Dealing with a child with autism spectrum disorder in schools is a major challenge as this child needs attention, care and extreme attention, which his peers in the same age group do not need. Dealing with autism in schools is considered one of the difficulties facing teachers because the autistic child needs to make an extra effort and repeat the information in order to be able to absorb it. Therefore, in this article, we will talk about the nature of dealing with autism in schools and how to enhance a supportive environment for these children that helps them develop their language skills and behavior.
Integrating autistic children into schools
Integrating autistic children into schools means giving them the opportunity to receive education and engage in society. It is a social right that guarantees these children a decent life and breaks the social isolation in which they live. Studies have proven that integrating an autistic child gives him new skills and breaks the state of isolation, boredom and the feeling of withdrawal.
Especially since autism spectrum disorder is considered the third most common disorder in the world, and exceeds the number of people with Down syndrome by this percentage. The American Society of Autism (America of Society Autism, 1999) published statistics confirming that the number of children with autism spectrum disorder is increasing year after year. Therefore, the idea of integrating autistic children into schools is one of the basic ideas that special education programs are trying to reach because it has multiple benefits for the student and his peers without autism disorder and for society as a whole.
What is the purpose of integrating autistic children into the school?
The goal of integrating autistic children into schools is to teach them in a way similar to the way their non-autistic peers learn. Although the process of integrating autistic children into schools is a difficult challenge, it makes important additions to the lives of autistic children, the most important of which are:
- Providing autistic children in schools with all appropriate opportunities to improve their self-concept and social behaviors, especially since these matters are interconnected.
- Greater focus on language skills for autistic children in regular schools.
- Special education for autistic children in regular schools avoids isolating the child from his or her family.
- Integrating autistic children into schools achieves many goals, the most important of which is reducing the psychological and social differences between the normal and abnormal child.
- Integrating autistic children also helps to change the attitude of people, teachers and parents towards this child from negative to positive.
- Giving the autistic child a better chance for psychological and academic growth.
Challenges facing children with autism in schools
Autistic children face many challenges and difficulties in schools, the most important of which are:
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Low self-esteem : Some autistic students in schools do not participate with their peers in any group activities, and we find that they prefer to do individual activities, especially since many of them are unable to answer questions or deal with any facial or body expressions.
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Lack of verbal participation: Children with autism in schools prefer to remain silent. They are actually unable to interact well with educational activities.
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Emotional instability: Some autistic students in schools show outbursts of anger when the teacher assigns them additional tasks, and sometimes they cry because they are dissatisfied with their relationships with others.
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Difficulty forming social relationships with other children.
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Difficulty of autistic children adapting to the surrounding environment.
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Difficulty wearing a specific school uniform because the autistic child is very sensitive and resists changing clothes.
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Difficulty sharing toys with other children, as an autistic child cannot play imaginatively or imitate.
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An autistic child has great difficulty understanding any instructions, even verbal instructions, which are also difficult for him and he cannot easily comprehend them.
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Intellectual and behavioral rigidity that may affect his dealings or sometimes speak in a violent and inappropriate manner.
Strategies to help integrate autistic children into schools
There are some strategies that greatly help integrate autistic children into schools, which are:
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Preventive strategies: which teachers rely on before beginning to teach lessons to facilitate the interaction of autistic children with their peers, including the use of social stories, communication and image exchange programs, in addition to the use of visual schedules.
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Supportive strategies: Teachers use these strategies in the learning process to explain social principles and behaviors to children, and also teach them how to ask for any help from their classmates. Teachers are keen to repeat the instructions so that autistic children in schools can understand them.
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Therapeutic strategies: These are some procedures that teachers apply when mistakes occur to modify behavior.
How to teach autistic children?
All children need treatment and attention, but autistic children in schools need special care and attention and a supportive environment for autistic students that contributes to developing their behavior and language skills. Among the most important methods that help autistic children in schools to interact and be productive are:
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An organized environment and a well-thought-out plan go a long way in making them feel comfortable.
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Paying attention to means of communication, such as sign language, is one of the most important ways to deal with these children.
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Comics and cartoons designed specifically for autistic people greatly contribute to developing their skills and facilitating their understanding.
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Exploit any cartoon character the child likes and act it out to bring the information closer.
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Explaining social stories with simple words and pictures.
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Developing and enhancing a child’s social relationships and strengthening his relationships with other children greatly improves his skills and behavior.
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Be sure to use direct language and sign language because autistic children do not understand expressions and gestures.
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Using PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) is a common approach used to communicate with children who have speech difficulties. Teachers use pictures as an educational and progressive symbol for children to try to form simple sentences through pictures and point to the items they choose.
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Use visual aids, videos and simple drawings within the lesson plans provided to them.
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Theater and role-playing contribute effectively to the development and enhancement of the abilities of autistic children in schools.
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Using the Teacch daily schedule is a method widely used with children with autism to provide them with an organized environment in space and time through visual means, reduce their stress, and enhance their level of understanding and perception.
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Helping autistic children who cannot tolerate loud sounds and noise by placing them in a supportive environment and a quiet place such as the school library during break time.
Tips for parents of autistic children in schools
If you have a child with autism and it is time for him to enter school, you must follow some instructions to help him overcome this obstacle, which will most likely be somewhat difficult at first. Among the most important instructions that parents must be careful to follow are:
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Make sure your child attends behavior modification sessions, no matter how little progress he makes.
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Create a special daily routine and plan for your child to feel comfortable and secure.
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Make the alarm tone child-friendly and not too loud to hurt him.
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Check the bus that will take your child to school, as it is a new environment for him.
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It is preferable for you to visit your child on the first day of school to follow up on the educational process and support and assist him.
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Make sure to stay in constant contact with the school to follow up on your child's condition.
Deep Learning Technology and Autism Support
Deep learning technology and its role in supporting autism contribute significantly to the treatment of autistic children, especially since late diagnosis increases the complexity of the disease and reduces the rates of development of children's skills. However, with deep learning technology, which relies on examining autism spectrum disorder by using retinal images that are analyzed based on advanced deep learning algorithms, it represents a major shift compared to traditional diagnosis.
Deep learning technology harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to simplify the process of identifying autism by combining eye insights with advanced AI technology, making screening more efficient and productive.
In the same context, the study showed that the AUROC of 0.74 in assessing the severity of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder showed that artificial intelligence models are not only able to determine the presence of autism disorder, but also provide a comprehensive view of the severity of the symptoms that the child suffers from, and this part is very important in designing intervention strategies to meet individual needs.
Adopting artificial intelligence in diagnosing autism spectrum disorder may lead to early interventions that contribute to developing their treatment, improving outcomes, and enhancing the overall efficiency levels of all healthcare systems. This is a major step in medical diagnosis.
Remember that autistic children are normal children, but they have their own world in which they live, so parents must take good care of their children with special needs, especially when autistic children enter schools, and make sure that they go to behavior modification sessions, which are sessions that play a very important role in developing the skills of autistic children in schools. The Madrasa.com platform has allocated many courses that autistic children need, which are online courses with flexible timings between morning and evening with the best elite of specialists in dealing with autism spectrum children, in addition to the courses enjoying complete confidentiality for more security for your child.
The Madrasa.com platform also provides all the necessary information about autistic children and dealing with autism in schools. The platform also has courses for everyone that help parents know the correct way to deal with their autistic children.
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