All disabilities during this time period fell into the category of \u201cmental retardation\u201d and therefore were dealt with extremely poorly or not dealt with at all within the public school system.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Change did not occur until the 1960\u2019s when disabilities became positively visible in the eyes of parents.\u00a0 In order for a disabled child to be educated, the burden laid on his\/her parents.\u00a0 The only real options were home schooling or extremely pricey private institutions.\u00a0 (specialednews 6).\u00a0 In 1961, John F. Kennedy created the presidents panel dealing with mental retardation.\u00a0 This was instituted as a result of parents who began to protest the rights of their disabled children.\u00a0 (specialnews 8).\u00a0 His panel called for the state to be aided by the government in order to provide an education for disabled children.\u00a0 Continuing on the timeline, in 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was created.\u00a0 This act allows for accessibility of a free education.\u00a0 (OSPI 1).\u00a0 In the early 1970\u2019s, one in every five students with a disability was educated in the public school system.\u00a0 (USDE).\u00a0\u00a0 America was now in a period of special education innovation and parents were eager to make progress.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 1971, Janet Taggart, Katie Dolan, Cecile Lindquist, and Evelyn Chapman (four moms from Washington State who were tired of the way their children were being neglected) were able to create a law, which would later be passed in congress.\u00a0 (Johnson).\u00a0 The law was titled Education for All and it provided students with disabilities equal access to a public school education. The work of these four mothers would later serve as a blueprint for IDEA.\u00a0 (Johnson).\u00a0 This is the first account where we witness parental involvement and action in order to provide a better life for disabled children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was not until 1975, that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was approved.\u00a0 This was a law which stated that all local public schools must provide a free education for all disabled children without any additional cost to the parents.\u00a0 It was intended to provide a basis for disabled children to survive in life past primary schooling.\u00a0 IDEA contained six principles, all of which allowed disabled children and their parents to have rights for the first time in public schools.\u00a0 The first was Zero Reject, which basically eliminates the possibility uneducable children failing to receive an education. (Heward 1).\u00a0 Nondiscriminatory Identification and Evaluation refers to the testing done in order to identify a child as being disabled.\u00a0 It must be culturally and economically fair for all children.\u00a0 Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) \u201cprotects the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including federal funds\u201d.\u00a0 (Russlyn 1).\u00a0 The fourth principle is LRE or Least Restrictive Environment.\u00a0 This means that the disabled child should be in class for the longest amount of time with nondisabled children until it becomes disruptive for either party.\u00a0 (Heward 3).\u00a0 Next, Due Process safeguards are a set of guidelines to ensure the parent\u2019s rights in the entire special education process.\u00a0 Lastly, Parent and Student Participation refers to the necessity and encouragement of making decisions together for the benefit of the child.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was not until after IDEA was passed that the percentage of disabled children receiving education in public schools in comparison to nondisabled children increased.\u00a0 (ed.gov 32).\u00a0 \u201cAbout 95 percent of school-age children and youth\u2028ages 6\u201321 who were served under IDEA in school were enrolled in regular schools\u201d (ed.gov32).\u00a0 \u201cThird, with one sweeping motion more than one million children were added to the public school system.\u201d\u00a0 (Hoskin 1).\u00a0 It is important to note that even though IDEA was in effect, this did not separate different disabilities within the school just yet.\u00a0 They still all fell under the broad category of retardation.\u00a0 Autism identification was still rare at this time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

While the public schools were mandated to adopt these terms for all disabled children, this did not mean the practices changed within the classroom.\u00a0 Yes, disabled children were now allowed and accepted in public schools and yes, there was now a plan for them.\u00a0 However, it did not mean they were respected.\u00a0 The term IEP came into effect a few years after IDEA was introduced.\u00a0 IEP stands for Individualized Education Program.\u00a0 (specialednews 4).\u00a0 It is unique to each child\u2019s needs and is reviewed yearly.\u00a0 It contains things such as goals, objectives, current levels of functioning, and time schedules for the child.\u00a0 It contains techniques used to help the child as well.\u00a0 During the 70\u2019s and up until the mid 90\u2019s, public schools used techniques such as scream rooms, restraint, and verbal abuse.\u00a0 Scream rooms were often rooms with a single color wall, contained a chair\/desk, no windows, and a door.\u00a0 They were used for children with disabilities as a form of punishment.\u00a0 A characteristic of children with Autism is self-infliction of pain.\u00a0 The children would be kept in these rooms for hours at a time and would often scratch the walls, hit their heads, or cause harm to their bodies as an escape from insanity.\u00a0 Verbal abuse was utilized to deal with these children because teachers lacked patience and did not necessarily care about the children because they were still undervalued in society.<\/p>\n

\"Typical<\/a>
Typical “Scream Room” in Connecticut Public School 2012 Jordan Fenster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

