Essay 4 Rough Draft!

***SORRY, STILL NOT FINISHED! NEEDS LOTS OF WORK!!!***

Ashley Lewis

Instructor Thomas

English 102

22 April 2013

Can This Work?

Autism in Mainstream Schools

            Before five year old autistic Ethan started going to school, he had a hard time coping with the world around him. He hated being in large crowds since they made him uneasy. Ethan would cover his ears, shriek at the top of his lungs, and throw himself down onto the floor. Ethan’s mother had no idea what to do for him or how to control his behavior. That was until he started to attend school and going to the program known as “ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis).” ABA was used in a classroom curriculum to teach children who were on the Autism spectrum.

            For little Ethan, life became much easier for him once he entered the program. Of course, in the beginning, the teachers struggled with Ethan at first, trying to get him to learn and become used to the new environment. But, with the teachers’ constant care, affection, and determination, they were able to make a breakthrough with him. By the end of the school year, he was able to demand things that he wanted with no problem, he could point out different items and call them by their names, and he was able to be around large groups of people without having a meltdown. In fact, he loved being part of the community known as his classroom.

            Ethan’s story is just one success story because of this special program. For many other children, if this program was brought to schools all around the country, they would also have their own success story. Autistic children need and deserve proper education and socialization with their peers in mainstream schools. My proposal to this issue is to recreate the same program that Ethan attended for other children to work on their behavior, motor, reading, and speech skills within schools.

What is ABA and the history of it?

            ABA, which is shortened for “Applied Behavior Analysis,” is used especially for autistic children. According to Louise Holden, writer for The Irish Times, ABA is an intervention which largely employs one-on-one language and skill development between children and a qualified ABA specialist. ABA specialists help autistic children to work on their speech skills, motor skills, and behavioral skills, which benefits them in the long run for their future. This program is helpful for autistic children because once they master the skills they need, they will be able to function in a mainstream school and be successful.

Originally, ABA stemmed from PaTTAN, which is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. PaTTAN works with families and schools to support programs to improve student learning and success (What is PaTTAN?). In 2008, a case study of this program was composed and documented over the course of a school year. As you watch the mini documentary, you can see all of the positive changes in all of the children (ABA Autism Classroom Case Study 2008). Another case study was conducted in 2012 and the outcomes were just as miraculous as the one done back in 2008. This program has not been around for a long time, but it is already proving to be effective for autistic children.

Who should push for this program?

            The people who should really push for this program to be put into effect are the special education teachers. They are the ones that spend eight or so hours a day, five days a week with the autistic children, teaching them what they need to know. Special education teachers play a significant role in preparing autistic children for the future. And it all starts by what the teachers teach them and how they teach them. At the end of the day, not only is this program rewarding for the children, but it is also rewarding for the teachers, since they feel like they have made a difference in a child’s life. According to Dr. Temple Grandin, assistant professor at Colorado State University, it is very important to have good teachers for autistic children. She writes, “Good teachers helped me to achieve success. I was able to overcome autism because I had good teachers.” With the help of caring teachers who want to see children go far in life and this program, it will definitely turn out to be a very positive outcome for everyone involved.