Autism

I chose to include the SPARK for Autism website in my resource collection. Challenging Behaviors with students with autism can be very overwhelming unless you design behavior plans with the students IEP team and implement those plans into the classroom. However, there are many things that you can do to ease stress and reduce incidences of challenging behaviors. Our book, "The Inclusion Classroom" explains to "create a learning envioronment in which the student with autism feels comfortable, including a predicatable schedule of daily activities, a pattern of events, and class routines. Use pictures to list the sequence of activities if the student is a nonreader, and allow the student to order the sequence if possible. If you change the class routine, prepare the student in advance to avoid undue stress. (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2018)

The SPARK for Autism website also provides a link to a free webinar labeled, "Practical Strategies to Address Challenging Behavior." The site states that the webinar will cover "an overview of the potential reasons why problem behavior exists and practical strategies that parents and teachers can implement to prevent the development of problem behavior. " (SPARK for Autism) I would use this information to help me limit the amount of stress on the student with autism that causes problem behavior in my classroom. 

It is extremely important that all students with autism get the right services that they need. However, students who are culturally diverse may not always get the services that they are entitled too. According to SPARK for Autism's website, "Some children with autism receive fewer services than others, and those differences are often associated with their race, ethnicity, or family income. A 2020 study found that Black and Hispanic children with autism were less likely to see some medical specialists and to undergo certain procedures than white children. Hispanic and Asian American children received less speech therapy and occupational therapy than white children who have autism, according to the study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics." A different study found that, "Children from middle- and high-income families were more likely to be enrolled in applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for autism, and occupational therapy (OT), than children from lower income families." The SPARK for Autism website provides a link called, "Autism Advocacy Advice for Families of Color" this resource provides information on how parents of color can help make sure their child with autism gets the kind of services and resouces that they need. This information will help me be a more culturally responsive educator and prepare me to address bias I may see related to this topic.

Resources

Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2018). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective differentiated instruction (6th ed.). Pearson.

Spark for Autism. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://sparkforautism.org/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=autism+studies&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&msclkid=2ac18f7f28b01a009773ecfe4a4fb44d