What would an education system for autistics be like?

Post Reply New Topic

Sensory friendly? We can manage that quite easily, I suppose, by soundproofing the rooms and using dull colours, as well as dim lighting?

It should be partially residential, I think, and it should also have cottages in the grounds in addition to single person dorms, for parents to stay in while their child gets settled in. That would extend it's range quite a bit, so people who don't live within several dozen miles can still come.

It needs a workshop, definitely, and a library, both well stocked. Maybe a telescope. Internet access in everyone's dorm is good, as well as a large computer room. Perhaps it would be a good idea to make friends with a university, to access all their stores of knowledge...

I don't have a whole picture in my mind as to what a school for children on the autistic spectrum should be like, but I have a few ideas.

I think it should teach social anthropology, that is, learrning scientifically how to understand people.

I think it should teach the skills that a student needs, as an individual, in order to understand him/herself.

I think that it should teach practical life skills.

I think it should teach students how society works. That may already be partially covered by some of the above points.

Finally, I think that team sports should not be included in the curriculum. We find them very difficult, and I can't see that they bring us any benefit.

Magneto, a school where most of the staff were on the autistic spectrum wouldn't have worked very well for me. Often, when I try to relate to other autistics,my difficulties and theirs amplify each other, making for a bad experience. A staff of understanding and caring NTs would have worked better for me.

Melissa, I'm impressed by your list, it looks great, but I'm not sure about consistency of instructors. If you mean having students keep the same instructors year after year, doesn't it increase the likelihood that a student could be locked in an abusive situation with a rogue instructor?

Only math and science would be taught.

ruveyn

Something like how Evergreen College works would be awesome.

I think in some cases for high functioning autistics, like us aspies, we need socialization with NT's too though.

A sensory friendly campus is definitely a must! As is a cafeteria that feeds us healthy food, with decent gluten free, casein free options.

Nah. You can have that crap.

One of my conditions is respect for the uneven development and unique learning styles of those on the spectrum. In other words, "math" will no longer be the sole measure of one's intelligence.

--XFG

An Agora, or maybe of them several, need to be included. Discussion is very useful, and who knows what new breakthroughs may be made when a group of people who are interested in the same things learn to bounce ideas off each other?

I think I'm beginning to get the rough outline of a design...

It would be joined to a farm and garden area, which would provide somewhere for those whose interests lie there. In addition, there would be a forest garden, as an area of a relaxation. This could provide some of the food for the academy (which is what I am henceforth calling the school). Scattered throughout this area would be several cottages, which could house visitors, and parents of children who are getting settled into the residential area (though it wouldn't be fully residential).

The building(s) would contain the dorms, library, workshop, agoras etc. Each dorm would be single person, and en-suite, as well as soundproof with adjustable lighting. They are intended as places where people can go to be alone and avoid a meltdown, not just sleeping areas. There would, of course, be other places to go built in, for the non-residential students.

The entire building would have Wifi coverage, and each student would be issued with a laptop, which they would use for doing their studies - there would be none of the answer-your-questions-in-your-exercise-book style of education. Each student would be encouraged to learn on their own way, with help available if they need it. Up until a certain age, they would be appointed a keyworker, who they can go to if they have any questions or want help.

Meals would be provided in a canteen, open at any time and ideally automated , though there would be kitchens available for anyone wishing to cook their own food, probably with a chef on hand to offer any help if it requested - anyone who finds their interest lies in cooking should be able to develop that skill.

There would be other rooms, such as a workshop, which in the same way as the kitchens would have trained staff on hand to help if requested. Other rooms would include a library, gym, maybe an observatory, as well as the aforementioned agoras. Anyone have any other ideas about what we need?

There wouldn't be an upper age limit; ideally, it would grow as it's members do, into a autistic community At first, it would probably have to limit itself to "high functioning" Auties and Aspies, but hopefully as it expands it would be able to be more diverse?

I second XFilesGeek's comment. To think that all people on the spectrum are inclined towards Maths and Science is a stereotype. It's true for many, but there are plenty of people on the spectrum who are not good at these subjects, but are good at other things such as art.

If you teach only math and science, you aren't preparing students for the world fully. Further, you would make yourself a terrible fit for students whose skills lie elsewhere.

