Is Our Educational System All Wrong for Kids with Autism?
Monday August 11, 2008
In response to my earlier blog about my son Tom's success with inclusion in a band camp, Sherri made this comment:
Recently I read some older books on education, we also went to Sturbridge Village [a "living history" museum in Massachusetts]. I was fascinated by the change in our educational system and lifestyle. I often wonder if SOME the older structure were still present would it benefit our children's learning?Sherri's comment reflects many of the feelings I've had over the past several years. Interestingly, I've also heard these thoughts reflected by several researchers and writers in the fields of autism and ADD/ADHD. One noted that "if this were a hundred years ago, a lot of these kids would be apprenticing, working in the fields, or filling some other useful role - and their families wouldn't be worried that their children would have no place in society."
- (1)Skills:horseshoing/gardening sensory,problem solve,independance,teamwork
- (2)Play:forts,fishing,building Sensory,problem solve,teamwork
- (3)Hands on skill based learning: promoted by parents,community,school Consistancey, intensive, generalising
- (4)Social etequette: promoted by parents,school,community Emotional intelligence, problem solve relationships, being part of a whole etc.
- (5) *Muti age/grade teaching Relating to younger/older peers, pragmatics,self confidence,volunteering
Even some of the older books for teachers and pupils fascinate me in their intensive structured sensory means of learning.This is not expensive, just different from our present state of thinking/learning. Maybe we should revisit SOME of these ideals.
Another, a specialist in ADHD, likened school to a long, narrow corridor. Once we've made our way through that corridor, he said, we're free to pursue what we enjoy and are good at.
Is it possible that our school system is all wrong for kids with autism? And kids with ADHD? And kids with dyslexia, social anxiety, tourettes, and so forth? Is it conceivable that a more flexible educational system, along with a broader range of options for learning, apprenticing, and working in the larger world, would improve outcomes for a very large percentage of our children?
What's your opinion?
Comments
While I agree with your specific question, I also think the more general question, “Is it possible that our school system is all wrong for kids?”, is worth asking as well. Sadly, I think the answer is possibly, yes, it is all wrong. More than anything I say this because of the “one size fits all” mentality that most (note that I don’t say all) public school systems have adopted.
There are many causes, and you can’t really blame any one individual cause. As you note, though, the education system is somewhat related to the prevailing culture at the time (ie, agricultural vs. industrial). We have a ways to go, and a lot of inertia to overcome, but I think the information age, and its enabling technologies, will get us back around to a system of education that allows each child to learn, and to be taught, as an individual.
Perhaps even to the point where every child has an Individual Education Plan (IEP); not because they are ‘disabled’, but because that’s just how education is handled.
Yes, I agree. I think what you are proposing is a good idea. I am mildly autistic man, 8 year veteran of special ed albeit before IDEA. The problem is the plan will never be implemented because the lobbies for the IDEA are too powerful. Special education is a multibillion dollar industry that feeds parasitic lawyers and ABA therapists and others who have a vested financial interest in maintaining the status quo.
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This is exactly why I pulled my twins with autism out of public school and started my own cottage school where kids with learning differences can thrive. What you described from 100 years ago sounds a lot like what we do at our one-room cottage school. We have kids from preschool through 12th grade this year. And they all thrive helping one another and learning from one another. It’s a beautiful way to learn!
I guess the question really should be does one want their child in inclusion, or self contained? And how long does one want that school day to be?
I think extra activities don’t always have to be provided by the school and things like fishing, horse shoeing and gardening may have benefits socially, but academically, no. Those are things that a parent could provide outside of school.
There are so many potential topics to address but for the sake of brevity I’ll only add my 2˘ on what I think is the most important.
[Brett says:
While I agree with your specific question, I also think the more general question, “Is it possible that our school system is all wrong for kids?”]
Um… yes.
Public schools have failed to adapt to the changing needs of our society and are failing to meet the needs of all students. Sadly I believe a school’s failure tends to be more noticeable with special needs students, however all students suffer.
As Lisa mentioned, I think it is not only conceivable, it is probable that a more flexible educational system, along with a broader range of options for learning, apprenticing, and working in the larger world, would improve outcomes for a very large percentage of our children.
It is my whole hearted belief that the simplest solution to a majority of public school educational issues is to increase school staff.
The larger a staff the more options can be offered to students, the smaller class sizes become, the more individualized attention each child can receive, executing differentiated lessons to accommodate students needs becomes more effective, which also makes more accurate individualized assessment of each student.
When teaching becomes crowd control, even the best teachers will fail over time.
Also, and I don’t want this to seem as if it is an after thought, but having a continuing open dialogue with your child’s teacher(s) is so important. Don’t leave it up to the teacher to contact you, make it a point to have reasonably regular contact with them.
