Autism is not a low incidence disability. The irony is that school districts frequently are unable or unwilling to implement quality programs for children with autism. Too often programs lack intensity, structure, low teacher to student ratios, a systematic curriculum, or supports like communication systems, behavioral reinforcers or visual schedules. None of these program components are novel, but when I bring them up at meetings I get a lot of blank stares as if I just invented these ideas.
Although not binding in other states, there are published guidelines from New Jersey [Download Autism Program Indicators.pdf] as an example of best practices for teaching children with autism. Nothing in this publication is new, but it is authoritative and might convince a reluctant school district to adopt this guidance even without resorting to due process. Another primary source of guidance is the book Educating Children With Autism which is a collaborative literature review reflecting on significant research from many authorities in the field of autism studies.
As I suggested in an earlier post, when observing and making judgments about the efficacy of existing or proposed programs for children with autism, both of these books would be quite useful in developing checklists and criteria. With these materials in hand, parents will be able to make arguments that are data- driven, now if only the schools could routinely state that about their programs for children with autism.
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