English III
Mrs. Vicknair
26 March 2018
Schools Don’t Accommodate
The autism spectrum is the group of developmental disorders (such as autism and Asperger's syndrome) marked by impairments in the ability to communicate effectively, interact socially and by the presence of repetitive behaviors or restricted interests — also called pervasive developmental disorder. Autism affects a significant amount of the population ranging from parents and children to taxpayers and school systems. In recent years, the number of children diagnosed with autism has risen exponentially and there is an increased need for special education services. Schools are not currently equipped for this increase in students diagnosed with autism. Many people say that we need to increase funds and training in schools in order to accommodate these students with autism. These supporters believe that educating these special needs students in the schools
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Others say that the school system does not need to change. Wendy Kopp explains in her article, “Do American Schools Need to Change? Depends What You Compare Them To”, that “The public schools are working very well for most students, and anyone who says differently is ‘crying wolf’.” This mind set is the reason why so many school systems are failing kids with autism. Parents have challenged school boards time and time again pleading for help for their students when they usually get the same negative response. The school system just doesn’t have enough funding for change. Funding is not the issue. The education system needs to commit to learning what these students need and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Once that has occurred, the students will be able to learn easier and faster. This process does not require any extra funding. Instead it takes effort and shows that teachers actually care about their