General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama needs to call Arne Duncan out for his new tactics for special education students. [View all]Smarmie Doofus
(14,498 posts)Autistic kids... as you *probably* know... vary widely in terms of their measurable learning "potential". ( Down Syndrome kids... by contrast, for example....not so much.)
Some autistic kids cannot speak. Some cannot point to the numeral 5 when asked to select it from a menu of 3, 4, and 5. Some cannot recognize their name on a piece of paper. Some... in fact, MANY.... even at age 15, 16, 17 and 18 cannot make change from a dollar or tell time. They do not understand concepts like "change", "price", "elapsed time", "salary" "deductions" "taxes". They cannot read or make use of the most simplified printed schedule.
Yet others are intellectually normal. ( i.e. test in the "average", i.e. 80-120) range and can easily do all of these things. These cases are rare in my professional experience ; but that's one person's experience teaching special ed over thirty years. They do in fact exist.
Let's say for argument's sake that you are the parent of an 18 year old autistic child who is unable to tell time and count money to the degree that he is unable to function independently as a young adult. Remember: the educational "clock" is ticking. He still struggles with fundamental, first-second grade math concepts but will age-out soon.
Those are the basic facts. So: how do you want his classroom teacher to apportion the limited ( and rapidly diminishing) instructional time relative to your child: teaching "algebra"? ( presumably w. the goal of.... what? Getting him ready for Trig?) Or do you want the teacher working on ways to getting your child to adapt his early elementary school-level math skills to real-life everyday situations that he will (very soon) encounter in the adult world?