What aided IDEA to truly change the strategies used in schooling?\u00a0 The answer is parental involvement.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it took several devastating occurrences, which led to lawsuits, ultimately allowing the public to put pressure on the public school system to change its tactics. The use of restraint was a common practice all the way up to the twenty-first century!\u00a0 An article written in 2004 tells the story of a boy named Cedric.\u00a0 Cedric was fourteen years old and was classified with a disability.\u00a0 He had a history of violent behavior and which was unknown but the special education teachers were using restraint techniques in order to control his meltdowns.\u00a0 His teacher had put him in a hold on the ground after a dispute about lunch and when his mother was called to come to the school, he had already been pronounced dead.\u00a0 This raised controversy in the court and raised the question as to how many children were really being disciplined in schooling with this technique?\u00a0 Was it allowed because the children were in special ed? Cedric\u2019s mother did not let her son\u2019s death go unnoticed and did not let schools go unpunished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In 2004, well after IDEA, parents of nine-year-old Jan Rankowski sued Falmouth school for banning their son.\u00a0 Jan was a young boy with Autism and was enrolled in school with a placement in special education.\u00a0 There were complaints about Jan bothering other children in the playground and possessing \u201cautistic-like\u201d characteristics.\u00a0 This ultimately led to the school banning Jan until a professional evaluated him.\u00a0 Jan\u2019s form of Autism severely altered his social skills and made it very difficult for him to carry out an appropriate conversation with anyone he came into contact with.\u00a0 The only thing that helped Jan\u2019s conditions was to continually socialize him with others.\u00a0 With this being said, his parents could not understand how the school thought a ban would be keeping their son\u2019s best interest at heart.\u00a0 “By banning the kid from the most social part of the day, you’re ensuring that he won’t be able to learn social skills. It’s almost like saying, ‘You don’t know math, so we’re not letting you in the math class,\u201d said Wayne Gilpin of Future Horizons.\u00a0 The article written by Sarah Leitch proceeds to explain how ultimately Jan had to be home schooled and was banned from playing in his playground.\u00a0 \u201cThe boy’s parents say they hope their lawsuit will force schools to treat disabled or home-schooled children the same way as other children. Others across the country are watching the case as the number of children diagnosed with Asperger’s continues to climb\u201d\u00a0 (Leitch).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was a combination of cases like the above and many more that pressured scientists and schooling systems to create alternate methods.\u00a0 Shortly after several very public lawsuits came out, ASD was discovered.\u00a0 ASD is Autism Spectrum Disorder.\u00a0 This resulted in a scale of assessment used to determine if a child had Autism and if so how to go about intervention.\u00a0 (Rell 7).\u00a0 The spectrum was very significant because it raised the number of children who were diagnosed.\u00a0 This proposed a problem for the public schools.\u00a0 Ultimately, it forced them to create a separate learning program and strategy for children with Autism.\u00a0 Technically, children who diagnosed as having ASD qualify for IDEA.\u00a0 However, it is treated quite differently than an emotional disorder, which was once in the same category.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Shifting to the present time period in public schooling, there is a list of techniques proven to be most effective for children with Autism.\u00a0 Early intervention is the earliest and can be provided federally for children after the age of three.\u00a0 Individualized and Intensive programming has been implemented in schools and parents must be notified for each PPT (Planning and Placement Team) meeting in order to determine an appropriate IEP for his\/her child.\u00a0\u00a0 Teachers must make sure the assignments are clear and on point.\u00a0 If there is a change in schedule, it is important for the teacher to tell the children because children with Autism are meticulous about their schedule.\u00a0 There are vocal devices to help children communicate.\u00a0 Often teachers create a picture book with basic labeled functions for the children to point to and aid in verbalization.\u00a0 As a teacher or paraprofessional, it is required under the public school system, to be certified in ABA training.\u00a0 The number of children diagnosed with Autism has risen to about one in every eighty born.\u00a0 This can be attributed to a number of reasons however, a large one is that more research has been done and more appropriate classifications are now able to be made.\u00a0 Children are correctly diagnosed and can now receive the help they need in the public school system.\u00a0 There is no question that there is more work to be done and the public school system will forever be evolving in an attempt to eliminate all flaws.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not too long ago, The Atlantic published an article called How My Autistic Son Got Lost in the Public School System, by Amy Mackin.\u00a0 This article was published recently in January of 2013.\u00a0 The article relates the brief history of a young boy named Henry (not his real name for privacy purposes) who was diagnosed and treated for his Autism Spectrum Disorder.\u00a0 His parents were extremely on top of their game, started with early intervention, provided necessary resources, and their son still managed to slip through the cracks at school.\u00a0 Part of Henry\u2019s disorder was his ability to strictly follow rules.\u00a0 Mackin explains how the teacher had certain bathroom breaks for the children allotted during certain times of the day.\u00a0 In an attempt for Henry follow the rules, he would pee in his pants.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhen he had an accident, he was too ashamed to tell anyone, so he sat in his own urine for hours. Not one staff member at the school ever noticed.\u201d\u00a0 (Mackin 3).\u00a0 The article goes on to tell more stories of how Henry was mistreated, not necessarily on purpose, but because public schools were not trained to deal with such disorders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is that public schools are mostly worried about academics and test scores. They have to be\u2014their success in those areas dictates the percentage of state and federal funding they get. Few schools have designated psychologists (most often, multiple schools share the same one). Teachers aren’t psychologists, and asking them to be is not fair.\u201d (Mackin 6).<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Henry\u2019s parents chose to home school him because they could not sleep at night worrying about their boy at a public middle school.\u00a0 His mother worked to make this story public and widely known.\u00a0 Her hopes were to change another child\u2019s experience in middle school and allow other parents to send their children to school without apprehensiveness at all times.\u00a0 As alarming as the date of this article may be, it helps us realize that the public school system is still far from perfect and parents will continue to push for quality.<\/p>\n

