Every child experiences difficulties during their academic careers. Some kids have trouble fitting in with their classmates; others struggle academically; some must cope with conflict in their personal or home lives. For children with disabilities such as autism, these universal issues are magnified and school can become a challenging and sometimes unhealthy experience.
Autism, as defined by Kathleen O’Grady in a recent article for the Toronto Star, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is often characterized by rigid and repetitive behaviours, difficulty with social communication, and uneven intellectual development, among other challenges. Parents of autistic children often want their kids to participate in a full public school experience, and for good reason: research suggests that including autistic kids in “regular” classrooms yields benefits for all children involved.
“A meta-analysis of ‘peer mediated interventions,’” O’Grady writes, “examined 45 distinct studies conducted over several years and concluded that teaching typically developing kids to both mentor and befriend those with autism was “highly effective” at promoting lasting positive social interactions.”
Peer mediated interventions can take many forms. Some schools set up a buddy system, which pairs a “neurotypical” child with an autistic child, while others pursue peer mentoring programs or ‘group play’ initiatives, where children of all ability levels work toward a united goal.
Inclusion is not a universally effective solution, however. In some cases, autistic children may experience enhanced feelings of isolation through participation in a school’s general population.
“We just wanted him to grow up in his community and be accepted for who he was because we accept him for who he [is],” said Lianna Koerner of her son Gabriel, who suffers from Down syndrome, in an interview with the Globe and Mail. “School was supposed to be his social community, and it was the exact opposite.”
Dr. Gail Teachman, a Toronto-based occupational therapist and postdoctoral fellow at McGill, conducted research on childhood disability for her PhD thesis. She found that even in settings which aspire towards inclusion, disabled young people experience acute struggles.
“One important but … discomfiting kind of finding from my work was the number of young people who said that they felt in social interactions, particularly with strangers, they were often treated as if they weren’t even human,” Teachman told the Globe.
“Several young people said, ‘I don’t even really want to interact with those “normal” kids because it’s a negative experience for me,’” she added.
Despite her findings, Teachman says that young people with disabilities who attend inclusive schools generally perform better academically and feel better about themselves than disabled youth who are segregated from their school’s population.
Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers is proud to support autism research through organizations like Autism Speaks Canada, which has raised more than $9 million dollars to promote collaboration, best practices, and building capacity to support individuals and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can find some photos from this year’s Autism Speaks Canada Walk at our Facebook page!
If you or a member of your family has suffered a serious injury, contact Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We can help you access compensation to facilitate your journey to recovery.
Greg Neinstein
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