Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder:Inclusive vs Special Education

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Inclusive versus Special Education
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Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Inclusive versus Special Education
1.0. Introduction
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), commonly termed Autistic Disorder or simply Autism, refers to a developmental disability typically manifesting as poor social interaction skills and a socially misaligned set of behaviors (Luiselli, 2014). This disability is usually developed and diagnosed at an early stage and has a far-reaching impact on the children's learning abilities (Luiselli, 2014). A few years ago, the advocacy for the special education environment or self-contained education setting for autistic children was peaking. However, now the rationale in favor of a mainstream educational environment for such children is widely adopted, and exclusive arrangement is being seen as a deterrent to normal learning and growth (Carrington et al., 2021). This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of mainstream educational arrangements for children with autism as an alternative to special education.
2.0. Discussion of Research Findings
The number of students with autism diagnosed per year is on the rise. The number of students with autism in the United States reached 0.8 million following a steady uptrend and a significant rise from its level of 0.3 million as found ten years ago. This data is visualized as under:
(Statista, 2021)
A pediatrician can diagnose the disorder as early as the age of 18 months. However, this diagnosis needs to be confirmed by the age of two years by an expert to specify the exact nature of the disorder. There is no medical test to determine if a child has ASD or not. Instead, the diagnosis is performed through a few symptoms common with children with ASD. These symptoms include (Luiselli, 2014):
* Inability or difficulty in making eye contact
* Being indifferent to caretakers and other children
* Getting easily irritated through minor changes in routine
* Lagging behind the age in communication and language learning skills
The debate surrounding special education for students with ASD and otherwise is intensively contentious. Therefore, it is important to investigate each argument's premises and rely on empirical evidence to reach transferable and generalizable inferences. Douglas et al. (2019) 's research attempts to dispel the impression that autistic children need separate self-contained learning arrangements. The authors argue that justifications for such segregation are rooted in the biomedical definition of ASD. The researchers have conducted a storytelling workshop, inviting autistic individuals to share their success stories. Based on the insights gleaned from their stories, the researchers encourage the readers to reconsider their conceptual understanding of autism to make sense beyond the traditional and biomedical bounds. The researchers argue that empirical evidence necessitates concerned stakeholders to abandon their support for an exclusive learning environment for ASD students and promote mainstream learning situations. It is concluded that ASD can be alleviated if dealt with...