The educational and social inclusion of the autistic student in the different educational stages requires the teacher to have specific knowledge in Neuropsychology that will allow him or her to cover the special needs of the child, develop enriching activities and work in harmony with the expert team.
In recent years, advances in evaluation and early detection techniques have allowed an increase in the diagnosis of autism cases (in born children) by 0.7%. The educational and social inclusion of the autistic student in the different educational stages requires the teacher to have specific knowledge in Special Education that will allow him or her to cover the child’s special needs, develop enriching activities and work in harmony with the expert team. Do you want to enhance the learning of your autistic students? We address autism in the classroom, how to treat it and possible activities.
Autism in the classroom: the special needs of the student with ASD
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins to manifest around the child’s first two years and extends throughout the rest of his or her life cycle. The most affected areas are the capacities for social and communicative interaction and the flexible regulation of their thoughts and behaviors.
A student with ASD will not seek to relate to his or her peers; and, if he does, his way of interacting may be inappropriate. Both situations could lead to isolation and harassment in said student’s classroom.
Other characteristics of the autistic child, which interfere with inclusion in the classroom, are the presentation of thought patterns and repetitive movements (swaying, closing and opening doors…), hyperreactivity to certain stimuli, difficulty understanding symbolic language or to empathize.
However, the symptoms of ASD are very heterogeneous . Not all students who suffer from autism manifest the same cognitive and behavioral alterations, nor to the same degree. Therefore, it is essential that the teaching and specialized team adapts the intervention program, addressing the specific and personal needs of the student and enhances those traits that will benefit her inclusion in school.
To optimize the learning process of an autistic child, the skills required in autonomy and social integration, the educational professional needs, in turn, to learn to evaluate the student, assess their situation in the classroom, respect their pace and learning style, and design and implement specific and effective curricular adaptations for each of them . The study program of the Official Master’s Degree in Special Education responds to this need for Education professionals to know all types of SEN, and to be able to detect and intervene on the various learning needs of their students with disabilities.