According to a recent article in Wired the thinking about Autism has changed. This is a curious shift and I wonder if it is becoming more widespread. Currently, as an educator, it seems that parents are more open to have a child with a diagnosis of Autism than any other diagnosis, including in some cases ADHD.
This implies that Autism is a Diagnosis Du Jour and is actually become a sought after diagnosis because it opens doors to special education services, funding streams from the state and federal government, and availability of outside resources. This has been a shift that I have been noticing in the past few years. This is a concerning trend that implies, in some ways, that parents are seeking both doctors and clinicians that will provide a diagnosis and possibly leading to an increased prevalance of students with diagnoses. I have been noticing lately that some of the students that I work with, who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, would have been "labeled" as different and a little wierd just a few years ago. Not to dispute any medical diagnosis, this is mearly an observation.
In conversation with Dr. Tony Atwood a couple of years ago, he indicated that everyone has a little "Aspy" in them, which is a way of accounting for quirks and oddities in daily life. However, this also implies that if everyone has a little "Aspy" or "Auty" in them, how much is necessary to be labeled as a true "Aspy" or a true "Auty?" This raises another question: Are these students, who would have previously been identified as "wierd" or "different", truly just variations of different or truly students with Aspergers or Autism. While this question is important, does it really matter as they are being educated in a way that "meets their needs."
Finally, with a shift in thinking about how "Autistics" think, what does that mean in what must be done to teach them? Should they be taught in segregated classrooms specific to students with Autism? Possibly, but how do they gain access to appropriate models? Should there ultimately be "Autistic Colonies" like the Leper colonies of the past? I don’t think so. Should this change the expectations for their future? Maybe. I think the ultimate question comes down to is: What do students need in order to be functioning (in some way) adults requiring as little support as is feasible? Even if their minds work differently, how can they manage their own needs (food, clothing, shelter) so they are not seen as a "burden on society."
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