Educating Children with Special Needs

This book has been written for regular classroom teachers, special education teachers, other school personnel (such as school psychologists, counsellors, social workers, administrators, and so on), parents, and prospective teachers. It provides basic information about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and will prepare current and prospective teachers and other school personnel to teach and work with students with ASD. Designed to be practical guide for teachers and parents in dealing with children with ASD, this book can be used for pre-service or in-service teacher training courses or for a workshop for parents. The useful material can comprise an entire course on ASD, or it can serve as part of a course in a related area. This book is mainly a collection of articles, compilations and information from various sources. Not many books are available on ASD in this country. A need was felt to scan the entire information available form various sources and put it together in a form of a book that provides basic idea about ASD. These children, so far, are not being recognized or appropriately served by the schools; instead they are misdiagnosed, denied appropriate support services or simply neglected. But persistent efforts of parents of children with ASD and the endeavors of a few organizations working in this area have however generated a great deal of awareness. Now the situation is beginning to change. Finally, children with ASD are beginning to be identified. Special educators and parents are recognizing the need to learn ways of helping these students. Newer methods of teaching children with ASD are also becoming widely accepted. This book is an introductory look at the field of ASD and gives a historical review of how the field evolved to its present sate. It outlines general behaviors of children with ASD. The incidence of ASD reached at from various studies is also included in the chapter. The book also describes in detail the characteristics of children with ASD. Problems in specific areas are also provided, along with a fact sheet and myths about children with ASD. The process of identification and assessment of children with ASD is also included in the book with a focus on some effective pedagogical strategies. Some of the strategies that a regular teacher can us, in the classroom for specific area, are also emphasized. Children with ASD need support form parents, teachers and peers. Raising a child ASD requires dedicated parents. Caring teachers, knowledgeable psychologists, committed researchers and many other, psycho-social supports for ASD children also finds place in the book.