If you have so many all together, you need to find a better way to deal with meltdowns than "try not to have one." They will happen. I have a theory that they may even need to happen. It definitely has to be okay to have one (while teaching students the skill of postponing them and anticipating them and coming back from the edge time after time until all your energy is spent-- but this is a skill they should not be required to use), and my first thought is to have a "quiet room" but I suspect that could be misused. Perhaps a "quiet room" that locks from the inside and possibly has one-way windows that let you see out but not in.

I think that for highly intellectual people who may well have gross motor impairments and have probably spent previous recesses running or hiding, team sports should not be a requirement, but a couple of fun options for getting your body moving should be available, because it would help prevent health problems later on (and teasing for being fat).

Magneto, re: sensory friendliness... I don't think so. You can soundproof the rooms, which does very little to save you from the voice of the person next to you. You can use dull colors, which fail to stimulate and could make some people claustrophobic. (I'd suggest blue for some rooms, though of course this would all change if we started trying to make it work for real.) You still won't catch instances of people who can't stand the feel of their desk, or of any clothing at all, or the sound of their teacher's voice. You have to deal with people with opposing needs-- someone who can't concentrate unless they're squealing will not mix well with someone who can't stand that noise. And different things feel bad to different people-- you could have a room of mismatched desks, but that sets off our OCD...

And even so, it does nothing for sensory-seeking, only for sensory-defensiveness. And it can be very bad to have unmet sensory needs.

The instructors, of course, have to never ever call someone out for being rude. 90% chance they didn't mean it and wouldn't understand what you were talking about, but you will do damage by making a big deal out of it. (This doesn't apply to a social skills class, or more specifically a class to teach the skill of pretending to be NT.)

Mmmm, some good points there. We might not be able to solve all the sensory problems, but we can certainly alleviate some of them. I still think soundproofing rooms is a good idea, though. I think the no-harsh-lighting rule should be obvious?

Keep the ideas flowing. Maybe we can make a plan.

But what's harsh? In terms of the light they give off, I don't have a problem with fluorescents (but I don't want to be the one to break one... nasty stuff inside), but I have different issues with lighting. Harsh to me would be any artificial light before dark-thirty, which is unfortunately incompatible with other people being able to see what they're doing.

I do think sensory issues could be solved without too much difficulty (at least without too much expense-- only two that I can think of are more expensive than difficult), but there's no such thing as "sensory issues" when you get right down to it. There's a bunch of people's nervous systems. It would all have to be done on a case-by-case basis. The only things we could possibly recommend without knowing who the students are would be:
Soundproofing certain rooms
No fluorescent lights
Promoting a culture of not looking down on atypical sensory needs
Actively seeking to learn what students (and teachers) need

...Which would benefit anyone. Really, when you get right down to it, a school that really works will work even for us. (At least many of us.) It's schools that don't really work that NTs can scrape by in that work so badly for us.

Which is why I propose that the school allow some NTs as both students and staff. They should be kept as a minority, though. But I don't know how you'd keep the groups on good terms with each other...

It would be impossible to follow your design for a large number of schools. Only a very limited number of schools could ever become operational along the lines you're suggesting. That would leave most children with an autism spectrum disorder out. We would end up in a situation where a few privileged ones have access to maybe a good education (assuming that your design works) while the majority rot in unsuitable schools. That's not different to the situation we have today.

If we're going to think about improving the quality of education for children with an autism spectrum disorder, we need to think about something on a large scale, that would work for many.

Children need to learn to eat healthily too.

Having a canteen isn't incompatible with eating healthily.

Ha, it's unlikely all my wishes for the acedemy could be fulfilled, at least at the start. But coming up with an ideal design is still very useful, even if it's not implemented, because ideas from it could be used elsewhere.


Agreed.

I don't think the price would be prohibitive if government funding could be secured, which it can in most developed countries (even that bastion of free market ideals, America... especially in America, come to think of it...). It sure beats people sending children to prison institutions, them struggling in mainstream, ending up in prison, trapped at home unable to function, or the myriad of other fates which they could fall into...

I just found a school in SoCal that caters to asperger kids. Its called Balboa City School.

Ah, and now I'm reminded of the other reason why this would never work. BAD EXPERIENCES. Why should I trust another school just like the one I went to and the one my friend went to? Never heard of it working out okay with such a school.

What? You went to a school just like the one I'm suggesting? Where?