These strategies may have never been discovered or put into place if it were not for persistent, active, parents willing to dedicate their lives to correcting the system and pressuring schools to treat disabled children with the respect they deserve.\u00a0 The law of IDEA surely aided in the appropriate action but it was much more that allowed our public schools to take steps in the right direction in terms of educating those with disabilities.\u00a0 Parents serve as the primary advocates and catalysts of these movements.\u00a0 The public school system has shifted from not even accepting children with disabilities, to putting up with them legally, to treating them with disrespect, to caring, and finally improving techniques day by day.\u00a0 It has been a long road to the creation of equality but the hopes are that one day children with Autism will be equipped with skills to lead healthy, normal lives.\u00a0 The shift is bittersweet because it has been paved by sad stories of disabled children and the passion of their parents to create a different destiny for other children.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Connecticut State Department of Education \u201cDivision of Teaching and Learning Program and Service\u201d Bureau of Special Education <\/i>July 2005<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Education.” Restraint Can Dispirit and Hurt Special-ed Students<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/news\/education\/2009-05-18-restraint-special-ed_n.htm>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Education for All Handicapped Children Act.” Wikipedia<\/i>. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Education_for_All_Handicapped_Children_Act>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).” Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/www.k12.wa.us\/Esea\/default.aspx>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Euthanasia Program.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum<\/i>. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/www.ushmm.org\/wlc\/en\/article.php?ModuleId=10005200>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

|Johnson, Scott F. Esq. Special Education & Educational Standards. NHEdLaw, LLC. Retrieved July 1, 2007. http:\/\/www.nhedlaw.com\/special%20education%20and%20standards.doc<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leitch, Sara. “DISABLED CHILD BANNED FROM PLAYGROUND, PRAISE GOD! – Islam\/Christianity\/Judaism Dialogue.” ShiaChat.com<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/www.shiachat.com\/forum\/topic\/41073-disabled-child-banned-from-playground-praise-god\/>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mackin, Amy. “How My Autistic Son Got Lost in The Public School System.” The Atlantic<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/national\/archive\/2013\/01\/how-my-autistic-son-got-lost-in-the-public-school-system\/266782\/?single_page=true>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education.” National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Home Page, a Part of the U.S. Department of Education<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quinn, Pat. Public Health IL<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. <http:\/\/www.idph.state.il.us\/timeline\/history1930.htm>.<\/p>\n

Ravensbergen. “The Family with a Handicapped Child and the Congregation.” Spindle Works<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. <http:\/\/www.spindleworks.com\/library\/ravensbergen\/hand.htm>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. History: Twenty-Five Years of Progress in Educating Children With Disabilities Through IDEA. Date of Publication Unknown. http:\/\/www.ed.gov\/policy\/speced\/leg\/idea\/history.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“The History of Special Education in the United States.” The History of Special Education in the United States<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http:\/\/www.specialednews.com\/the-history-of-special-education-in-the-united-states.htm>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“History of SPecial Education Law.” Wrightslaw<\/i>. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wrightslaw.com%2Fbks%2Flawbk%2Fch3.history>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Public Schools: A Compendium<\/i>. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Weber, Mark. (1992) Special Education Law and Litigation Treatise <\/i>(Horsham, PA: LRP Publications,<\/p>\n

Inc.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Autism, a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts, has been a controversial topic in schooling for all of time.\u00a0 (Webster).\u00a0 Throughout history, the concept of Autism has come to mean different things.\u00a0 Initially, Other Learning Disabilities was … Continue reading Evolution of Autism in Public Schooling<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":608,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[71],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5934"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/608"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5934"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5934\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5937,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5934\/revisions\/5937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/edreform\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}