In 1949, I enrolled in a one room school house. One room, one teacher, 8 grades. The fifth graders taught math facts to the first graders, the 8th graders helped the teacher with history for the 6th grade. Discipline wasn’t bad because there were only 3 or 4 kids of each age That gave teacher an automatic way to divide and conquer the class. If the second grade boy was pulling little Suzie’s hair, the teacher had 8th grade Betty break it up. The older kids got leadership skills, the younger kids learned to cooperate and respect their elders. By the mid ’50’s, we had developed modern methods and forgotten how good it was Then we put all the 13 year olds in the same calss and the teacher had to deal with 30 kids, all having hormones at the same time. Who said ‘modern’ technology isn’t modern. Or maybe they said common sense isn’t.
As you read my comments, please keep in mind that I am a self-employed, independent music therapist, so I owe no allegiance to public schools. I contracted services to public schools in the Cleveland, Ohio area in the early 1970’s, and have contracted services to four different school districts (24 schools) in four different small towns in the north Texas area since 1978. Over the past 35 years, I have had the privilege of spending time with many dozens of individuals with autism. Right now I spend time each week with just over 80 individuals (toddlers to older adults) diagnosed across the broad spectrum of autism. I have followed many individuals all the way through school from age 3 to their graduation at age 22. Some of the same teachers and teacher’s aids have taught in the same classrooms all those years, and others have come and gone. Because I live in a small community, I know many of the families of my friends with autism, and, even after graduation, many begin coming to music therapy groups at my home and participate in volunteer activities I’ve established in our community. I’ve known some of my friends for as long as 30 years. I have two sons, neither of whom are diagnosed with specific special needs. I’m telling you all this so that you can understand my perspective and the frame of reference from which my opinions emerge.
+ In my humble opinion, I believe it is inaccurate to make blanket statements like, “The public schools have failed children with autism.” Over the years I have seen many excellent teachers and aids who have had a dramatic impact on the functioning level and the quality of life of many youngsters with autism. At the same time, I have seen many teachers and aids who were not as dedicated to their jobs, or who simply did not have the gift of working effectively with individuals with autism and/or other conditions that required special education.
+ Since I started working in the schools in 1973, I have seen teaching methods and strategic approaches come and go, then cycle around again. I’ve seen teachers with advanced degrees and advanced training in the latest strategy related to autism who were not as effective as the teacher’s aid who did not have a high school diploma, but did have “the touch,” a special gift of taking time to connect with a kid and coax them into being somewhat responsive and cooperative and self-sufficient. I’ve seen teachers who worked magic in the lives of fifty kids with autism in a period of ten years, only to encounter a youngster in the sixth year who did not respond at all to the strategies that teacher had used successfully for a decade.
+ I’ve seen school districts that put many dollars and much time into developing long-term and short-term strategies and specialized programs aimed specifically at the needs of students with autism. And I’ve seen others that, because of the financial realities of their small towns, had to just fly by the seat of their pants.
+ I’ve worked in school districts that were strictly ABA or Floortime or any number of other philosophies that have emerged since 1974. I’ve worked at other school districts that operated strictly under the “teacher’s intuition” method.
+ I’ve seen school districts cycle in and out of the divergent philosophies of (1) total inclusion with support (what used to be called “mainstreaming”), and (2) “self-contained” or “individualized” classrooms with mainstreaming in music/pe/lunch/recess. Of course, over all those years, any youngsters without academic challenges were included in regular classrooms with tutoring or “resource room” assistance when needed.
+ I’ve known parents who home-schooled their children and others who enrolled their children in private schools – some of which were specifically designed for individuals with autism and others of which had supportive services for individuals with special needs.
In my humble opinion, it was difficult to see that any one of these scenarios has been more effective than another if analyzed on a student-by-student basis over the 19 years each student is eligible for services from public schools.
Personally, I support ALL of the above because I’ve seen ALL of these situations work effectively for some kids. Just as with typical learners, some teachers and teaching methods and educational strategies meld very well with that particular student’s needs, and others do not. Autism is such a mixed bag, and each individual has such a unique mix of deficit areas and strengths, making it very difficult, if not impossible, to develop and implement a perfect educational plan for every youngster with autism in any given class, school, or school district.
I would go so far as to say that anyone who thinks they have the one answer or the perfect solution for all students with autism is speaking out of turn. And, although this comment will not be popular in this forum, I actually cringe when I hear parents or other experts advising parents in general that public schools will not meet the needs of their child. The whole point here is INDIVIDUALIZED education. Every kid thrives in different situations.
GRANTED, there are some circumstances where a specific teacher or teacher’s aid or school or school district truly fails to meet the needs of a youngster with autism. But, I can guarantee you that VERY FEW teachers or administrators PURPOSEFULLY plan to fail in their mission to provide a quality education to every student who comes in their doors. Some teachers or administrators are incompetent or distracted or lazy or just not gifted at teaching individuals with special needs, but very few are evil.
