Increase in autism rates, have you felt the impact? What will you do?

[Dr. Myers]

Watch this videoclip regarding the increase in autism.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33165127/ns/health-mental_health/

As more and more students with autism are taught in general education, do you feel prepared to teach these students? With two new studies indicating that 1 in 100 individuals are diagnosed with autism, this may impact you. What resources have you used to help students with autism socially, academically, and behaviorally in your class? Share what works for you!

[CS]

I personally do not feel prepared. I am working with a non-verbal severe autistic child right now that was placed in my high-functioning ID(MR) class at the last minute and I have absolutely no idea how to get through to him. When I speak with the parents they tell me to just let him watch tv all day, but I feel bad about that.

As a class, we do a lot of things socially - we take trips to the library and discuss books they like with other kids, we have become the inter-office mail delivery service for the school, we attend a mixed special education/governor school p. e. class and we attend lunch in the general education lunchroom. The young man I mentioned attends and participates in everything we do-mostly as an observer, but I still insist he be a part of the class activities as much as possible.

His IEP says he can do all kinds of things academically from telling me what numbers are to telling me the beginning middle and end of a story. I have not seen evidence of any of this and don't know if he is just testing me. I contacted his last teacher and his parents and they all laugh and say he is lazy and normally just sleeps all day.

As for the video clip, I thought it interesting that the increase in autism may be environmental and not genetic. Never really thought about it. That would explain a lot though.

I also agree that - at least in our county- the government needs to step forward and increase the research in this area. If it is environmental, then we need to find the cause because the numbers are only going to get higher as we move forward.

[Norah Hooper]

Interesting study. It is so hard to determine if the increase in rates is due to actual increases in autism or in changes in diagnostic procedures. I was in an autism class today and the teachers said that more and more they are seeing children come into their program with the autism label whom they do not believe acutally have autism. However, we used to see one or two cases of severe autism in a school, where now we see three or four. Certainly an area for lots of study.

[Elizabeth F. Mark]

I teach at Gladys H Oberle school, a private alternative school for students with ED, LD, and Autism. We have definitely seen the increase in autism ourselves. I have two students with aspbergers in my english class. They are two totally different students though. I try and keep a routine, and warn them of any changes for the day. I also give assignment sheets to one particular student; he just needs that list to keep him organized and on track.

My other student, however is highly affected by his medication and is often asleep. When he is awake and participating, he grunts whenever he is asked to participate or do work. How do I work with the grunting?