Autism: Educating the Child and the Parents
Have you ever felt difficulty in expressing yourself? Have you
ever come across a point in your life when words are not enough
to give justice to what you feel?
Education
They say that knowledge is power. This is one power that cannot
be divested or taken away from you. It is also only through
proper education and training that a person can get hold of
knowledge.
A person equipped with the knowledge and enough drive to pursue
a field or goal can easily fulfill his or her potential. You can
climb the corporate ladder. You can influence people. You can
gain enough respect and reputation.
If knowledge is really the key, what about the others whose
conditions would not allow it? Take autism for example. Its
cause up to now is still not definite but it has been perceived
by many people as disabling.
Autism
Autism is actually a condition that involves nerve development.
The discrepancy of the development manifests in the behavior of
the kid: communication, social skills and repetitive mannerisms.
Autistic children often fail to respond to the world around
them. As such, they are regarded for having a world of their own.
However, this is not to be regarded as a disease or ailment that
will render the person entirely incapable. Some families that
have a child diagnosed with autism undergo depression,
withdrawal or despair. Parents get too engrossed with the
problem that they overlook the alternatives. The special
conditions or the limitations of a child with the autistic
syndrome may be addressed properly.
The worry over providing the proper care and education to an
autistic child is one of the many obstacles that will have to be
confronted. As such for any family dealing with the condition,
it is important to provide early interventions so as to
facilitate a faster progress.
Providing Education to Autistic Children
There are many teaching methods that have been developed to
address the situation of autistic children. The method would of
course depend on the needs and capabilities of the child,
whether the autism is mild or not.
Primarily, the parents think it is best to send the child to a
special education institution if the local school does not have
a special program. Institutions focusing on autism will also
help in providing autism-specific classrooms. In such instances,
the teacher will focus to the needs of the autistic child. There
would be no other disorders to be addressed. It is also best to
keep the teacher from being stressed or overworked. The teacher
must be emotionally and physically up and about.
Also, there are cases of autism that will still make it helpful
to attend regular schools. Some school districts have provided
support to make the teachers and student body more aware of such
situations. Some parents of autistic kids also work together to
ensure that the needs of the kids will be met within the school
boundaries.
Finally, we should constantly remind ourselves that education
starts at home. The parents must properly comprehend and grasp
the situation of the child. They should also consider the
aspects and effects of the autistic condition and how they can
properly address the development of the child. These are some of
the few things that must be aimed for: understanding the
behavior, knowing the proper response, encouraging new ones,
dealing with the social problems, working and playing together.
There should also be considerable cooperation between the
parents and the teachers or professionals to ensure that the
problems of the child will be addressed. Parents should know the
learning styles of the child and keep themselves informed of the
various strategies that would help the child succeed.
Getting the kid in the appropriate educational institution would
be very helpful. Still it is the family that will reinforce and
support the child to progress.
We are living in a very fast world. The world keeps getting
smaller and smaller as technologies are improved and knowledge
is progressed. It is very easy to amuse ourselves, to fulfill
our needs and even get what we want. However, in this fast-paced
life not everyone will be able to catch up. Some may be left
behind, not because they choose to be, but because their
conditions limit them.
We should not limit this world only to the able. We should also
learn to embrace and enable those who are limited by their
existence.