Education Students Learn about Autism

I came upon this when I was looking for news of the autism advocacy group that went to lobby the federal government for universal access to treatment. The boy in the story has a fascination with the architecture of churches and bell towers, like my Bug. We have to "go wide" around churches when we're out, because the Bug simply can't walk away from one. He has a total melt-down when we say it's time to go... It's not easy to avoid churches in Montreal! We have more than half a dozen churches just within walking distance of our house!

The sounds of autism
GINA GALLUTIA

General education students at Motlow State Community College got a taste of what it will be like to have a child with autism in the classroom. As teachers of the future they will certainly be faced with this complex challenge.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability generally diagnosed by the age of three and marked by impairments in social interaction and communication in varying degrees of severity. The cognitive abilities of people with autism can range from low-functioning to superior intelligence.

Today one out of every 150 children is diagnosed with some form of autism. Twenty years ago the rate of instance was closer to 1500 to one. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandates a full and free education for those with disabilities.

With more and more children being diagnosed as autistic, mainstreaming them into the regular education classroom has become common because mainstreaming is considered an integral part of the academic growth of children with autism.

Dr. Stephanie Richards, education professor at Motlow, recognized this upcoming challenge to her regular education students. And so she arranged for her class to meet Jacob Touchton, 10, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of two.

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Lighting Up the Night

I have a friend who is both a security guard and a hunter. She has all kinds of fancy gear to like her safariland holster. She was visiting our home when the power went out, and from her belt she whipped out her snazzy LED flashlight.

I guess I'm somewhat of a NeoLuddite when it comes to this sort of gear; I still have my old incandescent flashlight & was happy with it until I saw "the competition". Besides the fact that these guys make for great shadow puppets, they are more efficient when it comes to battery use, and they can take a beating that would break an incandescent bulb. They may not be kid-proof, but sounds like they're tougher than my old lights!

This work was created by Ruby of Ruby's Star, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License.

Excerpts copyright quoted authors. Please visit their sites to read more, and respect the terms of their copyrights. Thanks!