I teach in small communities and know all of the teachers and aids who will spend time with their children. Because I know many of the youngsters in our community before they are school age, I can predict with some accuracy in advance which teachers will make a good match with the kid and which will not be so great with a specific child. But, not matter the strength of each match, I encourage parents to consider the following scenario:
Unless there are extremely compelling reasons not to do so, consider enrolling your youngster in public schools so they can (1) meet other youngsters, (2) spend time with adults other than their parents, (3) experience structured and predictable days during the week, (4) learn to transfer authority, (5) experience a variety of social situations, (6) learn about transition from home to school, and, (7) in all likelihood, learn something and have some fun experiences along the way. AT THE SAME TIME, just as with parents of typical children, the parents of kids with autism need to do all they can to enrich the lives of their children – horseback riding and music lessons and gardening and summer camps and swimming and VBS and computer games and a kitty cat and a trampoline and visits with Grandma and reading together and growing potatoes and walking on the seashore or WHATEVER brings joy and contentment to that particular kid while at the same time teaching them valuable life skills.
With my own boys, I felt that they went to public schools from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. nine months of the year, and, during all the remaining hours and days and months, my husband and I were home-school teachers responsible for rounding out their educations. In my experience over the past decades, I’ve seen that philosophy serve many individuals with autism very well.
So, for what it is worth, I humbly submit these thoughts for consideration.
Cathy Knoll
http://FAQautism.com
I’m under the assumption you’re all American, I’m English. Over here the sytem does not support the child with ASD/ADD/ADHD. The government has closed the majority of Special Schools and inclusion in main stream education is a nightmare.
My son suffered horrendously within the education system - he was hospitalised 3 times through bullying, yet the school did little if anything. The teachers were little better than the pupils with their insensitivity and lack of knowledge. The schools (at least the ones we had experience of) don’t wish to learn about these conditions and the strategies that can help to alleviate the difficulties for them.
College is much the same. For every tutor willing to assist there are more who hinder their progress.
Work, however, is a different matter. Whilst at school my son took a ‘work experience’ placement as a lifeguard. This placement turned into an apprenticeship, where the leisure centre paid for his training and then offered him a job. They were well aware of his autism but worked with him.
He now works for a water theme park, and again the company went out of their way to learn about his condition, looking it up on the net, and supporting him in every way.
He is only 17 and now lives away from home (boo hoo for me) and is having a wonderful time.
This is in no way thanks to any eduacational establishment here, but down to his own merits and perseverance and the help of the people he works with and for.
I am proud of my son to be able to be the person he is. No mean feat in a world which damns those that are different instead of marvelling at what they have to offer.
Could our teaching methods be out of date for the times that we live in now?
Maybe the one room school house idea is something we need to be more open too as a society.
The way our society is now, with education a seperate entity, both parents working crazy hours…maybe more family style supports ARE needed.
Kids are in daycare for a large amount of time too, if you find one that will accept older/ spec needs kids.
Picture this:
You wake at 6:00am go to daycare, where you are with kids the same age as you, to the bus, with mixed ages, but most of the kids do not “know” you well……
Off to school where you are in a class with 25 other students of the same age…..you eat with 250 other students the same age or you are seperated by age with opposing tables…again you know very few of them “well”…you sit with two friends…
Off to recess for 20 min, if you are lucky enough to have one. Perhaps you play with three kids..or.. because know one really knows you, you may be bullied…or worse ignored…..
Off to class again, the bus, to daycare…still with your own age….eventualy you will see one parent…maybe two…to eat dinner by 7pm…
go to bed, repeat 5 days a week…..I am glad I am not a kid anymore.The pressure on families and parents, mounting….
The system, maybe that is what is broken
Another Example:
In some public schools CORE social/emotional skills,are put into “future” terms..meaning put off… self advocating for example…they wait until highschool, highschool waits until the kids are in an adult program.
The adult program calls them client/residents… the clients are by age, adults…so they can make ALL thier own decisions….we can not influence them…
Meaning:
Johny can go out barefoot, dressed in shorts and no shirt..in below zero weather..
“He can make his own decisions after all, he has free will/civil rights and he is an adult AGE.”
The “residential instructor” can only offer…the reality of the temp….and bring blankets…but if they refuse….there is nothing you can do…..SO as an “instructor”
what would I be teaching.
As a PARENT, I can tell him to get dressed appropriate for the weather or at least put on a coat and boots or we are not going.
Maybe the system is broken.
Don’s comments on one-room schools was right on target. Intermingling children of different ages was inclusion at its best. I know, because I attended one of those schools.
My daughter who has autism was placed in a Special Ed. class from the beginning, not because of her intelligence, but because she wasn’t verbal at that time and that led to negative behaviors. When she started to public school she had all the basic preschool skills (alphabet, counting, knew colors and shapes and could spell her name) but the school didn’t build on that and for the first two years what we had was basically respite care.
I finaly removed her from public school when she turned 16 and quit a very good job to home school her. I based our program on my experiences from that one-room school and she has learned more than she ever did in public school. So yes, I think you could say that they failed her — they failed to respect and to educate her. In spite of the lack of “socialization” she is now more outgoing and social than ever!